The evidence for possible negative effects of first-name characteristics on personal functioning is equivocal. Two studies were conducted that avoided previous methodological problems of measurement, sampling, and statistical control. Results indicated that children's social competence and school achievement were unrelated to the frequency or…

To examine changes in phonetic coding two age groups of 40 preschoolers were shown rhyming and nonrhyming letter sets. Recall was measured by oral free recall (testing item memory) and serial reconstruction (testing order memory). A large phonetic similarity effect was present in both groups with no developmental changes in the effect magnitude.…

The assertive acts of 48 toddlers and the responses of peers and teachers were registered. It is argued that the higher response rate recorded for boys' acts informs the child that such behavior will produce an effect in his world, while the lack of response to girls' acts suggest the opposite to girls. (Author/RDN)

Developed an occupational stress inventory for school counselors, based on a pilot study of 353 counselors and a replication study of 410 counselors. Factor analysis identified six factors of occupational stress. Age and school size were the variables that had the most influence on perceptions. (JAC)

Determined that males (N=70) demonstrate higher level of intellectual development than females (N=70), that males mature intellectually earlier than females, and that there appear to be factors other than age and sex that are related to development of formal operational reasoning. Implications of these and other results are discussed. (JN)

Surveyed 190 adolescents to investigate adolescent perceptions of parental persuasive communication. Argues that adolescents base their attributions of parental power on their parents' attempts to control their behavior. Results indicated that adolescents' age and gender and communicative context affect how they perceive parental persuasive…

Explores the social determinants of the timing of the first birth in a nationwide sample of 6,752 women. Results showed education at marriage is the most important predictor. Although a few social determinants (i.e., race and religion) have a direct effect, most affect age at first birth through education. (JAC)

Investigates whether the Piagetian forms of sensorimotor, symbolic, and constructional play--together with controlled demographics such as socioeconomic status, age, and sex--predict social-emotional variables on the Devereux Child Behavior Rating Scale. (RH)

Provides examples of research examining relationships between psychosocial variables and injuries, and highlights some common methodological problems. Argues that research of this nature has little potential for being translated into practical countermeasures and, as such, should be accorded low priority. (RH)

Describes the self-worth theory of achievement motivation, the research generated under this model, and the implications of this research for classroom teaching. Discusses developmental changes in ability perceptions and the conflict between strategies employed by students to maintain a sense of worthiness in the face of failure and the prevailing…

Analyzes the exploratory patterns of 112 children ages 4 to 12, using visual and auditory stimuli and toy preference and toy exploration tasks. Finds that a preference for complexity and for unknown toys increases with age and notes age differences in exploratory patterns and question-asking behavior. (Author/CB)

Thorndike's Stanford-Binet data suggest that from 1932 to 1971-72 preschool children enjoyed greater IQ gains than older children, possibly due to the rise of television. Additional analysis indicated that gains were either due to sampling error or totally antedated 1947. Gains of 12 IQ points were found for Americans. (Author/EGS)

Analyzed 10 interaction dimensions of group behavior and three emotional atmosphere categories among old and young participants in 12 "support-discussion" groups. Results showed significant differences with respect to frequencies of boundary, self-disclosure, and support behaviors. In addition, the young showed signs of boredom more frequently.…

Timed and untimed scoring methods were employed with five WAIS subtests administered to 40 young and 40 old subjects matched for verbal intelligence. Elimination of bonuses for rapid performance differentially improved the scores of older subjects but did not raise those scores to levels achieved by the young. (Author)

Results of an experiment with preschoolers and adolescents indicated that aggression by females toward females was relatively stable over age, while aggression by males toward other males increased markedly. The implication of findings for reinforcement explanations of sex differences in aggression are discussed. (Author/SB)