Used new administration procedure of Self Description Questionnaire to assess dimensions of young children's self-concept in a multicohort-multioccasion study. Found that the scale's reliability and stability improved with age and from one year to the next. Gender differences were stable over age. Time 1 teacher ratings contributed to the…

Two studies tested whether 12- and 24-month olds' self-knowledge differed from their knowledge of others (mother or inanimate object), or whether toddlers' knowledge of persons (self and mother) differed from knowledge of objects. Results showed that 12-month olds were more sensitive than older toddlers to perceptual features of objects. Data were…

Studied perceptions of self-competence and task values, documenting domain-specific growth trajectories for 761 children from grade 1 through 12. Found that self- perceptions of competence and subjective task values declined as children got older, although extent and rate of decline varied across domains. Found significant gender differences in…

Investigated the ability of young children to recognize themselves in delayed videotapes and recent photographs. Results suggested a significant developmental delay in young children's success on mark tests of self-recognition using delayed feedback as compared to live feedback, which may have important implications for characterizing the…

Examined the self-understanding and moral judgment of 15 African American and Hispanic American adolescents nominated by community leaders for their exemplary caring behavior. These "care exemplars" were more likely than comparison adolescents to describe themselves in terms of moral personality traits and goals and to view themselves as…

Examined development of child and adolescent self-concept in two overlapping age cohorts as a function of the self-concept domain, social/developmental/educational transitions, and gender. Structural equation modeling addressed questions about stability of individual differences over time. Multilevel modeling addressed questions about mean-level…

Suggests future directions for study of sensitivity and its impact on early psychosocial development: (1) renewed attention to growth of attachment in context of other developing features of the parent-child relationship; (2) factors that moderate impact of sensitivity on developing security; (3) origins of individual differences in sensitivity;…

Elaborates on the basic thesis developed by Rothbaum et al., underscoring the significance of the co-constructive process of the self and social relationship. Discusses implications for future cultural psychological inquiry in this area. (Author/KB)

Examined personal storytelling of European-American preschoolers from working- or middle-class families as a medium through which they construct autonomous selves. Found that children in both communities had extensive rights to speak of past experiences and limited rights to author experiences. Middle-class communities viewed expressing one's view…