This study establishes a sequence of developing mental state understandings in infants. We used three violation-of-expectation paradigms to assess fifty-seven 16-month-olds' ability to (a) infer an actress's intention from her prior repeated approaches to an object, (b) recognize her emotion by watching her facial-emotional display, and (c) deduce…

THE BEHAVIORAL NORMS OF LOWER CLASS DISADVANTAGED CHILDREN ARE DIFFERENT FROM CHILDREN IN MORE MIDDLE CLASS GROUPS. THE BEHAVIOR OF LOWER CLASS CHILDREN IS INFLUENCED NOT ONLY BY GENERAL SOCIAL CLASS AND CULTURAL BACKGROUND BUT ALSO BY SUCH SPECIFIC INTRACLASS VARIABLES AS FAMILY ENVIRONMENT. THE PRESENT ABSENCE IN THE LITERATURE AND IN PRACTICE…

The present study was designed to assess the effectiveness of certain cognitive training tasks on children in group settings under natural preschool conditions. Thirty-five children, aged 47-63 months, were divided into six experimental groups and received various cognitive tasks. Results indicated that most children experienced at least moderate…

To test role-taking development 60 middle class subjects, 10 boys and 10 girls of each age (4, 5, and 6), were administered a role-taking task designed to enable the role-taker ("S") to make and explain predictions about a peer's responses to a situation in which "S" has information not available to the peer. Results suggested…

The effects of 4 months of gymnostic training upon complex and simple gross motor abilities and general cognitive and psychosocial functioning in 4-year-olds were compared with the effects of music training and no treatment. (WY)

This study investigates the developmental changes that occur in the attending behavior of children engaged in a relatively simple classification task, and attempts to reaffirm the existence of developmental changes in stimulus preferences and in the ability to employ double classification systems. Subjects were 24 preschool and 24 first grade…

This research and demonstration project involved the establishment of a demonstration Nursery Center to provide for the daytime care of infants and toddlers in groups and for the evaluation of this experience. A descriptive account is given of the founding of the center and of its operation over a three-year period. Finding housing and suitable…

Nursery school children (N=64) received seven tests of conservation of number which varied in the type and number of perceptual supports for conservation. Most of the tests with these supports facilitated performance in comparison to the standard conservation test. Conservation appeared earlier than usual. There were significant effects of…

High and low SES mothers of one- and three-year-old children (N=104) were interviewed. Results showed that low SES mothers believed that infants acquire basic cognitive skills later and that the introduction of cognitively stimulating activities should occur later than did high SES mothers. (JMB)

This study investigated the effects of training on reciprocity judgments in 43 white, middle class children, ages 38 to 68 months. Hypotheses were (1) children trained to make mature responses to interpersonal conflicts would make more mature judgments in illustrated story conflict situations than those receiving no training, (2) children exposed…

Refers to classification skills as preludes" to concept attainment. (Author)

The new call for a universal preschool system is prompting an important policy debate across California. How preschooling is expanded and improved with limited public resources depends on several key issues. The hopeful ideals of "preschool for all"--with children beginning school ready to learn--spark enthusiasm and broaden public will.…

Reports on interplay between social and developmental processes in children's numerical understandings in working- and middle-class home settings. Methods included interviews with 78 children aged 2 1/2 and 4 1/2 years to assess their numerical understandings, interviews with the mothers about their children's everyday number activities, and…

Tested assumption that variability in home literacy environments has no effect on individual differences in reading development. Found that variability in shared reading interactions was significantly related to growth in phonological awareness even after accounting for the effects of age, oral language, and phonological awareness at the beginning…

Naturalistic observation of the spontaneous role-taking behavior of 16 four-year-old children (8 boys, 8 girls) in a free play situation with a same-sex peer was used to investigate the sex role perceptions and preferences of young children. Videotape recordings of the unelicited male, female, parental, and conjugal role portrayals were examined…