Observed 193 children at 4.5 years who had been classified at 4 months as high or low reactive to stimulation for signs of inhibited or uninhibited behavior. Children classified as high reactive were less spontaneous and less sociable than low-reactive children, but only a small proportion maintained a consistently inhibited or uninhibited…

Investigated 4-month-olds' responsiveness to others' affective expressions in the context of a peekaboo game. Found differential patterns of visual attention and affective responsiveness to happiness/surprise, anger, fear, and sadness. Findings underscore importance of contextual information for facilitating recognition of emotion expressions and…

This study examined responsivity of mothers with childhood-onset depression (COD) in relation to children's overt expression of positive and negative emotion. It was hypothesized that COD and control mothers would differ in contingent responsivity to their children's expression of both positivity and different types of negative emotionality. Using…

Works on second language acquisition theories, affective variables and communicative competence, and interlanguage were compiled as a result of a symposium on universals of second language acquisition at the University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee. The papers include: "On the Variability of Interlangauge Systems" (Elaine Tarone); "Memory, Learning, and…

Stability of temperament over successive ages in the first 2 years was evaluated for 109 full-term and 81 preterm infants who were assessed at 6, 9, 12, 18, and 24 months of age. At each age subjects were engaged in a series of age-appropriate vignettes in the laboratory; experimenters used a structured sequence of activities. Composite ratings…

Tested relationships between mood states, self-reflection, and helpfulness. Subjects read mood-inducing statements negative in content, containing the personal pronoun "I;" negative but not self-referencing; emotionally positive in content; emotionally neutral; or no statements. Results showed self-reflection was responsible for…

Abused and nonabused boys were interviewed to determine their perceptions of parental characteristics, discipline techniques, and emotional acceptance/rejection as well as attributions for parental treatment. Wide variations between abused and nonabused children's perceptions were found. (Author)

A nonverbal picture test that measures recognition of affective states was administered to American and Japanese counseling students. Results showed that females were more accurate in judging nonverbal cues than males. American subjects had a higher accuracy rate than Japanese subjects. (Author)

Investigated effects of depressed mothers' touching on their infants' behavior during still-face situation. Subjects were 48 mothers and their 3-month-old infants. Findings suggested that by providing touch stimulation for their infants, depressed mothers can increase infants' positive affect and compensate for negative effects often resulting…

Consistent with results of research with toddlers, abused preschoolers exhibited more inappropriate responses toward distressed peers, and were more likely to cause distress of peers, than were nonabused peers. Inappropriate responses of abused children persist beyond toddlerhood, despite experiences with nonabusive caregivers and nonabused peers.…

A survey of 1,353 college students who received tuition rebates for tutoring disadvantaged students, grades four-nine, revealed: (1) tutor motivations differed, (2) intrinsically motivated tutors rated tutoring success higher than extrinsically motivated tutors, and (3) tutors declaring only extrinsic motivation were more critical. (IAH)

The attitudes and reactions toward computers of two samples of college students from Los Angeles, California, and Hunan, People's Republic of China, were examined and compared. Results indicate that computer anxiety was present to a similar degree in both groups of students. (25 references) (Author/DB)

Evaluated respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) and heart period in 5-month-olds during interaction challenges. Found that during object-mediated challenge, RSA increases were uniquely related to positive engagement. During person-mediated challenge, subjects showed more complex integration of autonomic and behavioral responses such that only infants…

This article addresses how close relationships can be conceptualized so that they can be accurately understood over the life span. First, two typical clusters of theories of close relationships, the attachment theory and the social network theory, are compared and discussed with regard to their fundamental but controversial assumptions regarding…

Critics and teachers tend to pay attention to genre and ignore mode as an area of consideration. This study examines three novels for young readers that are comparable in terms of their entwining opposing modes (irony and romance, comedy and tragedy) as a successful crossover strategy for appeal to readers young and old. I share implications for…