The development of the ability to anticipate--as manifested by preparatory actions and neural activation related to the expectation of an upcoming stimulus--may play a key role in the ontogeny of cognitive skills more broadly. This preregistered study examined anticipatory brain potentials and behavioral responses (reaction time; RT) to…

One central aspect of children's behavior in play and in situations of response uncertainty may involve the degree to which the child considers available information and forms a plan to guide behavior. Twenty-five boys and 25 girls, aged 27 months, were observed in a 30-minute free play session in which mobility and time spent in sustained…

Twin children were videotaped hitting an inflated clown figure. Three behaviors (number of hits, intensity of hits, and number of quadrants hit) showed adequate response characteristics, rater reliability, and test-retest reliability. Twin analyses of the three behavioral ratings yielded no evidence of hereditary influence. (Author)

Attempts to describe links between transactional or dialectical and mechanistic models of development and provides a rationale for why both are useful. Examples of data sets deriving from early experiences are provided. Concludes that the applicability of the model for describing behavioral development is influenced by inter-/intra-individual…

A pair of 9-year-old boys with socioemotional and interpersonal difficulties was observed unobtrusively in 35 weekly hour-long therapy sessions over the course of 2 school years. A transcript/narrative analysis technique was used to identify all interpersonal negotiation strategies each child used within each session. Strategies were classified…

Two contingency systems, individual and group, were evaluated for their effects on children's behavior during small group meetings. A group of 48 children, ages 8-14, attended a seven-week residential camp program operated on a token economy system. Ratings of the campers' behavior were made by the counselors on a five-point rating scale at the…

Studied the process of child psychotherapy by means of analyses of client verbal behaviors. Analyses of variables demonstrated the nature of each client's verbal responding as well as their pattern of change. Summarized the overall verbal response behavior of each client best through the factor analyses. (Author)

Single-case analyses were conducted of the dosage and time-course effects of methylphenidate on disruptive classroom behavior, math and reading performance, and social engagement. In contrast to previous studies, clear individual differences were demonstrated: across children; across academic, behavioral, and social domains of functioning; for…

Children will individually react to television program content according to different psychological characteristics, one of which is self-esteem. Results of one study revealed a definite relationship between a child's self-esteem and his "modeling," or imitative behavior, after observing a televised film. A self-esteem inventory was administered…

Examined whether children who vary in their behavioral responses to ambiguous provocation but have similar attributional processes differ in their social goals and self- efficacy perceptions. Subjects were 781 4th and 5th graders. Found that aggressive, withdrawn, and problem-solving responders differed in the social goals and self-efficacy…

Latent growth curve analysis was used to study individual differences in initial status and growth rates of antisocial behavior, delinquent peer association, and unsupervised wandering during the transition to early adolescence for 206 European American boys. Findings are discussed in terms of the trait-confluence model for peer influence. (SLD)

Points out that the world of television activates, cultivates, and alters the gender schemata that children bring to the viewing situation. Finds that viewing can also promote creation of new schemata or modification of existing ones. (Author/RWB)