Using census and administrative agency data for 177 urban census tracts in Cleveland, Ohio, variations in rates of officially reported child maltreatment were found to be related to structural determinants of community social organization. Child maltreatment rates were also found to be intercorrelated with other indicators of breakdown of…

Personality and intelligence associated with depressive symptoms in 99 young adults were evaluated using prospective data from preschool through adolescence. Found that depressive symptoms in males developed earlier than in females, and that adolescent females were more likely than adolescent males to express autocentric reactions, such as…

Examined the possible negative effects of China's 1979 one-child-per-family policy on adolescents born before 1979, preadolescents born during the implementation of the policy, and children born after the policy was implemented. Found that children with siblings reported significantly higher levels of fear, anxiety, and depression than only…

Examined the influence of friends' behaviors and the features of their friendships on 297 adolescents' school adjustment. Found that students whose friends described themselves as more disruptive increased in self-reported disruption over the course of the school year. Girls' self-reported disruption was more influenced by that of their best…

Tracked social networks and friendships over a 3-week period for 132 fourth graders and seventh-graders. Found that, when loose criteria for stability were employed, high stability was found in friendships and social group membership. However, when stringent criteria were employed, only modest social relationship stability was observed. (MDM)

Examined the self-understanding and moral judgment of 15 African American and Hispanic American adolescents nominated by community leaders for their exemplary caring behavior. These "care exemplars" were more likely than comparison adolescents to describe themselves in terms of moral personality traits and goals and to view themselves as having…

Examined multiple measures of 82 young children's emotionality, regulation, and social functioning over a 2-year period, finding that social functioning was predicted by low negative emotionality and high levels of regulation. Also found that vagal tone was positively related to competent social functioning and emotionality/regulation for boys,…

Examined the role that internalized cognitive representations may play as mediators of the link between family and peer relationships among 161 children age 7 through 12 years. Negative representations of self and others were found to be associated with increased social impairment, including dysfunctional social behavior and less positive status…

Interviewed 72 children across grades 1, 3, and 5 from an impoverished inner-city black community on their views and values about the natural environment. Overall, children showed sensitivity to nature and awareness of environmental problems, although this sensitivity and awareness were attenuated by both developmental and cultural factors. (MDM)

Four experiments explored adults' and grade school children's beliefs about inheritability of racial identity. Found that older children and adults believed that mixed-race children possessed black racial features. Also found that children from an integrated school, regardless of race, expected mixed-race children to have intermediate racial…

Observations and interviews of 20 middle-class preschoolers and their mothers were conducted to examine the emergence of the personal domain. Found that preschoolers make a conceptual distinction between personal and moral or conventional issues, and that mothers were more likely to negotiate with children over personal than social events. (MDM)

Three studies examined how preschool children used gender-based reasoning in making judgments about toy preferences for themselves and for others. Found that children used gender labels to guide their own preferences and their expectations of others. Even with very attractive toys, children liked the toys less if they were labeled as being for the…

Examined individual differences in 50 preschool children's pretend play with their mothers and siblings. Results indicated individual differences in the amount and sophistication of preschoolers' social pretend play and suggested that these individual differences are related to experiences in preschoolers' relationships with their mothers and…

Examined 30 Indonesian toddlers' play with their mothers and siblings. Found that the level of object play and mutual involvement in cooperative social pretend play increased with age. Findings suggest that older siblings can be effective facilitators of pretend play with younger children. (MDM)

Examined the connection between maternal working models, marital adjustment, and parent-child relationship among 45 mothers and their 16- to 62-month-old children. Found that maternal working models were related to the quality of mother-child interactions and child security, as well as a significant relationship between marital adjustment and…