Phonological difficulties characterize children with developmental dyslexia across languages, but whether impaired auditory processing underlies these phonological difficulties is debated. Here the causal question is addressed by exploring whether individual differences in sensory processing predict the development of phonological awareness in 86…

This study of 195 (108 boys) children seen twice during infancy (Time 1: 4.12 months; Time 2: 14.42 months) aimed to investigate the associations between and infant predictors of executive function (EF) at 14 months. Infants showed high levels of compliance with the EF tasks at 14 months. There was little evidence of cohesion among EF tasks but…

Little research has considered whether prenatal experience contributes to executive function (EF) development above and beyond postnatal experience. This study tests direct, mediated, and moderated associations between prenatal risk factors and preschool EF and IQ in a longitudinal sample of 1,292 children from the Family Life Project. A composite…

Previous research has shown that children aged 4-5 years, but not 2-3 years, show adult-like interference from a partner when performing a joint task (Milward, Kita, & Apperly, 2014). This raises questions about the cognitive skills involved in the development of such "corepresentation (CR)" of a partner (Sebanz, Knoblich, &…

Mothers' mental-state references predict individual differences in preschoolers' false-belief (FB) understanding; less is known about the origins of corresponding variation in school-age children. To address this gap, 105 children completed observations with their mothers at child ages 2 and 6, three FB tasks and a verbal comprehension…

Longitudinal associations of domain-general and numerical competencies with individual differences in children's understanding of fractions were investigated. Children (n = 163) were assessed at 6 years of age on domain-general (nonverbal reasoning, language, attentive behavior, executive control, visual-spatial memory) and numerical (number…

Although the research literature regarding language growth trajectories is burgeoning, the shape and direction of English Language Learners' (ELLs) language growth trajectories are largely not known. This study used growth curve modeling to determine the shape of ELLs' language growth trajectories across 12,248 oral narrative language samples…

Baseline electroencephalogram (EEG) data were collected from twenty-nine 4-year-old children who also completed batteries of representational theory-of-mind (RTM) tasks and executive functioning (EF) tasks. Neural sources of children's EEG alpha (6-9 Hz) were estimated and analyzed to determine whether individual differences in regional EEG alpha…

Using a genetic design of 840 60-month-old twins, this study investigated the genetic and environmental contributions to (a) individual differences in four components of cognitive school readiness, (b) the general ability underlying these four components, and (c) the predictive association between school readiness and school achievement. Results…

States of 40 newborn infants were observed during 2, 35- to 70-minute periods that were separated by 6-48 hours. Analyses identified 3 state profiles that differentiated infants on a behavioral assessment measure at 2 weeks of age. Scores showed significant agreement on individual differences in neurologically based measures. (RH)

In order to test later cognitive status from infant behavioral performance, 76 preterm infants were assessed with respect to differences in sustained attention when they were eight months old. The measure of sustained attention proved to contribute significantly to the prediction of later status on the Bayley Mental Scale and on the Gessell…

Longitudinal data provide an encouraging base for further investigation of early individual differences in attentiveness and possible early precursors of later attention deficits. In the study, full-term and preterm children were observed at 1, 2, and 3.5 years in free play and in more structured situations. (RH)

Results indicated that masculine and androgynous individuals had higher levels of self-esteem than feminine and undifferentiated individuals. Analysis also revealed that the effect of sex-role orientation on self-esteem was greater for females than for males. Implications for theories of androgyny and sex-role development are discussed. (Author/MP)

Investigates the predictability of cognitive differences at 12 months from infant and maternal behaviors at 4 months. Overall, the results show that some individual differences in cognition may be predictable across the first year of life. (Author/RH)

Examined 245 third- through sixth-graders' relational aggression, overt aggression, prosocial behavior, and social adjustment at three points during the academic year. Found that individual differences in relational aggression were relatively stable over time, and that relational aggression and prosocial behavior contributed to the prediction of…