Adolescent boys and girls, identified as either behaviorally disordered (N=166) or normal (N=183), were rated by teachers on the Behavior Problem Checklist (BPC), with such results as significant differences for pupil category, BPC dimension, and category by dimension interaction, but no significant differences for sex. (MC)

Examined social problem solving and emotion expression in children with low, moderate, and severe behavior problems. Eighty-nine four- and five-year-olds were confronted with dilemmas of interpersonal conflict and distress. Girls expressed more themes of social construction, cohesion, and accommodation but also more anger than boys, whereas boys…

Examined multiple measures of 82 young children's emotionality, regulation, and social functioning over a 2-year period, finding that social functioning was predicted by low negative emotionality and high levels of regulation. Also found that vagal tone was positively related to competent social functioning and emotionality/regulation for boys,…

Parents, usually mothers, of adolescents who were participants in clinical programs for counseling were asked to rate their teenager's behavior by use of the Walker Checklist. The results show an increase of behavior problems at adolescence. (DEP)

Children of 18 months classified as secure or insecure/avoidant by means of the Ainsworth Strange Situation were observed at home and in a playgroup. Teachers and observers rated girls classified as insecure/avoidant as being more difficult to deal with and having more difficulty with peers than girls rated as securely attached. (PCB)

Mothers of normal children used more extreme categories when rating positive aspects of their children than did fathers. Mothers of maladjusted children and female child care workers who rated maladjusted children did not show this difference when compared to fathers or male child care workers. (Author/BB)

Despite previous research indicating that early negative child behavior and the quality of parent-child relationships are predictive of later externalizing problems, few investigators have attempted to trace these antecedents back to infancy. In a sample of 100 infants from low-income families, infant persistence and maternal responsiveness were…

Assessed young children's perceptions about what misconduct behaviors peers are likely to commit at school and the grocery store. Found more moral than conventional misbehaviors were generated; moral acts were expected more often at school whereas conventional misbehaviors were expected in both contexts; and expectations of peers' misbehaviors…

Comparison of teacher perceptions of either behaviorally disordered or socially normal students (total N=410 and ages between 8 and 15) indicated teachers perceived more prosocial behavior by normal, female, and older subjects. Teachers perceived an increase in negative social behavior for normal secondary-age students but not for behaviorally…

Changes in adaptive functioning of 32 older adults with mental retardation were assessed following deinstitutionalization. An overall increase in both adaptive and maladaptive behavior was found. Females and those with moderate mild levels of retardation had higher levels of adaptive functioning than did males and those severely retarded.…

Teachers with strict standards more frequently refer students with low levels of aggression to special education than do teachers with lax standards. The opposite is true for students with high levels of aggressive behavior. Teacher gender also correlates with decisions on special education referrals. (IAH)

Reviews and assesses current knowledge on children's aggression: the determinants and regulation mechanisms. (AJ)

Eight elementary school teachers, judged outstanding in ability to deal with difficult students but differing in socialization style (behavior modification, which involves rewards, or induction approaches, which emphasize rationales for behavior change), were the subjects of a study on classroom management strategies. The teachers nominated one…

Many psychologists assert that boys are in dire straits in U.S. society, but in fact, there is no evidence of an emotional or behavioral epidemic for either sex. If there is any truth to the claim that boys are in trouble, it results from practices that foster aggression. It is a mistake to regard either gender as "fragile." (SLD)