Body composition refers to the types and amounts of tissues which make up the body. The most acceptable method for assessing body composition is underwater weighing. A subcutaneous skinfold provides a quantitative measurement of fat below the skin. The skinfold technique permits a valid estimate of the body's total fat content. (JN)

Examined effects of physical attractiveness on subjects' perceptions of a female counselor. Results indicated that the attractive counselor was perceived more favorably by females with regard to her competence, assertiveness, interest, and relaxation, and ability to help with problems of anxiety, shyness, career choice, and sexual functioning.…

To determine whether behavioral differences exist between attractive and unattractive children, 64 boys and girls aged three and five years were selected on the basis of physical attractiveness and were paired in same age, same sex, and attractive and unattractive dyads. These dyads were then observed in a seminaturalistic play setting. (JMB)

A school nurse recommends that elementary school children be given a foot screening test for early detection of foot problems. (JD)

Studied whether white and nonwhite males and females would judge cheating by target subjects differently based on the target's physiognomy and gender. Results from a sample of 146 undergraduates show that although whites' ratings did not differ according to target physiognomy, nonwhites favored more African targets. (SLD)

The comparison of listeners' evaluations of nonspeech characteristics of eight dysarthric (due to cerebral palsy) and eight normal speaking children (ages 6-11) found that dysarthric speech adversely affected listeners' perceptions of the dysarthric speakers' personality and physical appearance characteristics. (Author/DB)

Presents activities that use antifreeze to introduce students to concepts such as density, specific gravity, solutions, and freezing and boiling points. (JRH)

Cranial capacities are calculated from external head measurements reported for 40 samples (tens of thousands of subjects) from a 1990 review of ergonomically important body measurements compiled by the International Labour Office. The correlation between brain size and intelligence for groups and individuals is discussed. (SLD)

Reports five experiments that challenge the view that young children's understanding of race is based primarily on superficial differences in appearance. Found that young children's inferences about human racial variation involved domain-specific reasoning that parallelled, but were distinct from, common sense understanding of naive biology. (DR)

Four experiments tested three to six year olds' and adults' understanding of animals' growth changes. All subjects understood that animals get larger with age. Older children and adults, but not younger children, allowed for dramatic changes in the size and shape of animals over the animals' lifespans. (BC)

The body of data indicating sex differences in the brains of almost every mammalian family examined so far (rodents, birds, monkeys, and human beings) is reviewed. The differences in the hypothalamus, thalamus, corpus callosum, anterior commissure, and the hippocampus are described. (KR)

A study investigated the usefulness of cerebral magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in detecting possible child abuse in 12 children with unexplained neurologic findings. MRI findings were diagnostic for physical abuse in eight cases. A diagnosis of child abuse was made in two more cases by a combination of MRI and survey findings. (Author/CR)

The digital divide is generally thought to arise from socio-economic disparities. However, there is more to it. Eye colour is a factor. In this study, the 16 multiple-choice item Internet Quiz was administered to 3,208 respondents in the Lower Mainland (Vancouver) of British Columbia, Canada. Blue and hazel-eyed people knew significantly more…

Participation in a health promotion program for 192 overweight and obese adults with mental retardation was associated with behavior change resulting in reduction of body mass index--BMI (weight in kg, divided by height in meters, squared) by the end of the program. We analyzed the mediating and intermediate factors contributing to weight…

Four studies examined whether Israeli 5-year-olds (N=88) and adults (N=48) drew inferences about psychological properties based on a character's social category, personality trait, or physical appearance trait. Study 1 revealed that while children drew inferences mostly by social category, adults did it by personality trait. Study 2 showed that…