The extent to which the resolution of the Eriksonian final stage-related crisis of ego integrity versus despair is predicted by the resolution of earlier conflicts and by personality constructs was studied with 520 older adults. Results are consistent with Eriksonian theory of continuous personality development. (SLD)

Two studies tested whether 12- and 24-month olds' self-knowledge differed from their knowledge of others (mother or inanimate object), or whether toddlers' knowledge of persons (self and mother) differed from knowledge of objects. Results showed that 12-month olds were more sensitive than older toddlers to perceptual features of objects. Data were…

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,…

Children who left a gap between the sky and the horizon in their drawings and paintings were significantly younger than those who left no gap. Omission of the gap was associated with the use of devices to represent three-dimensional space in two dimensions. (RH)

In four tasks, 42 children between three and five years of age were asked to identify materials and familiar objects, and to predict which items would adhere to a magnet. No age differences were found in the ability to identify objects, but significant differences occurred in identification of materials and prediction of magnetic attraction. (RH)

Examined developmental differences in the acquisition and extension of an organizational strategy in 2 experiments involving 242 children in grades 3, 4, 5, and 7. Levels of performance were greater for sets of typical items than for sets of atypical items at all grade levels. (RJC)

The developmental change from global toward dimensional classifications, usually observed in vision, was investigated in haptics with stimuli varying according to their size and roughness. Results indicated that, although more overall similarity classifications were observed in children than in adults, this kind of classification was never…

In two studies, adolescents and adults planned a hypothetical party with and without planning aids. Found that adolescents made no more planning errors than working adults when they were given planning aids and that retired adults made more errors than working adults when planning with and without planning aids. (MM)

Reviews empirical studies of cognitive self-efficacy from childhood through old age, addressing issues of definition and measurement related to the self-efficacy construct. Integrates findings of research on self-efficacy and establishes generalizations regarding the relationship of self-efficacy to choice and goal-setting behaviors, a sense of…

Maintains that Madole and Oakes' hypotheses are incorrect. Shows that conceptual development frequently goes from the abstract to the concrete and that extensive literature shows that there is more than one kind of categorization. Discusses ways in which perceptual and conceptual categorization differ. (Author/KB)

Dell, Burger, and Svec (1997) proposed that the proportion of speech errors classified as anticipations (e.g., "moot and mouth") can be predicted solely from the overall error rate, such that the greater the error rate, the lower the anticipatory proportion (AP) of errors. We report a study examining whether this effect applies to changes in error…

Two experiments tested Hasher and Zacks' (1984) age-invariance hypothesis of frequency memory, which proposed that frequency memory is fully developed when a minimal level of physiological maturation is reached (by two or three years of age). Participating in the first experiment were 24 subjects at each of three ages: 8 years, 11 years, and young…

This document presents a comprehensive review of the literature on the psychological effects of divorce from the preschool years through adulthood. Topics discussed include the developmental perspective on divorce through various age groups; divorce as an event or process; and the role of the mental health professional. This review provides an…

Reports three studies that examined developmental changes in the integration of ability and effort information to predict performance. Children aged 6-11 years and adults were used as subjects. Findings involved developmental progression in the integration process, use of both cues in forming judgements, and the importance of effort. (Author/SDH)

A research questionnaire was distributed to assess how extensively aging is taught within the schools. It was more common in secondary schools. Respondents felt that it was a nontraditional topic, and that previous attempts to teach it were unsuccessful. The same percentage of respondents felt that the interest existed as did not. (LPG)