Explored sociometric status group differences in psychosocial adjustment and academic performance among Greek elementary and secondary school students. Findings extended previous descriptions of rejected, neglected, and controversial groups. Gender and age differences were found in profiles of rejected and controversial groups, which were…

Study assessed preschoolers' perceptions of classroom friendships and whether these perceptions were associated with their adjustment during transition to grade school. Findings were consistent with the hypothesis that the relational features of children's classroom friendships yield psychological benefits or costs that, in turn, affect children's…

Investigated mediators of effects of preschool intervention on children's school achievement in sixth grade. Found that preschool participation was significantly associated with higher reading achievement, higher math achievement, and with lower incidence of grade retention. Cognitive readiness and parent involvement in school significantly…

Compared attitudes of gifted black early adolescents in fifth and sixth grades to those of potentially gifted and regular education black students. Found that gifted black students' attitudes and perceptions were significantly different from those of the other two groups. Of the three groups, gifted black students were the most achievement…

Assessed conceptions of teachers' authority as it pertains to misconduct. Subjects were 10- through 17-year olds. Found that adolescents viewed moral, conventional, and prudential issues as legitimately subject to teachers' authority, and personal issues as under personal jurisdiction; they were equivocal about contextually conventional issues.…

Tested for bias toward shifting attention toward threatening stimuli among high-anxious children and away from such stimuli among low-anxious children, ages 11-14. Results supported the predicted attentional bias toward threat cues among high-test-anxious children. Unexpectedly, the predicted attentional bias away from threat cues among…

Study of a cohort of low birth weight, preterm infants examined effects of maternal knowledge and concepts of child rearing on the home environment and developmental outcomes. Maternal knowledge, measured at 1 year, was found to be associated with quality of the home environment, the number of child behavior problems, and to a small degree, infant…

Analyzed the psychosocial influences through which efficacy beliefs affect academic achievement. Found that parents' sense of academic efficacy and aspirations for their children, children's beliefs in their efficacy to regulate their own learning and academic attainments, children's perceived social efficacy and ability to manage peer pressure,…

Two studies examined middle- and lower-class Brazilian children's concepts of personal choice and social regulation. Found that subjects maintained a heterogeneous orientation to rules and authority which includes personal choice. Class differences indicated that hierarchical social structures affect children's sense of autonomy. However,…

Examined effects of work intensity on 1,000 employed adolescents. Found that students who worked at higher intensity engaged in more alcohol use. Negative effects on mental health, academic achievement, and 2 other indicators of behavioral adjustment were not found, but seniors working at moderate intensity (fewer than 20 hours per week) had…

Interviewed 120 early, mid, and late adolescents of lower-class Chinese families to examine adolescent-parent conflict. Found that conflicts were primarily with mothers, of moderate frequency and severity, and occurred over everyday issues. Adolescents wanted greater autonomy in decision making than their parents granted them, but parents' views…

Analyzed correlates of social problem solving in 63 2-parent families with a preadolescent. Structured interviews were held when child was about 9.5 years old, and again 2 years later. Found a substantial decline in the quality of family problem solving during preadolescence associated with changes in the participation and affective behavior of…

Observed parent-child relationships, sibling relationships, and family problem solving, and obtained parent-reported child temperament assessments. Found that links among mother-older child relationship quality, father-older child relationship quality, and sibling relationship quality were moderated by the older sibling's temperament. The…

Introduces articles in journal issue devoted to research on gestures. Discusses importance of studying gesture, its definition, and open theoretical and practical questions on the subject, including (1) Is the relationship between gesture and speech one of equal partners? (2) Are there developmental changes in the relationship between gesture and…

Describes conventional and nonconventional gestures, asserting they form an integrated system with language but on different levels, working together to produce a web of visuo-spatial expression surrounding linear speech products. Conventional gestures can be loosely bound temporally with speech but require across-context codes; nonconventional…