We demonstrate how developmental theories may be instantiated as statistical models, using hierarchical continuous-time dynamic systems. This approach offers a flexible specification and an often more direct link between theory and model parameters than common modeling frameworks. We address developmental theories of the relation between the…

This research examined the effects of overhearing an adult praise an unseen child for not needing to work hard on an academic task. Five-year-old Han Chinese children (total N = 270 across three studies; 135 boys, collected 2020-2021) who heard this low effort praise tended to devalue effort relative to a baseline condition in which the overheard…

By age 2, children are developing foundational language processing skills, such as quickly recognizing words and predicting words before they occur. How do these skills relate to children's structural knowledge of vocabulary? Multiple aspects of language processing were simultaneously measured in a sample of 2-to-5-year-olds (N = 215): While older…

Examined convergences and divergences among dimensions of ability concepts (uncontrollable, constant, capacity) in second through fifth graders. Found that the near-zero correlations, three-factor solution yielded by confirmatory factor analysis, variability in age-related differences, differential links to cognitive competence, and diverse forms…

This study investigated the relationship between task difficulty and ability level as a factor in producing imitative behavior in infants. A total of 28 toddlers, ranging in age from 14 to 28 months, participated in the study. (Author/JMB)

Examined fourth through sixth graders' conceptions of academic and social ability. Found that conception of ability as stable to external forces heightened importance of competence, performance knowledge, challenge preference, competence perceptions, and self-enhancing attributions. Conceptions of ability as stable to internal forces were fostered…

Compares second-, fifth- and eighth-graders' reasoning about their relative ability and that of another child (who applied more or less effort) with their reasoning about the relative ability of two others (who differed in effort). Responses to specific questions may be more sensitive to situationally induced motivational influences than responses…

The ability of three- and four-year-old children to reason about the components of event sequences involving simple transformations was tested in two experiments. In Experiment I children saw picture "stories" of the form object, instrument, and transformed object, with one item deleted. In Experiment II only the instrument item was…

Two studies examined the positivity bias in children of different ages. Findings indicated that children from grade two and up selected the correct cause(s) when the effect covaried with only one cause, but only at a later age when covariation with two causes was presented. Ability estimations and expectation of success were more positive in…

Indicates that the Bayley Scales are a useful assessment tool for characterizing the behavior of premature infants. Results further indicate the need for going beyond summary scores of mental and motor performance and assessing performance in specific areas to obtain a more meaningful picture of individual infants' development. (RH)

Among 120 fourth and sixth graders, correlations between intelligence scores and agency beliefs for effort decreased with increasing levels of reasoning about effort and ability. Correlations between intelligence scores and agency beliefs for ability increased with increasing levels of reasoning. (RH)

Selected cognitive developments presumed to mediate the development of achievement motivation are described. Age trends for four causal schemes involving the concepts of effort and ability from 5 to 13 years of age are presented. Developments related to ability, task difficulty, and incentive value are also described. (Author/JMB)

Examines and discusses origins of parents' beliefs concerning children's developmental processes and specific abilities, and the relations between these beliefs and parental behavior on the one hand and children's cognitive development on the other. (PCB)

Article is concerned principally with the early acquisition of skills relating to the manipulation of things, though perforce the role of certain social skills is treated in the interest of explicating that topic. (Author/CB)

Behavioral observations and sociometric methods revealed a stable dominance hierarchy in eight groups of 12- to 14-year-old male and female adolescents at a summer camp. (JMB)