Children will increasingly come of age with personified robots and potentially form social and even moral relationships with them. What will such relationships look like? To address this question, 90 children (9-, 12-, and 15-year-olds) initially interacted with a humanoid robot, Robovie, in 15-min sessions. Each session ended when an experimenter…

Study looks at whether religious doubt is related to psychological well-being, and tests for age differences in the relationship between these two constructs. Findings suggest that religious doubt tends to erode feelings of psychological well-being. The deleterious effects of doubt were found to be greater for younger than older people.…

A new action-theoretical conceptualization was used to study developmental differences in children's generalized perceived control. Cross-sectional age differences in control beliefs, means-ends beliefs, and agency beliefs about school performance and friendship were studied in 240 boys and girls between 7 and 12 years of age. (RH)

Reviews research on development of children's beliefs about intelligence; proposes that this development represents simultaneous processes of concept acquisition and theory building. Discusses research foci on children's definitions of intelligence, beliefs about the component structure of intelligence, criteria children use to evaluate ability,…

To more fully understand how attitudes toward death and dying develop and change across the lifespan, 90 male and female subjects between the ages of 2 and 18 years and 90 male and female subjects between the ages of 18 and 97 were administered questionnaires and interviews about dying. The results revealed that children's attitudes were…

The importance of maintaining students' interest in art is underscored by the decline in both self-confidence and interest in art that children commonly begin to display during middle childhood. This study explored developmental differences in art motivation, investigating whether the expected decline could be explained by changes in beliefs…

Presents results of an analysis of a collection of statements about God written by German students between 16 and 22 years of age. Examines results from a psychoanalytic and cognitive-developmental perspective. Also considers the ways in which adolescents talk about the relationship between God and the church. (BB)

Two studies regarding beliefs about descriptive and prescriptive age norms for adults in developmental transitions were examined in a sample of 214 Australian university students ages 17 to 50. Discusses research methodology. The probable consequences for self-esteem, mental health, and life planning are discussed in the context of the research…