The cry sounds of 12 well-nourished and 12 malnourished male infants were compared using behavioral and acoustic measures. (BRT)

Children's ability to produce integrated sequences of discrete behaviors was examined as a function of age and task demands for several behavioral domains. Results are discussed in terms of possible age-related constraints on combinatorial skills that operate at a general, cross-domain level during toddlerhood. (RH)

Reports two experiments in which eight patients with organic memory disorders exhibited a pattern of search behavior that resembled mnemonmic precedence--the ability to retrieve an object at an initial location, but not at a new location. (HOD)

Investigates 57 three- to five-year-old children's sharing of preferred and nonpreferred food with same-sex peers as a function of (1) whether or not the children had previous experience as recipients and (2) whether or not the child was shared with during the experience as a recipient. (HOD)

Twenty mothers and 20 fathers were brought into the laboratory with two of their children (one preschool-age, one toddler) and given a cognitive task that competed with child care for their attention. A phenomenological approach was used to predict changes in parental behavior under conditions of task competition. (Author/MP)

Examined whether young children can identify breaches of a permission rule and their sensitivity to the implications of such rules. Found that preschool children show considerable facility in reasoning about permission rules and can justify their choices. Results suggest that, when children violate a permission rule, they do so knowingly. (MOK)

Examined associations between tympanic membrane (TM) temperature asymmetries and biobehavioral attributes of 4- to 8- year-old children. Found shared patterns of associations that linked TM temperature lateralities to individual differences in behavior and socioaffective difficulties. Found that warmer left TMs were associated with affectively…

Evaluated the extent to which infants' expressive modalities of face, gaze, voice, gesture, and posture form coherent affective configurations and whether these modalities are related to specific interactive contexts. Found four distinct affective configurations: social engagement, object engagement, passive withdrawal, and active protest. (MDM)

Two studies investigated whether 10- to 11-month-olds possess skills for parsing ongoing behavior along boundaries correlated with initiation and completion of intentions. Found that infants showed renewed interest in test videos in which motion paused in the midst of an actor's pursuit of intentions; suspended motion at intentional boundary…

There is a robust association between prenatal smoking and disruptive behavior disorders, but little is known about the emergence of such behaviors in early development. The association of prenatal smoking and hypothesized behavioral precursors to disruptive behavior in toddlers (N=93) was tested. Exposed toddlers demonstrated atypical behavioral…

A study of the relationship between pain-relieving drugs given to mothers during labor and delivery and neonatal behavior as assessed by the Brazelton Scales. Tested 44 infants on eight different days during their first month of life. (SDH)

Preschool children were rated in a variety of classroom situations to determine if they displayed consistent behaviors within and across settings. Each assessment was based on a 15-minute observation of the child. Results suggest that enduring response patterns can be identified, but only in relation to particular situations. (Author/CS)

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)