Two experiments study the effects of age and sex on the ability of 3-1/2- to 6-year-old children to use nonverbal cues in identifying affiliative relationships. (SDH)

Finds that children come to preschool with some knowledge of print but do not achieve mastery until the second or third grade. Finds a significant gender effect, but different patterns of that effect for each of the concepts about print task. (RS)

Neurologist Richard M. Restak discusses empirical research that demonstrates significant brain-sex differences between males and females. He asserts that the typical primary classroom is geared to skills that come naturally to girls but develop slowly in boys, while the reverse is true in higher level science classes. (Author/WD)

Investigated the relationship between sex hormones and spatial performance among adolescents treated with sex steroids for delayed puberty. Found that spatial performance varied according to gender but did not vary with levels of actively circulating sex steroids. Reviewed physiological mechanisms, developmental periods, and past empirical work…

Investigated young African American children's stories to determine how preschoolers portray themselves and what social processes accompany these narrative portrayals of self. Found that all subjects demonstrated remarkable objective understanding of self. Girls chose to talk about self in the context of past events, whereas boys chose to talk…

Discrimination learning studied in 3-year-olds, indicated that children over 30 months of age did better than younger children, and girls learned faster than boys after the first problem. (ST)

Tests the distinction between inferring new categories on the basis of property information (predicted to be difficult) and inferring new properties on the basis of category information (predicted to be easier) among 57 preschool children. (HOD)

Study supported through a U. S. Public Health Service Fellowship award to Ludwig Immergluck for his work at the Harvard Florence Research Project in Florence, Italy. (AP)

Suggests that differential rearing conditions may cause significant reversals in sex-related ability and behavior (maze learning and exploration), and may significantly affect perceptual sensitivity. (RL)

The primary purpose of this study was to examine whether a general perceptual model developed by Vitz and Todd (1971), capable of dealing with multiple determinants of attending, is useful for understanding infant attending. The model, previously used in research with adults, assumes that perception can be represented as a stochastic sampling…

Research on the emergence of sex differences in spatial ability during early adolescence prompted a meta-analysis of 172 spatial ability studies conducted since 1974. The meta-analysis confirmed that there are actually several spatial abilities, that some types of spatial ability show marked sex differences while others show none, and that spatial…

Reports a study designed to investigate the effects of gender upon the acquisition of spatial and environmental skills among primary grade children. Results showed boys performed better on complex tasks and lend support to those who argue that more extensive movements of boys through the environment leads to superior spatial ability. (Author/JDH)

Reports study findings which indicate that certain styles of family communication and mediation methods facilitate comprehension of television more effectively for boys than for girls. Also discusses differential effects of two styles of discipline on each sex. (PS)