The relations among specific aspects of language (comprehension, production, semantics, and utterance length), relations between language and symbolic play, and maternal influences were evaluated in mother-toddler dyads when the children were 13 and 20 months of age. Found toddler language ability did not generally predict toddler play and that…

Kindergartners and second graders listened to stories about problem solving that had similar or dissimilar protagonists, themes, and goal objects to those in target problems they were asked to solve. Kindergartners, but not second graders, were likely to transfer a solution associated with the same goal object from the story problem to the target…

Perspectives on reality monitoring and sociocultural learning were integrated in four studies of children's memory of contributions to the outcomes of collaborative exchanges. Findings suggested that reality-monitoring judgments reflect at least two cognitive processes, appropriation and attention to source of information, and may provide clues to…

This study compared the self-esteem of 81 gifted and 77 nongifted adolescent female students. Nongifted students were found to be higher in both total and social self-esteem than gifted girls, and self-esteem appeared to be related to age. Gifted students attending special schools showed higher self-esteem, but at statistically insignificant…

Spatial cognition entails the ability to mentally represent spatial relations and to anticipate the course and outcome of transformations applied to those relations. The developmental histories of four tasks used to assess the maturity of spatial cognition in children are described. Significant effects were found for age, gender, task, and for…

A definition of giftedness is proposed based on the constructs of intelligence, creativity, and problem solving. Research on relationships among intelligence domains and problem-solving processes is summarized, with specific findings concerning problem-solving processes used by children versus adults, by gifted versus average individuals, and…

Reliability of subtest composites corresponding to 46 abilities and influences presented by Kaufman (1979) was examined for the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children using standardization sample data (ages 6, 11, and 16). Increasing composite reliability was associated with the number of subtests and inclusion of Verbal Scale subtests in the…

This study examined effects of familiarity with a speech target on coarticulation magnitude in 30 young children and 10 adults. Children exhibited a greater effect of a following vowel on the preceding fricative than did adults. Nonmeaningful production items exhibited greater effects of the vowel on the preceding fricative than did meaningful…

Considered variations in pubertal timing, specifically age at menarche, and association with various antecedents, including heredity; weight and weight for height; stressful life events; family relations; absence or presence of adult male in household; and psychological adjustment, in 75 premenarcheal adolescent girls. Found complex interactions…

Relations between maternal depression and attachment among 50 infant-mother and 54 preschooler-mother dyads were examined using several attachment measures. Attachment insecurity was found to be significantly associated with maternal depression among infants and preschoolers. Children without unitary, coherent attachment strategies tended to have…

Comparison of three groups of gifted students (total n=275) in grades two through eight whose birthdays were either early, intermediate, or late in their school entry year found higher achievement for the older students but concluded that age position in relation to classmates does not appear to be a critical variable in the school performance of…

Examined the development of control over anaphoric reference and relativization by 23 elementary school students learning English as a Second Language (ESL) in a pull-out classroom employing little overt grammar instruction. Results found that second language exposure and proficiency level, rather that age or first language background, had more…

Examined the visual scanning patterns of infants ages 6, 10, and 13 weeks who viewed static geometric figures. Measures of fixation dwell-times, saccade lengths, and the choices and sequences of saccadic targets revealed that, although younger infants demonstrated salience-guided scanning behavior, older infants increasingly utilized volitional…

A model of cognitive slowing is proposed that correctly predicts a positively accelerated reaction between latencies of older and younger adults and provides a unified account of the effects of task complexity, practice, speed-accuracy tradeoffs, and fluctuations in individual performance. (SLD)

Two surveys of Parisian French mid-vowel articulation and preference, performed in 1986 and 1988, are reviewed and compared. Informants were 21 male teacher trainees (study 1) and 60 male local transportation workers, aged 20 to 60 (study 2). Conclusions are drawn concerning mid-vowel opposition, anteriorization, and vowel harmony. Emphasis is…