Sex differences in risk-taking were examined by observing 480 three- to 11-year-old children at four different risk-taking locations at the San Antonio zoo. While girls were just as likely as boys to enter the zoo, at all four of the risk-taking situations, significantly more boys than girls engaged in risk-taking behavior. (Author/RH)

Investigated relationships between mothers' perception of infants temperament at 6 months and their behavior toward their infants at 6 and 12 months of age among 40 firstborn Israeli infants. Temperamental intensity ratings were related to auditory stimulation and contingent positive vocalization for girls and to increased physical contact for…

A total of 204 male and female subjects rated an infant's emotional responses to four arousing stimuli. Half of the subjects were told they were observing a "boy" and the other half a "girl". Significant differences in responding were found by sex attributed to the child, sex of rater, and the rater's experience with young children. (Author/JMB)

This report describes a method for objectively assessing the style of mother-infant interaction without regard to the specific content of the interaction. Application of this method to systematic observations made of 45 mother-infant dyads revealed sex and parity effects. (Author/JMB)

Examined relations between quality of mothers' and fathers' friendships and that of their children's friendships. Found that children's self-reports and observational measures of friendship quality were not highly correlated for girls, but were moderately associated for boys. Quality of mothers' and fathers' friendships related to quality of…

Results indicate that there is no simple relationship between type of observer present and children's aggressive responding following exposure to an aggressive model. (Authors)

The quality of play that 26 toddlers engaged in was examined in four successive social settings: (1) mother-child; (2) child alone; (3) mother, child, peer; (4) child-peer. Results are discussed in terms of how the social setting and the sex of the child influence play behavior. (Author/DB)

Women pregnant with their first child were observed interacting with an infant labeled as either a boy or a girl. Toy use and other maternal behaviors were examined as a function of gender label, women's attitudes regarding gender differences, and infant behavior. (Author/DB)

Investigates differences between the behaviors of children entering stable preschool groups (six males, six females) and those of their host classmates, and traces the process by which new children come to approximate host frequencies of interaction and social participation. A sequential time-sampling procedure was employed. (Author/SS)

Toddler children and their parents were observed in their homes using an observation checklist. Parent behaviors were categorized as positive, negative, or neutral, and parental reactions to specific child behaviors were examined to determine if the sex of the child or the actual behavior influenced the type of parental reaction. (Author/JMB)

Assessed the relation between four- and five-year-olds' prosocial behavior and empathy with a modified version of the Feshbach empathy measure. Prosocial behaviors were assessed naturalistically over 10 weeks. (Author/SS)

Examined factors associated with young children's aggression. Observed 104 toddlers during free play with same-sex peer, with both mothers present. Found that early out-of-home care was not related to aggression. Boys were more aggressive than girls. Observed aggression and mother-reported externalizing problems were associated significantly with…

Firstborn children's reaction to sibling birth assessed in 41 families via family interviews at 1 month prepartum and 1, 4, 8, and 12 months postpartum. Familial interaction patterns were observed in semistructured play sessions. Time since the birth of the sibling and sibling gender had significant effects on firstborn children's adjustment.…