Maternal and paternal responses to infant distress are studied to (1) examine differences among two-week-old infants in their levels of irritability; (2) investigate differences among parents in how they soothe their one-month-old infants; and (3) relate these parent and infant behaviors. (BJD)

Supports the hypothesis that temperamentally fussier 5- to 9-month-old infants are more fearful and less friendly toward strangers than are more easygoing infants of the same age. (MP)

Designed to explore (1) developmental changes in exact and partial imitation of manual and facial movements, (2) model differences, and (3) gesture differences, this study observed infants at 2, 12, and 24 weeks of age. A hypothesis is proposed that links early nonselective behaviors and attributed imitation to emergence of imitative behavior…

Kindergarten and fourth-grade children participated in a study designed to assess the effects of number of models and type of behavior modeled on developmental differences of children's subsequent generosity. As predicted, generosity of younger children was affected by behavior of model(s) to a greater extent than was that of older children.…

In a study of relative priorities for interaction in groups containing adults and children, 570 family groups in public settings were observed for 10-second time periods. There was far more adult/child touching than adult/adult touching. Adults tended to talk more than children and talking was reciprocated at higher rates in adult/adult dyads than…

The relations between young children's salivary cortisol level, patterns of behavior problems, and social behavior were explored in this study of 29 preschool-aged children with emerging behavior problems. Decreases in salivary cortisol during a play session with unfamiliar teachers and peers were associated with concurrent and subsequent…

Explores children's understanding of a variety of interpersonal events, focusing mainly on the question of whether, and in what way, their conceptions of these events were heterogeneous or undifferentiated. (HOD)

Considers whether categories of parent behavior (i.e., egalitarian warmth, authoritarian hostility, autonomy, and intrusive over-involvement) consistently appear as polar opposites in a two-dimensional structure, investigating whether these categories transcend methodological differences, cultural boundaries, and the passage of time. The relevance…

Examined the effects of different forms of induction on children's prosocial behavior with 80 children ages 7 and 8 years. Hypotheses were evaluated regarding the cognitive component of the induction and the manipulation of choice. The findings, which were consistent with self-perception theory, help clarify when induction encourages internalized…

Examined communication strategies that 68 preschoolers used to negotiate themes and roles in social pretend play. A major finding was that children in the disliked group used higher proportions of suggestions and demands than did children in the liked and low-impact groups. Disliked girls used the highest proportion of suggestions. (LB)

Explores the relations between temperament, communicative competence, and humor expression among four- and five-year-old nursery school children. Shows that ratings of communicative competence and various dimensions of temperament account for a significant proportion of the variance in the reported frequency of children's laughter and verbal and…

Findings suggest that crowding at home exerts a moderate influence on activity and social behavior during children's first few weeks at nursery, with children from crowded homes being most compromised. (RH)

Seventy-five 4-, 6-, and 8-year olds participated in a study examining the relationship between children's awareness and use of strategies for self-control. Knowledge of strategies was more highly correlated with process than with performance, and the relationship between knowledge about strategies and actual performance increased with age. (AA)

Attempted to identify behavioral precursors of conflict outcomes and to isolate unique characteristics of important conflicts. Results suggest that conflict components were interrelated. Resolutions were associated with outcomes and affective intensity, and affective intensity was linked to lessons learned. Apparently, the salience of an…