Test results from five-year-olds showed significant social class effects on all cognitive abilities but significant sex differences on only motor ability. Children with mixed or not-established hand preference had significantly lower general cognitive ability than right handers. (CMG)

The research papers in the current Merrill-Palmer Quarterly (Vol. 30, No. 2) invitational issue on temperament are examined from the perspective of previous research and the indications they provide for critical unsolved issues concerning temperament. (Author)

Used Smilansky and Parten/Piaget play measures to assess social class and sex differences in Singapore preschoolers' play at home and preschool centers. Found that parallel and functional play were higher at home than in centers and associative/cooperative play was higher in centers than homes. Smilansky scores were higher at centers than homes,…

Explores the extent to which diverse school populations truly benefited from the creation of a mass system of public high schools in Australia. Uses the Melbourne Public High School to assess the higher drop-out rate for girls and the influence of social class on access to a high school education. (KO)

Examined conceptions of emerging adulthood among Argentinians in their middle twenties. Found wide support for individualistic criteria for adulthood, but also criteria suggesting more collectivistic values. Identified gender, social class origin, and educational attainment differences. Concluded that emerging adulthood is a distinct developmental…

Kohlberg's moral dilemmas were used to determine levels of moral reasoning among 115 adolescents representing urban middle class and lower class, kibbutz-born and Youth Aliyah (disadvantaged urban youth educated in the kibbutz), Moslem and Christian groups in Israel. (Author/DB)

Reviews literature on Chinese patterns of socialization. Discusses methodological issues with respect to continuity versus change through time, and variation across geographical locations, systematically considering variables of gender, age, and social class. Concludes that departures from traditional pattern in different locations are evident,…

Using naturalistic observation, investigates the social behavior, levels of social participation, and sex differences of kindergarten children as they played with blocks. Uses both unit blocks and large, hollow blocks to gain a more complete understanding of the relationship between block play and social development. (DST)

Regression surface analysis was used to examine sex group differences in relationships between family environments and academic achievement at different levels of intellectual ability for children from different Australian social groups. (Author/RH)

A study attempted to develop an instrument for assessing social integration of ethnic groups in the classroom. Sociometric questionnaires were used to ask second-grade students to choose classmates whose company they most preferred. Preliminary findings indicate that gender is a more divisive factor within the classroom than ethnicity. (JN)

Examined the frequency and type of pragmatic devices used in oral New Zealand English, based on analysis of the Wellington Corpus of Spoken New Zealand English. It found "you know" and "eh" were both found more frequently in working-class than middle-class speech. Other age, gender, and class distinctions are discussed. (45…

Used Academic Motivation Self-Rating Inventory to examine Greek student motives for school learning at end of primary school and how motives are differentiated during transition to secondary school. Found that academic motivation increased upon secondary-school entry and was not related to student's gender or socioeconomic status. Primary0school…

The data from the interviews indicated that, in most areas of family life, the middle-income couples had different attitudes and behavior patterns from the urban and rural low-income couples. The data also indicated that husbands and wives seldom agreed in either their marital attitudes or reported behavior. (Author)

Examines the effects of socialization on the size of Yoruba children's drawings of a man and a woman through use of the Draw a Person test. Findings support the prediction that male figures were drawn relatively larger than female figures only in the low income group, reflecting the gender inequality that appears typical of the Yoruba social…

Working-class girls in the Norwegian educational system are viewed in relation to sex-specific and class-specific socialization. The relationship perpetuates the suppression of the working class and maintains class distinctions. The general differences between social classes are described, and the familism of working-class women is examined. (JN)