The Brazelton Neonatal Behavioral Assessment Scale (BNBAS) was administered to a group of 73 premature infants at approximately 34, 36, and 40 weeks of gestational age. Six behavioral cluster scores and one reflex cluster score were computed for each examination. Repeated measures analyses of variance showed significant steady improvement on all…

This paper examines the acquisition of superstitious behavior in young children. Six preschool children were exposed to a 15 minute fixed-time inter-reinforcement interval (FT-15") schedule while another six preschoolers were exposed to a 30 minute fixed-time inter-reinforcement interval (FT-30") schedule. In a free-operant laboratory…

This paper opened a workshop session designed to demonstrate a group training process using the collegial modeling process. This process was developed within the faculty of a small high school serving a correctional facility. The program described was developed to allow teachers the option to model specific behaviors to both their colleagues and…

During paroxysms of colic, infants are hypertonic or neurolabile, and appear to be in acute, abdominal pain. The infant lets out a high-pitched cry which soon reaches a screaming level, and which is coupled with facial grimacing. The infant is difficult to console, and may resist attempts to sooth it. Between spells, these infants cry normally and…

Fifteen behavioral indices derived from information gathered by the National Center for Health Statistics Health Examination Surveys Cycle II (with a sample of 7,119 six to eleven year old children) and III (with a sample of 6,768 twelve to seventeen year old children) were investigated for differences related to the age of the mother of the…

Interviews were conducted with 721 students in fourth, sixth, and eighth grades to study whether children's perceived reality of television would affect the relationship between pro-social and anti-social television content and pro-social and anti-social behavior. Social behavior variables, a perceived reality index, and television exposure…

The author presents an overview of Pascual-Leone's Theory of Constructive Operators, a process-structural theory based upon Piagetian constructs which has evolved to both explain and predict the temporal unfolding of behavior. An application is made of the theory to the demands of a discrete motor task and prediction of (a) the minimal age…

This study examined how change occurs in infant gestural communication. Five infants were videotaped once a week from 10 to 12 months and twice a week from 12 to 15 months during play sessions with their mothers in a laboratory playroom. These sessions consisted of 10 minutes of a structured play context in which infants were seated at a table at…

This paper elucidates the implications of life-span developmental psychology for theory and method in the field of child development. Emphasis is given to three theoretical issues: (1) historical-evolutionary versus ontogenetic components of change, (2) the role of chronological age, and (3) continuity versus discontinuity in the description and…

Fantasy activities are part of everyday experience. The author imagines hugging or touching someone, daydreams about sitting on a bench or riverbank, visualizes standing up during a boring meeting and shouting "let's wake up and do something!" Fantasy is also a tool that can be used in experimenting with new behavior, becoming more aware…

This document presents an analysis of the early attending responses and orienting reactions of infants which can be observed at birth and shortly thereafter. Focus is on one specific orienting reaction, the early direction and maintenance of one's eyes and head toward certain stimuli instead of others. The physical properties of stimuli that…

Notes advantages of using dynamic models to understand cognitive functioning: (1) they are specifically intended to represent changes that systems undergo as they evolve; (2) they can capture change in a continuous fashion; (3) they can account for development of behavior that appears orderly at times and disorderly at others, and (4) chaotic…

A study investigated the nature of the social construction of play events by a group of twelve 4- and 5-year-old children and the ways in which these play constructions are maintained over an extended period of time. The 5-month study was conducted in a nursery school classroom during the children's self-selected playtime. Data collection included…

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of prescribed literature on the reader's self-reliance. The subjects were 36 sixth grade children from the ages of eleven to thirteen. Pretest and posttest measures of self-reliance were made by the California Test of Personality and the Teacher Rating Scale. The subjects were randomly…

Knowledge about guns and the relation between play with guns and aggressivity was assessed in a group of 5-9 year old children. Each child was questioned about his gun play and his understanding of guns after he was shown a display of two toy and two real guns. This data was then correlated with a teacher rating of aggression for each child.…