This study investigated parental socialization of adolescent political reasoning from a Vygotskian cognitive socialization perspective. Discussions between mothers and their adolescent sons or daughters were examined using a transactive dialogue system and were related to the adolescent's age and gender and to family parenting style. As predicted,…

The psychological experience of ejaculation was examined for 188 Nigerian adolescent boys to determine emotional reactions, feelings of preparedness, sources of preexperience information, and the extent of peer discussion after the experience. The experience was not perceived negatively, and boys usually told their friends. Most suppliers of…

Examines whether fear of therapy and psychological distress were predictive of help-seeking. A nonclinical student sample (n=263) completed measures of their treatment fears, expectations, anxiety, psychological distress and help-seeking likelihood. Concerns about image, stigma, coercion, and psychological distress were all related to help-seeking…

The willingness of 104 college students to seek instructor help was studied as a function of student age and class size and whether a supportive statement was placed on the syllabus. Students were more willing to seek help when offered the support. Younger students were less willing in the neutral condition. (SLD)

Using feminist theory about the social construction of the female body, a scale was developed and validated to measure objectified body consciousness in young women (n=502) and middle-age women (n=151) using surveillance, body shame, and appearance control beliefs. The three scales were demonstrated to be distinct dimensions with acceptable…

A study of 300 children in kindergarten, grade 2, and grade 6 found that background music improved visual discrimination task performance at the youngest and middle ages and had no effect on the oldest participants. On a square identification task, background music had no influence on easy and difficult tasks but lowered performance on…

Investigated 7-year-olds', 9-year-olds', and adults' ability to classify children's and adults' faces by sex using only biological based internal facial structure. Found that participants categorized adult faces by sex at accuracy levels varying from just above chance (7-year-olds) to nearly perfect (adults). All groups were less accurate for…

Examines the relationship between loneliness and depression among 6,356 Chinese students from grades 4 through 9. Reports a close relationship between loneliness and depression. Peer-related loneliness and aloneness were more predictive than parent-related, and among primary students loneliness was more predictive of overall depression. Includes…

Discusses the influence of Levy-Bruhl's analysis (1910) of "primitive" mentality on Piaget's research and theory contrasting child and adult ontology and logic. Maintains that parallels between their research designs substantiate Piaget's explicit references to Levy-Bruhl. Suggests that their conceptual kinship has implications for an…

Analyzes responses to 1996 Australian census regarding language use and compares them with those in the two previous censuses. Discusses divergent trends in different states and between two largest cities, Sydney and Melbourne. Comparison of language-shift rates between the three censuses and cross-tabulations with generation, age, gender, family…

Examined age differences in the missing-letter effect during letter-detection tasks. Found expected increase in magnitude with age of the effect even when function words and content words were equated for frequency. Word scrambling improved letter detection in function words compared to content words among older subjects, arguing against increased…

A series of meta-analyses identified changes in parent-child conflict during adolescence and moderating factors. Results of age meta-analyses indicated that conflict rate and total conflict declined from early to mid adolescence and from mid to late adolescence; conflict affect increased from early to mid-adolescence. Puberty meta-analyses…

This study examined articulation in 13 Dutch individuals (ages 7-29, IQs 38-83) with Prader-Willi syndrome using a picture naming test with transcribed samples subjected to analyses for articulation errors. Results suggest that the impaired articulation found is a function of IQ and that with increasing age, phonological problems gradually resolve…

A study of 700 children (ages 5-12) investigated whether children's conceptions of and expectations of friendship are determined by chronological age or by mental age. Results found children of differing intellectual abilities pass through the five conception stages of friendship at different ages and at different rates. (Contains 4 references.)…

Investigated how African American mothers of early adolescents perceived themselves as parents and how their children perceived their mothers' parenting abilities. Survey data highlighted significant generational differences in four of six scales and 30 of 60 items on the Parent Success Indicator. Amount of time spent together had the greatest…