Finds that both severity of violation and recipient of explanation affect the linguistic content of elementary school-aged girls' excuses. Concludes that older girls used fewer single apologies, incorporated more repair components, and tailored their explanations to the nature of each violation. (JAD)

Examines whether preschool children take the gender of the addressee into account when disputing during peer exchanges. Finds that both boys and girls modified their language use in mixed-sex groups, with boys using fewer commands when more girls were present, and girls using more contradictions in mixed-sex than same-sex groups. (SR)