Using findings on the unstability of previously stable physical activity levels of young children as a kind of case study to aid thought about the trait-dimensional approach to developmental continuity and discontinuity, this discussion explores the applicability of a dual theory of concept formation to the problem of personal stability and…

Written to assist managers of child health programs, this publication explains the features and uses of a simple visual chart for monitoring childhood growth and detecting changes in nutritional and health status. The first part of the book introduces the basic principles and procedures for measuring changes in growth and knowing when these…

The dynamics of human development are somehow programmed to produce failure for black male children. On tests of academic achievement black male ninth graders perform less well than peers: the black male child is more likely to be suspended from and/or to drop out of school. Data indicate that most black male elementary school students, while…

Examined are developmental changes in infants' strategies for using adults instrumentally to achieve goals. Data were derived from longitudinal observations of 1 girl and 1 boy twin individually interacting with 21 somewhat or totally unfamiliar adults at 2- or 3-week intervals from the age of 4 to 15 months, inclusive. Videotapes of interactions…

The Professional Growth and Staff Development Program of the Mehlville School District in St. Louis, Missouri, is comprehensive in nature and has four distinct but complementary components. (1) The districtwide instructional improvement component focuses upon research-based teaching, and provides teachers and administrators with a common body of…

Intended for teachers and others interested in exploring and cultivating the processes of mental imagery, this annotated bibliography includes citations from scholarly journals, popular magazines, doctoral dissertations, works on learning disabilities, and how-to books. The following topics are included among the entries listed in the paper: (1)…

This guide was developed by the Montgomery County (Maryland) Public Schools to assist elementary school teachers in implementing the instructional program in health education for kindergarten through sixth grade. Instructional objectives for teaching Family Life and Human Development and Safety during social studies time are organized by grade…

With changes in sex role expectations in marriage, family researchers have begun to examine the concept of machismo. Two characteristics dominant in the study of machismo are aggressiveness and hypersexuality. A biological model of machismo asserts that males everywhere tend to be more aggressive than females, a sex difference which appears to…

The purpose of this paper is to review the intellectual traits of egocentrism and perception dominance in young children 2 through 7 years of age and to explain, in a concrete way, how these two characteristics interact to greatly influence their ability to form logical and stable concepts. A secondary purpose is to suggest activities that may…

Discussed are aspects of sex-role development in Japanese adolescents and some related problems, such as self-concept and socialization processes. Various studies on Japanese adolescents have revealed substantial sex differences in self-esteem, which is significantly low in girls. In addition to differences in self-esteem, greater discrepancy…

This newsletter presents a critical view of some of the perils of translating research findings into classroom practice without careful examination of the human dimensions involved. The first issue discussed is ability grouping; it is pointed out that this practice does not necessarily increase academic achievement, particularly in the lower level…

This document describes the population of youth needing special assistance in the transition to adulthood and the special problems they face. It describes the social systems that attempt to serve these youth and examines the deficiencies of current social policies. Promising developments in policy and practice that can offer guidance in finding…

Case studies of self-actualizing people according to the ideas of A. Maslow and the criteria of K. Dabrowski are presented. To find people meeting the criteria of Level 4 of the Dabrowski theory, a pool of 21 subjects was established by nomination. All subjects were given the Definition-Response Instrument to assess levels of emotional…

This paper addresses the issue of how children should be reared from birth to become members of a faith community. The paper begins by seeking answers in psychological theories and research studies of Piaget, Bandura and Sears, Mahler, and Erikson. It is asserted that interactions with primary caregivers are the essential ingredients by means of…

Symbolic interactionists have proposed that one's self-concept is primarily affected by interactions with others to the extent and in the way one perceives those interactions. According to this perspective, an individual's global self-esteem is largely the result of subjective "reflected appraisals" of others' evaluations of him rather…