Demonstrated that time sampling is inaccurate for estimating durations or frequencies of behaviors. Also concluded that (1) individual or group differences can change depending on whether time sampling or continuous sampling is used; and (2) error rates are high when bout lengths of behaviors are short or when interval length is long. (BC)

Examined mother-child interaction in play and teaching tasks. Mother-child interaction aggregates represented task orientation, positive emotion, and allowance of autonomy. Maternal interaction aggregates predicted teachers' ratings of children's positive social behavior, assertiveness, and sadness in the preschool setting. (BC)

Examined patterns of children's inhibition and the behavior of their mothers, who were either well or depressed, in nonsocial and social situations that were unfamiliar. Children of unipolar depressed mothers were most inhibited. Boys were more inhibited to a new environment, and girls to a new person. Results suggested that encounters with the…

Examined parents' role in the development of their children's moral reasoning. Differences in interaction style in discussions of hypothetical and of real-life dilemmas were found. Children's moral development was best predicted by a parental discussion style involving supportive interactions and the presentation of higher level moral reasoning.…

Examined age differences in 9- to 15-year-olds' experiences with families and friends, and by themselves. Amount of time spent with family decreased with age. Affect with family became less positive through seventh grade; affect with friends became more favorable with age; affect when alone did not vary. (BC)

Mothers attributed their children's outcomes to either child-rearing practices, genetics, or environment. It was predicted that mothers of only children and gifted children would attribute more importance to child rearing than would mothers of multiple children and special education children. Predictions were supported across academic, social, and…

Investigated relations of marital discord and parental and child behavior for battered women and comparison mothers and their children. Found differences in level of stress and inconsistency in parenting between the groups of mothers. Children from violent families were reported to have more internalizing behavior problems than comparison…

Examined the well-being of adolescents before and after a parental divorce. Boys demonstrated ill effects after the divorce but not prior to the separation. Girls showed negative reactions before the separation, but these did not become worse after the divorce. (BC)

Two studies explored factors relating to children's willingness to perform tasks that are not traditional to their gender. More untraditional behavior was elicited with male than with female examiners. Mechanisms that may underlie this effect are discussed. (BC)

Parents completed the Infant Characteristics Questionnaire (ICQ), and their depression and anxiety were measured, during pregnancy and the postpartum period. The ICQ scores formed two components in the mothers' analysis, and one in the fathers'analysis. Predictors of postpartum ICQ scores were the postpartum ICQ components and the anxiety and…

Three studies examined adrenocortical activity in infants. Morning naps were associated with decreases in salivary cortisol. Riding for 40 minutes in a car lowered salivary cortisol concentrations. Thirty minutes of maternal separation in the laboratory resulted in higher salivary cortisol concentrations than did 30 minutes of play with the mother…

Examined attachment relationships in infant-mother dyads. Dyads that were developing secure attachments interacted in a mutually rewarding manner. Among dyads developing insecure relationships, avoidant dyads were characterized by maternal intrusiveness, and resistant dyads by interactions in which mothers were underinvolved and inconsistent. (BC)

Tested the possibility that people with autism understand some causes of happiness and sadness. Results showed that people with autism showed severe deficits in comprehension of emotion caused by beliefs. However, their understanding of emotion caused by situations and desires was no different than that of mentally handicapped subjects. (BC)

Two studies examined children's understanding of the origins, behaviors, and properties of objects. Children (1) were sensitive to the distinction between natural things and artifacts; (2) identified specific kinds of natural cause; and (3) understood the link between internal parts and self-generated activity. (BC)

Children with speech disorders had lower short-term memory capacity and smaller word length effect than control children. Children with speech disorders also had reduced speech-motor activity during rehearsal. Results suggest that speech rate may be a causal determinant of verbal short-term memory capacity. (BC)