The goal of the current study was to investigate whether children's social information processing (SIP) predicts their conversations with peers, including both their remarks to peers and peers' remarks to them. When children (N = 156; 55% male; United States; Representation by Race: 60% African American, 18% Mixed race, 15% European American, 7%…

Little research has examined whether social information processing (SIP) measures from early childhood predict externalizing problems beyond the shared association with familial risk markers. In the present study, family antecedents and first-grade externalizing behaviors were studied in relation to preschool and 1st-grade SIP using data from…

Groups of middle-aged and elderly women were compared on problem solving behavior. Results indicated a decline in the use of classification skills among the elderly and an inability to use constraint-seeking questions. (ST)

Investigated the development of scientific reasoning in the context of self-directed experimentation. Subjects were fifth and sixth graders and noncollege adults. Found that neither valid strategies nor correct beliefs alone was sufficient to guarantee success, suggesting that regarding experimentation either as domain-general induction or as…

Focused and divided auditory attention were studied in 7- and 10-year-old children. (BD)

Examined the location of the first, best, and last contributions of creative careers. Hypotheses specified the ways in which these landmarks should vary according to individual differences and interdisciplinary contrasts. Hypotheses were confirmed for scientists and inventors. Results lead to further theoretical constraints, new predictions, and…

Examined changes from age 7 to 82 years in processes responsible for preparation and interference control underlying alternation between two tasks. Found a U-shaped function for switch costs, with larger costs for young children and older adults. Age-related variance in task-switching performance was partially independent from age-related variance…

Results of this study demonstrate that constraint-seeking conceptual strategies can be trained in children as young as 6 years of age. (Authors/CB)

Younger men are both less engaged from the world and more efficient processors of information than older (especially less educated) ones. (Authors)

In two experiments, children and adults were exposed to four different information-processing tasks to measure speed and variability of performance across different age groups. It was found that 10- and 11-year-olds were about 1.7 and 1.6 times slower than 19-year-olds, differences that were not affected by allowing both groups practice on the…

A total of 72 children (including 24 educable retardates, 24 equal CA normals and 24 equal MA normals) were compared on a stimulus task under three modality switching conditions and two response modes. Error magnitudes for each testing situation are compared and implications of the results are stated. (SDH)

Assessed possibility that developmental difference in social values is associated with development of information processing capabilities. Three- to 10-year-old children completed an individualized regression assessment of social values, a central-incidental memory measure, and a free-recall word list task. Results indicated age, sex, and memory…