Eighty adolescents, grades 7-9, were assessed on empathy development and perceived competencies. Females proved more empathic than males, but no developmental trends in empathy development were observed. Social competence was positively associated with empathic skills, but cognitive and physical competencies showed a negative association,…

Investigated the relationship between the development of formal operations and the formation of ego identity in adolescence. Obtained significant positive correlations between combinatorial ability and degree of identity, suggesting that high identity may facilitate the application of combinatorial operations. Found some gender differences in task…

Discusses the concept of egocentrism and its relation to cognitive development. Describes the major stages of egocentrism: sensori-motor, preoperational, concrete operational, and adolescent egocentrism. Focuses on research support for the theory of adolescent egocentrism. Discusses educational implications. (RC)

Explored differential cognitive-perceptual distortion in depression for adolescent (N=25) versus adult female (N=25) psychiatric inpatients with diagnosis of neurotic or reactive depression. Results from Beck Depression Inventory indicated significant similarities between groups in anger at self and sense of failure. Results also indicated several…

Assessed developmental trends in competency to stand trial in a study of incarcerated and nonincarcerated adolescents (N=52) and adults (N=19). Results indicated that competency to stand trial does increase through the adolescent years, but even older adolescents received lower scores on a competency measure than did adults. (JAC)

Assessed efficacy of rational emotive education (REE) as mental health program for adolescents. High school juniors and seniors (N=109) were divided into experimental and control groups. Experimental subjects received 12 biweekly sessions of REE. Results from pre- and posttesting revealed significant positive changes in use of more adaptive…

Examines the relationship between adolescent egocentrism and postformal thinking in 163 college undergraduates. Uses the Imaginary Audience Scale and the Social Paradigm Belief Inventory to evaluate participants. Results indicate that females have higher levels of adolescent egocentrism than do males. (Author/GCP)