Examined relationships between children (N=61), aged 6 to 12, and their mothers in the first year of separation from their husbands. Analyzed videotapes of mother-child dyads who played for 30 minutes. Results showed involvement and positiveness were higher at the last half of the postseparation year for younger children. (BH)

Children approximately three to seven years old were presented with pairs of cartoons and asked to choose the funnier of each pair. Cartoons differed in terms of which of two persons was accidentally victimized by his or her own action or action of the other person (e.g., having paint spilled from a ladder onto one's head). (Author/MP)

This study examined the involvement and satisfaction of adolescents with their fathers and mothers. Possible age and sex differences were investigated for three components of involvement: proportion of time spent with fathers and mothers, type of activities engaged in, and degree of satisfaction with those activities. (Author/LMO)

Examined how parent/adult child relationships affect adult children's and parents' (n=3,618) psychological distress levels. Found that quality of intergenerational relationships appears influenced by structural circumstances; that negative aspects of relationships are more strongly associated with psychological distress than are positive aspects;…

Adults (either mothers or strangers) presented unfamiliar foods to 1- to 4-year-olds individually in their homes. Childrens' acceptance of the food was examined when the adults were eating and when they were simply offering the food. It was concluded that social facilitation could account for the data obtained. (Author/GO)

Studied the development of quality of attachment of adolescents to their parents and siblings during adolescence and the role that gender differences play in this development using latent growth analysis. Results for 288 families in the Netherlands show that quality of attachment changes during adolescence, and these changes are influenced by the…

Examined the development of compliance and self-assertion toward parents in two-, four-, and six-year-old children. Found that older children were more compliant, more likely to use logical argument, and less likely to ignore. Boys showed higher levels of compliance to their fathers, whereas girls were more likely to state their preferences and to…

A naturalistic study of 112 families in two parks examined proximity and touching between family members as a function of age and sex of child, sex of parent, and family composition variables. Mothers and fathers were strikingly similar in their behavior. Distance from parent increased and touching decreased as age of child increased from the…

Investigated predominant kinds of parent-infant play and individual differences in play style. Participants were 24 families of healthy, full-term, firstborn infants, four boys and four girls at each of three ages: 7, 10, and 13 months. (RH)

A total of 171 adopted children aged 4-12 were assessed on how their participation in the adoption process influenced their understanding of adoption, general self-worth, satisfaction with the level of openness, and curiosity about birth parents. Results indicated that greater openness about birth parents did not confuse children about the meaning…

Explored patterns of emotional communication in 70 mother-infant dyads, emphasizing both mother and child roles in affect regulation. Display of maternal positive and negative affects decreased with age; child affects were unchanged. Maternal sensitivity was associated with maternal matching of son's affects and daughter's creation of shared…

Examined second-, third-, fifth-, and sixth-graders' evaluations of parent-child inductive discipline situations. Found that for physical transgressions, victim-oriented induction was evaluated as more appropriate and fair than parent-oriented induction. Younger children evaluated parent-oriented induction as more appropriate than older children.…

Two-year-olds and four-year-olds were placed with male and female adults in a play situation where the children were forced to control the choice of toys and mode of interaction. The four-year-olds elicited different types of play behaviors from male and female adults; the younger children did not. (Author/KH)

Study examined the hypotheses that adults do not speak to children as they speak to other adults and that the speech addressed to a child becomes more adult-like as the child increases in linguistic competence. (Author/CB)