Sensitivity to auditory rhythmic structures in music and language is evident as early as infancy, but performance on beat perception tasks is often well below adult levels and improves gradually with age. While some research has suggested the ability to perceive musical beat develops early, even in infancy, it remains unclear whether adult-like…

Individual differences in music traits are heritable and correlated with the development of cognitive and communication skills, but little is known about whether diverse modes of music engagement (e.g., playing instruments vs. singing) reflect similar underlying genetic/environmental influences. Moreover, the biological etiology underlying the…

Reports three studies that examined developmental changes in the integration of ability and effort information to predict performance. Children aged 6-11 years and adults were used as subjects. Findings involved developmental progression in the integration process, use of both cues in forming judgements, and the importance of effort. (Author/SDH)

This report presents the rationale, methods, and results of research that was planned to develop a way of identifying relatively effective children. The report contains the conceptual bases and development of the Hypothetical Situation Questionnaire (HSQ) as the means for distinguishing effective children. The HSQ contains three subscales that…

Discusses research on human development from an interactional perspective; methodological problems connected with interindividual differences in biological maturation (using empirical studies from a longitudinal program); and major implications for further development research in an interactional perspective. (Author/BE)