Ten male and 10 female young adults, who had lost parent by death as adolescents, completed Expanded Texas Grief Inventory to examine bereavement process of this group as compared to that of formerly studied adult group. Subjects reported more intense shock, disbelief, and sense of loss than did adult group at time of loss. (Author/NB)

Results of study of 256 adolescents and preadolescents randomly assigned to same-sex grade-level pairs in two social situations--a neutral situation and a "male-appropriate" athletic situation-- showed no differences between sexes in overall amount of touching or proxemics, though girls smiled significantly more often than males. (CMG)

Found that, although 10- to 14-year-old sons of hypertensive parents showed greater systolic blood pressure reactivity to interadult anger and to a challenging task than sons of normotensive parents, there was no consistent pattern in the response of girls. (MDM)

Examined personality traits of kibbutz children (n=130) and compared them to those of city children (n=142). Children completed Revised Children's Manifest Anxiety Scale, Locus of Control for Children, and Persistence Scale for Children. Found differences between kibbutz and city children in locus of control, anxiety, and persistence, and also…

Explored early socialization of beliefs and attitudes toward menarche in 258 adolescents, aged 11 to 14 years, male and female pre- and postmenarcheal, from southern Italy. Results showed a consistent lack of accurate information by a high percentage of subjects, both male and female; negative beliefs were held only by girls, boys tended to ignore…

Assesses the social image of cigarette smoking held by early- and middle-adolescent smokers and examines whether that social image serves to motivate smoking initiation. Results indicate that the social image of both male and female smokers is an ambivalent one. (Author/MP)

Compared significant others of Black adolescents (N=113) ages 10-14. Found differences between males and females and developmental differences between older (12-14) and younger (10-11) subjects. Found mother to be most significant other for males and females and both age groups. (Author/ABL)

Investigates factors of social influence strategies employed by 195 children aged 11-15 and 114 mothers. Girls reported more frequent use and success of strategies anticipating noncompliance and boys more frequent use and success of autonomous strategies. Mothers reported differential reinforcement of boys' and girls' strategies. (RJC)

Empirical studies of stress and self-esteem of early adolescents are limited. The focus of this study was to identify stressors experienced by junior high school students (N=145) between the ages of 11 and 12 years, and to determine if there was a relationship between those stressors and the students' self-esteem. Students responded to the Youth…

Examines the relationship of parental agreement in child rearing during early childhood and the psychological characteristics of adolescents. Results suggest that early family socialization experiences are important but different for boys and girls with respect to psychological content and the developmental timing of effects. (RJC)

Results of a cross-cultural replication study to assess divergent thinking in preadolescents and adolescents in Hong Kong showed adolescents scoring significantly higher on the measures used--fluency, flexibility, and originality of thought. No significant sex differences are shown. Results are compared with results of a similar study of…

Explored the roles of genes and environment in masculinity and femininity during pre- and early adolescence in 70 twins of 8-14 years. Results revealed significant genetic influences in all measures. Environmental influences were specific to each individual and not shared by members of the same twin pair. (RJC)

Investigated degree to which actual fatness and/or greater body dimensions might provide stimulus for dietary restraint (DR) in children (n=126). High DR boys were heavier, fatter, and had larger waists and hips resulting from fat deposition than low DR boys. High DR girls were heavier and fatter that low DR girls, with larger waists and hips.…

Children as young as eight years of age can discriminate between affect-eliciting statements, differentially rate up to five concurrent emotional responses, and predict response patterns similar to those predicted by adults. During adolescence, there are sex differences in the prediction of secondary emotions. (RH)

Junior Eysenck Personality Questionnaire was completed by 1,076 Iranian early adolescents, and their scores were compared to scores obtained previously for English children. Iranian boys scored higher than girls on the psychoticism and lower on the neuroticism and social desirability scales. Iranian children scored higher than English children on…