Investigated developmental change in symbolic representational ability by examining infants' imitation of vocalizations, words, visible motor actions, and nonvisible motor behaviors at ages 10, 13, 17, and 21 months. Results revealed a pattern of increasing imitation, supporting the view that a domain-independent representational capacity develops…

Groups of first, third, and fifth graders were interviewed 12 months, 6 months, and 1 month prior to national elections to examine changes in their conceptions of the American presidency and of presidential elections. Differences among grade levels disappeared at the last measurement, as first and third graders' knowledge of the presidency and…

Examines the development of toddlers' moral and conventional judgments and effects of language development on such judgments. Rudimentary distinctions between familiar moral, social and conventional transgressions are made during the child's third year. (Author/BB)

Assessed continuity and change at multiple levels of adolescent friendship networks over the school year. Continuity and change were characterized for individuals' friendships, friendship groups, network type, and the school network as a whole, covering both subjective and consensus-based networks. Found moderate stability and continuity at all…

The role of maturational factors in reading acquisition was investigated by exposing children 5.2 to 7.0 years of age to identical learning experiences. Older children significantly outperformed younger ones, suggesting that reading instruction at a later maturational level may be more effective than that performed earlier. (MP)

Considers four issues pertaining to aggression and adaptation: (1) conceptual and operational definitions of aggression; (2) how aggression relates to adjustment difficulties for boys and girls and for children from different ethnic and socioeconomic groups; (3) whether specific forms of aggression relate to truly positive correlates and whether…

Examined predictive validity of measures of infant habituation and later aspects of temperament. Found babies who habituated sooner (fewer trials to criterion) at five months of age and had fewer peak fixations during habituation were rated by mothers as more active, intense, and negative in mood, and less persistent and adaptable. Age differences…

Fifty second-born preschoolers and their families were observed at 3 intervals over a 14-month period to examine the relations between emotional expression in the family, children's understanding of emotions, and children's social understanding. Frequent expressions of anger or distress within the family when children were 33-months-old was…

Younger preschoolers had significantly more difficulty than older ones in making an appearance-reality distinction between a person's apparent character, as indicated by his or her facial expression, and the person's real character, as evidenced by his or her behavior. (BB)

Studied age differences in children's understanding of (1) changes in emotional reactions to situations; and (2) the possibility that emotion might be controlled by situational or cognitive strategies. Children aged 4 to 15 years were more likely to suggest situational strategies than cognitive strategies for controlling emotion. (Author/GH)

A total of 76 children, ages 3 through 5, were asked to evaluate how preschool teachers should intervene in children's social and moral transgressions. Older preschoolers preferred explicit teacher explanations over punishment or nonintervention, whereas all preferred punishment over nonintervention. Younger girls preferred explanations for moral…

Reports results of questionnaires and interviews conducted with 123 parents (mostly mothers) of preschool, first-grade, and sixth-grade children. Finds that parental limitations on children's altruism are based on cogent rationales and are a direct function of the situational cost involved and the age and familiarity of the recipient. (CB)

Illustrates the use of a Piagetian-influenced research strategy in overcoming existing methodological problems in human experience research and presents illustrative data on human early experience research which has so far yielded inconsistent data. (GO)

Discusses a study of conversational dyadic interaction between children aged 1.5 to 3 years; their 4-, 5-, 7-, or 8-year-old siblings; and their mothers. Mothers were more supportive conversational partners and adapted their level of speech more than siblings. (GH)