Examines peer influences on the sex-role development of preschoolers. The occurrence of sex-stereotyped activities and peer responses to them were observed in a naturalistic setting. (CM)

Examines children's understanding of gender permanence and the genital basis of gender as distinct stages in the development of a gender identity. Subjects were 237 Swedish children aged 3 to 10 years. (CM)

Examines the role of affect in children's attribution of intentionality and dispensation of punishment. Subjects were 12 boys and 12 girls at each of three grade levels: kindergarten and first and second grades. (CM)

Presents a model which reconceptualizes existing theories pertaining to the sociometric status of preschool children. Four sociometric categories (popular, amiable, isolated, rejected) resulting from an intersection of social impact (number of children who mention a given child) and social preference (predominance of positive or negative…

Examines the consistency of various methods of measuring helping behavior. Questionnaires concerning helping behavior among 280 sixth graders and teachers' ratings were compared to measures of altruistic behavior and behavioral intention administered 2 years later. (CM)

Three experiments investigated seven-month-old infants' ability to discriminate the facial expressions of happiness and fear. (CM)

Infants in more alert states demonstrated significantly higher rates of sucking following sound change. Treating state as a dependent variable revealed that state was not significantly affected by a change in stimulus conditions. (RH)

Four groups of infants, 4 1/2 to 5 1/2 months of age, were presented with repeated speech stimuli which were synthesized exemplars of the sound, "baba," natural exemplars of "baba" or "kaba," or novel syllables on each trial. (RH)

Forty 10-month-old infants were given two minutes to explore tactually an object in a totally darkened room. Subsequently, during a two-minute test trial in the dark, 10 infants were given the same object and 10 were given a novel shape. Novel shapes were manipulated significantly longer than familiar forms. (RH)

A total of 309 children were divided into eight groups on the basis of their Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test scores. The Nowicki-Strickland Locus of Control (LOC) Scale and the Children's Psychological Conservatism Scale were administered. Findings indicate a curvilinear relationship between verbal ability and the reliability of the LOC scale. (RH)

First and fifth graders estimated all interlocation distances among six objects in one of two environments: a familiar library or a novel arrangement of objects in a room. Findings suggest (1) an increase in the ability to shift among spatial frames of reference with development and (2) a sequence of mastery of spatial knowledge. (RH)

Kindergarten children were given a salience-assessment task to determine each child's salience hierarchy for the dimensions of form, color, and position, and each was provided perceptual training with his/her least salient dimension. Training promoted fewer errors in recall in comparison to control group subjects. (RH)

This study is a partial replication and extension of research reported by Golomb and Cornelius in 1977. Training in the present study was significantly less effective than in the earlier research. Findings suggest experimenter and testing effects on performance. (RH)

In response to criticisms of a study conducted by Shaffran and Decarie, the author underscores the need for objective, accurate peer evaluation. Errors and misinterpretations in the critical article are reported and corrected. (Author/RH)