The generality of S. K. Egan and D. G. Perry's (2001) model of gender identity and adjustment was evaluated by examining associations between gender identity (felt gender typicality, felt gender contentedness, and felt pressure for gender conformity) and social adjustment in 863 White, Black, and Hispanic 5th graders (mean age = 11.1 years).…

This 1-year longitudinal study examined early adolescents' (N=278, age 11-13 years) perceptions of their mother's behavior (affection, knowledge of child's activities, and psychological control) and of how they react to their mother (trust in mother, defiance, and debilitation) as predictors of self-esteem among peers. Perceived maternal affection…

Many gay, lesbian, and bisexual adults report a period of childhood sexual questioning--an uneasy questioning of their heterosexuality brought on by same-sex attractions and motivating same-sex sexual exploration. This article evaluates hypotheses about the correlates, causes, and consequences of childhood sexual questioning. Participants were 182…

This study examined influences of gender identity on change in preadolescents' adjustment over time. In each of two successive years, three measures of gender identity (felt gender typicality, contentment with gender assignment, and felt pressure for gender conformity) and four measures of adjustment (self-esteem, internalizing symptoms,…

Examined relations between components of gender identity and psychosocial adjustment in 182 fourth- through eighth- graders. Found that felt gender compatibility related positively to adjustment, whereas felt pressure and intergroup bias were negatively associated with adjustment. Results help identify sources of confusion in previous research,…

Examined the balance between connectedness to, and independence from, mother, father, and best friend in 9- to 14-year olds. Found that children reporting a preoccupied or avoidant stance toward their mother displayed increased social impairment in the peer group over time. Stances toward mother, father, and best friend were related. Children…

Tested hypotheses that low self-regard contributes over time to peer victimization and that behavioral vulnerabilities are more likely to lead to victimization when children have low self-regard than when they have healthy self-regard. Found that both hypotheses were supported with third through seventh graders, especially when self-regard was…

Examined whether social cognitions forecast change in aggressive habits over the school year for 189 third through seventh graders. Found that aggression-encouraging cognitions assessed in the fall promoted aggression over the school years, but that such developments hinged on the child's sex and on initial levels of aggression and victimization.…

Evaluated relationship of behavior problems, friendship, and peer rejection to peer victimization in third through seventh graders. Found that behavior problems were more strongly related to victimization when children had few friends, friends who could not protect them, or were rejected by peers than when children had more friends, friends who…

In this study, the effects of three variables hypothesized to influence children's resistance to temptation were assessed in an experiment that independently manipulated the variables. (Author/SB)

This experiment evaluated the contributions of frequency and contingency of reinforcement to the deprivation-satiation phenomenon. The findings indicated that the perceived contingency of reinforcement is a more powerful determinant of its subsequent reinforcement effectiveness than is its frequency. (JMB)

Examined four variables affecting children's resistance to deviation: (1) modeling resistance to deviation, (2) modeling alternative activity incompatible with deviation; (3) availability of alternative activity, and (4) attractiveness of alternative activity. It was concluded that the modeling of behavioral inhibition and incompatible responses…

Boys expected less guilt and less parental disapproval for aggression than did girls. When provoked, children expected more tangible rewards, less guilt, and less parental disapproval than when not provoked. (RH)

A peer nomination scale was designed to assess the degree to which children were subjected to direct physical and verbal abuse by peers. Subjects were 165 third through sixth grade students. Children's victimization scores were uncorrelated with their aggression scores, negatively correlated with peer acceptance, and positively correlated with…

Although Grusec and Goodnow provide a compelling framework for organizing disciplinary encounters found to affect moral internalization, their hypothesis remains untested. Researchers need to devise conceptually sound measures of message acceptance and show that message acceptance does indeed mediate internalization before committing themselves to…