The present study employs event related potentials (ERPs) to verify the utility of using electrophysiological measures to study developmental questions within the field of language comprehension. Established ERP components (N400 and P600) that reflect semantic and syntactic processing were examined. Fifteen adults and 14 children (ages 8-13)…

Verbal-to-spatial associations in working memory may index a core capacity for abstract information limited in the amount concurrently retained. However, what look like associative, abstract representations could instead reflect verbal and spatial codes held separately and then used in parallel. We investigated this issue in two experiments on…

Age-related changes in mental flexibility, in the form of task switching, were assessed in 292 children (58-156 months old). Task switching was examined with a new task for young children, the Switch Task for Children (STC). The STC consists of two easy, comparable games and does not require reading skills, which makes it suitable for children…

The present study examined the relationship between sub-clinical depressive symptoms and children's anticipated cognitive and behavioral reactions to two written vignettes depicting emotion-eliciting stressors (i.e., fight with one's best friend and failure at a roller blade contest). Participants (N = 244) ranging in age between 10 and 13 were…

Many human behaviors (e.g., cognitive, moral, and psychosocial) follow predictable developmental patterns or stages. The study reported examined the interpersonal development of 9- through 13-year-old children. A total of 282 children were administered the Fundamental Interpersonal Relations Orientation - Behavior Children (FIRO-BC) test to…

Reported an experiment on the effects of taxonomic organization on 7- and 11-year-olds' free and cued recall of two- and four-category lists. Analysis used a stages-of-learning model that simultaneously delivered estimates of the impact of these manipulations on storage and retrieval components of recall. (Author/CB)

Investigates, among delinquent and nondelinquent subjects ages 10 to 11 and 14 to 15 years, differences exhibited on moral reasoning tasks, social problem solving/metacognition, effects of clues on performance on a social problem-solving task, effects of age, and the interaction of age and delinquency. (Author/RH)

Based on data collected from 181 students across grades six to eight in rural northern Michigan, results suggest that peer substance use is highly correlated with personal substance use and increases with age. Sexual differences were also noted. (Author/PN)

Examines hemispheric differences in processing tachistoscopically presented faces in right-handed 8-, 11-, and 13-year-olds. Concludes that younger children and males at all ages use a diffuse right-hemisphere processing strategy in recognizing faces, whereas some older females use a more integrated right-hemispheric strategy. (Author/CB)

Measured cognitive processing time, imagery skill, and spatial memory span of 128 children and adults, ages 8 to 20 years. Found that performance on spatial memory span tasks was largely predicted by imagery skill, which in turn was strongly linked to processing time; age was much less of a predictor in both cases. (EAJ)

Assessed coping with homesickness, perceived control over homesickness, and adjustment among 8- to 10-year-olds spending two weeks at a summer camp. Found that children's most frequent and effective method of coping was engaging in distracting physical activity; coping by adjusting oneself to conditions increased through adolescence; and the most…

Examines the relation between children's mastery motivation, self-assessment of performance, and task-related, help-seeking behavior during task performance. (PCB)

Examines peer group perceptions of 312 students in grades 5-12. Early and middle adolescents placed more value on being in a popular group; perceived more conformity, antagonism, and leadership in their groups; and reported more antagonistic interactions with those outside their groups than did preadolescents and late adolescents. (RJC)

The mental capacity of 120 children aged 10 to 16 years was measured with 2 visual information-processing tasks, and their level of moral development was assessed with the Sociomoral Reflection Measure. Results suggest that mental capacity is a necessary but not sufficient condition for moral developmental growth. (LB)

Explored relationship among drug use, school performance, and academic aspiration among Anglo and Hispanic youths (n=446). Results indicated a significant relationship between current school performance, future educational aspirations, and drug use. Important differences in response patterns occurring with age, ethnicity, and gender were found.…