One study of 9-12 year olds found that only girls showed toy preferences among a variety of sex typed and neutral toys, but that both sexes interacted differently with masculine and feminine toys. In another study, play constructions and stories reflected the gender association of toys provided, rather than child's sex. (AOS)

Data on nearly 400 preadolescents from a study, conducted over 3 years, of the effects of group psychotherapy on close same-gender friendships show that girls grow in intimacy whether treated or not, but only treated boys show such growth. (SLD)

Third- , fourth-, and fifth-grade children who had participated for one or more years in a coeducational physical fitness program were given the AAHPER Youth Fitness Test in 1977, 1978, and 1979. Females consistently performed as well or better than males at the same grade level. (CJM)

Gender differences in self-esteem across time were investigated by means of a comparison of the extent of congruence between an individual's self Q-sort and his or her Q-sort of the ideal self. Self Q-sorts were done when subjects were 11, 14, 18, and 23 years of age; they were done on separate occasions, at least a week apart. Ideal self Q-sorts…

A study of inhalant use among 87 American Indian boarding school students aged 10-18 found that inhalant use was negatively related to participation in traditional tribal activities for both males and females and was also related to measures of cognitive ability and cognitive egocentrism for males. (Contains 43 references.) (SV)

In this study, questions regarding the prevalence of mutual antipathies and their relation to the behavior of individual children were examined among preadolescents and adolescents. Mutual antipathies were defined as relationships in which children mutually nominated one another as least liked on a sociometric task. A distinction was drawn between…

This study examined care-based moral reasoning in 23 white females and 23 white males, ages 11 through 12 years in a small Canadian eastcoast town. Subjects were administered the Ethic of Care Interview (ECI), a measure administered in a structured interview format consisting of four dilemmas. In addition to three standardized, interpersonal…

Value orientations of 116 Canadian children (60 males and 56 females) ranging from 10 to 12.5 years old (40 of Anglo-Celt, 40 of French, and 36 of Italian origin) indicate similar concepts of ideal self and self-esteem but gender and ethnic differences with respect to peer relations. (SLD)

Interviews conducted with 36 children demonstrate that boys and girls speak about the goals and concerns of children differently. Girls were more likely than boys to describe children who do the following: (1) seek practical help; (2) are too overcome with emotion to confide in others; and (3) want to be alone to resolve their problems.…

Height, weight, and triceps skinfold were measured in 1,680 Mexican American children, 10 through 14 years of age, from the Lower Rio Grande Valley (LRGV) region of Texas. Study sample measurements were compared to those gathered in 1972 involving LRGV Mexican American children as well as National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) reference data…

Reports on a study of the relationship between moral and political consciousness as evidenced by the ideas and words of 20 middle-school children of average scholastic ability. Finds that the socioeconomic conditions of a community influenced the children's perceptions of issues and problems. (CFR)

A survey of 2,216 low-SES Mexican American students in grades 4-6 investigated family, social, and psychological risk factors related to substance abuse. Use of major and minor substances was related to respondent score on an index of 11 risk factors. Relationship between major substance use and risk index was significantly greater for females…

This study modifies and expands on earlier research in an effort to incorporate an examination of consultant's sex as an instrumental dimension in determining children's and adolescents' consultant preferences. It was hypothesized that: (1) children would prefer same-sex consultants, and this preference would continue for female adolescents; (2)…