Examined contributions of cognitive processing speed, short-term memory capacity, and attention to infant visual recognition memory. Found that infants who showed better attention and faster processing had better recognition memory. Contributions of attention and processing speed were independent of one another and similar at all ages studied--5,…

This study investigated whether the process of representational change undergoes developmental change or different processes occupy different niches in the course of knowledge acquisition. Subjects--college, third-, and sixth-grade students--solved gear system problems over two sessions. Findings indicated that for all grades, discovery of the…

Two studies examined children's perceptions of popular and unpopular peers. Findings indicated that fourth- through eighth-graders viewed "liked others" as prosocial and "disliked others" as antisocial, but associated perceived popularity with both prosocial and antisocial behavior. Children described popular peers as…

Two studies examined children's and adolescents' attitudes toward aggression. Found that boys viewed physical aggression as more hurtful than social aggression and girls rated social aggression as more hurtful. Girls rated an aggressor as more angry than did boys. Middle and high school participants viewed social aggression as indicating more…

Used observations and interview of mothers and children to test a mediational model in which committed compliance and opposition influence the child's emerging view of self on moral dimensions and this "moral self" regulates moral conduct. Found that the model, involving committed compliance and opposition in the "don't" demand…

Investigated the range and limits of cognitive reserve capacity as a general approach to the understanding of age differences in cognitive functioning. Group differences were magnified by training to such a degree that age distributions barely overlapped at posttests. The testing-the-limits approach promises increased understanding of cognitive…

Examined students' self-descriptions of situations, individuals, and incidents that evoked feelings of guilt to determine developmental and gender differences in guilt. Content analysis revealed changes in percentage of students at three grade levels who spontaneously mentioned a situation as guilt producing. Striking and distinctive patterns in…

Structural aspects of school-based peer networks of adolescents in grades 6 through 12 were mapped in 3 school systems in a major Midwestern city. The results indicated that female students were more connected to their peer network than were male students, and that peer networks became more exclusive with increasing grade. (MDM)

A total of 120 children, adolescents, and adults completed questionnaires and interviews to determine effects of age, cognitive level, gender, and family structure on their definitions of family, divorce, and adoption. Both children and adolescents most frequently mentioned affective ties in their definitions of family. Females were more likely…

Two studies investigated children's understanding that biases may influence the interpretation of behavior. In the first experiment, most second graders inferred that a negatively biased, uninformed observer would construe an act as intentional. In the second, kindergartners and second graders appropriately used bias and knowledge information to…

Examined infant facial expressions at two, four, and six months of age during face-to-face play and a still-face interaction with their mothers. Contrary to differential emotions theory, at no age did proportions or durations of discrete and blended negative expressions differ; they also showed different patterns of developmental change. (MM)

Three studies explored age changes and individual differences in preschoolers' sustained attention in different contexts. Found that changes occurred earlier for play and television viewing than for reaction time tasks. Results suggest that children have stable tendencies to sustain attention but that attention varies with task demands and…

Assessed developments in the theory of mind suggested by changes in the organization of cognitive verb extensions during elementary school years. Found three major changes with development: increased understanding of the role of memory in input functions, increased interrelatedness of memory- and comprehension-related verbs, and increased…

Examined mothers' and preschoolers' emotion talk for age- and gender-related patterns in use of labels and explanations. Found that children used emotion words mainly in labels. Boys' emotion talk increased with age. The youngest girls had more emotion talk than same-age boys. Mothers used more explanations than labels with boys but similar…

Assessed sleep patterns, sleep disruptions, and sleepiness of second-, fourth-, and sixth-graders. Found that older children had more delayed sleep onset times and increased reported daytime sleepiness than younger; girls spent more time in sleep than boys and had increased percentage of motionless sleep; and 18 percent of children had fragmented…