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)

Rated gender boundary violation and maintenance of 47 preadolescents participating in a summer day camp. Found that children who violated gender boundaries tended to be unpopular with peers; and children who maintained boundaries were judged by camp counselors to be more competent socially than children who violated boundaries. (MDM)

Examines recent research on cultural and gender differences among early adolescents, focusing on friendship patterns, identity development, social expectations, self-esteem, learning styles, health concerns, achievement aspirations, and sex role attitudes and behaviors. Young adolescents benefit when middle-level educators provide opportunities…

Examined how younger and older adolescents differed in their value judgments of historically important events. Subjects (n=154) between the ages of 11 and 27 listed 10 most important events to United States since 1900. Three most frequently cited events were World Wars I and II and Vietnam. Age was much better predictor of value judgments than…

Measured degree of career certainty, involvement in career planning, and level of academic aspiration of gifted students (n=161) several times. Found no main effects for sex; interaction of sex and age produced significant results. Girls were more certain than boys about their talents and career plans in elementary school but not in junior high…

Evaluated emotional expressiveness, empathy, and prosocial behavior in 9-, and 13-year-olds. As expected, emotional expressiveness, emotional insight, and role taking were strong predictors of latent empathy. Boys' empathy was a strong predictor of prosocial behavior, whereas girls' empathy was related to prosocial behaviors with friends but not…

Studied the relative contribution to and function of general risk factors for mental disorders and compensatory, vulnerability, and protective factors in a sample of 1,110 preadolescents and adolescents in Switzerland. Identified general risk factors for both sexes and general compensatory factors, which included self-esteem and acceptance by…

This study investigated the processes and outcomes of family decision-making during children's transition from late childhood to adolescence. Members of 28 one-parent families and 40 two-parent families completed four decision tasks independently, then as a family. Decision tasks concerned selecting a bicycle, a snack, a movie, and a camp for the…

Since 1983 the Health Education Authority Schools Education Unit has been providing a survey service to schools throughout the United Kingdom. The purpose is to make the planning of programs in Health and Social Education in the schools more realistic. Health behaviors in the areas of substance use, dental care, diet, homework, jobs, leisure,…

Investigated inhibition in a mixed-sex spelling bee, using a sample of 36 middle-class Black and 32 Hopi Indian preadolescents. Spelling scores indicated that high-skill girls in both cultures performed below their established levels of capability when opposing low-skill boys. In general boys were more eager to compete. (JAC)

The relationship between adolescent autonomy and parental stress (PS) for 139 parent-adolescent dyads in a family-oriented educational program was studied via questionnaires. Stress levels were significant for parents of younger adolescents and parents of first-borns. Adolescents' adherence to parental advice and desire for autonomy strongly…

Investigated the effects of group therapy on latency-age children lacking social skills. Found that experimental boys were more realistic about their friendship relationships after treatment than were control group boys. Girls' perceptions were significantly correlated at the end of treatment, whether they were experimental or control subjects.…

Examined impact of religion and gender on fifth graders' (n=142) attitudes toward life and death. Although all children displayed high attraction and low repulsion to life and low attraction and high repulsion to death, religious children displayed higher attraction to death. Found main effect of gender and gender x religiosity interaction.…

Examined responses of 9-19 year olds to different forms of interadult anger expression. Children perceived all forms of anger expression as more angry than control conditions and had more negative reactions to anger expression than to control conditions. Results suggest that others' anger is viewed as a negative emotional event and reacted to as a…

Examined impact of pubertal maturation on body image and on perceived quality of relations with opposite sex peers in adolescence. Findings from 157 French adolescents aged 11 to 16 years confirmed that boys evaluated themselves on attractiveness more positively than girls. Found no sex difference on perceived physical condition. (Author/NB)