Three experiments presented nonsense verbs to two-year-olds either in syntactic isolation or embedded within a transitive syntactic frame. Found that children had identifiable action biases in the absence of syntactic information and that these biases were shifted by the addition of a transitive syntactic frame. (MDM)

Compared the abilities of 3 mother-reared and 3 human-raised (enculturated) chimpanzees and 16 human toddlers to imitatively learn novel actions on objects. Found that mother-reared chimpanzees were poorer imitators than both enculturated chimpanzees and human children, who did not differ from one another in imitative learning. On time delay…

A total of 403 black, inner-city infants born to women recruited prenatally on basis of their alcohol consumption during pregnancy were assessed on a battery of tests focusing on information processing and complexity of play. Increased prenatal alcohol exposure was associated with longer fixation duration, a result indicative of less efficient…

The behavioral and cortisol responses of Japanese and Caucasian American infants, four months of age, were observed during and following routine inoculation. The Caucasian American group showed a more intense initial affective response and a longer latency to quiet than the Japanese group; the Japanese group showed a greater cortisol response than…

Four groups of preschoolers, identified as socially competent, average, aggressive, or anxious, participated in a study of mother-child interactions involving a problem-solving task that children completed with their own and with an unfamiliar mother. Mothers of competent and average children were more positive and reciprocal toward their own and…

Over five days, videotaped and analyzed contrived play sessions of African-American male first and third graders to examine behavioral patterns leading to chronic victimization by peers. Victims demonstrated lower rates of assertive behaviors and higher rates of nonassertive behaviors than nonvictims. Children who eventually emerged as chronic…

Among a group of mostly African-American and Hispanic 10- to 14-year-olds, boys believed that parents would disapprove more of retaliation against siblings than friends, whereas girls believed that parents would equally disapprove of retaliation against either target. Children expected that retaliation was more likely to deter additional…

Examined associations between the activity level and adaptability of same-sex siblings and qualitative aspects of their relationship. Found high levels of conflict when both siblings were high in activity and the older sibling was rated more active than the younger. Conflict was lowest when siblings were low in activity. Warmth was greatest when…

Assessed attitudes of mothers rated as high risk (HR) and low risk (LR) for abusing their children and their children. HR mothers and their children evaluated conventional and personal transgressions as more wrong than did LR mothers and their children. Compared to LR mothers, HR mothers expected less compliance following moral transgressions and…

A total of 23 preschool and 23 fifth-grade children and their mothers judged the acceptability of corporal punishment as a function of the type of transgression and discipline agent. Preschoolers showed broad acceptability for severe corporal punishment for any type of transgression and by any agent, whereas fifth graders were generally…

Children, aged 9-10, and their mothers described how they coped with stress, and mothers completed a questionnaire that assessed parenting dimensions. Results indicated that children from families with high levels of maternal support and low levels of family structure used the greatest variety of coping strategies, and children of supportive…

Risk behavior was investigated among 1,053 Danish adolescents aged 12-20. Behaviors included those related to driving, sex, and marijuana and other drug use. Found driving a car while intoxicated was rare even among oldest adolescents, though the majority reported riding a bicycle while intoxicated. Participation in risk behavior was analyzed in…

Suggests that recent social changes and trends make it imperative to include demographics of all kinds in research on child development. Proposes guidelines to help child development researchers procure demographic information from their study population. Provides specific questions that may help researchers devise demographic indicators, and…

Examined 8- and 10-year olds' understanding of the unique features of and potential relations among mental activities. Found a developing tendency to organize mental activities on the degree to which memory was a component of the activity. Results suggest that a constructivist theory of mind develops in later childhood. (AA)

Presents the results of three studies examining children's conception of the mind itself as an independent, active entity. Findings revealed a developing ability in children to interpret and produce statements personifying the mind and provided considerable evidence of children's movement toward a conception of the mind as an active agent…