Critiques historian Perry Miller's treatment of the Puritans in American history for 1) inattentiveness to individual differences, 2) focus on theology, 3) failure to recognize the importance of typologies (biblical analogies) and metaphors to the Puritans, and 4) stressing the importance of the Puritan mind over their emotional lives. (AM)

Aimed to provide an extensive and integrative review of empirical studies of pretend play in children. Attempts were made to sort out what is known from what is supposed but unconfirmed, and to identify the theoretical implications of the former and the relevance of the latter. (Author/RH)

Assesses the effectiveness of different child-generated classification schemes on preschool children's memory performance. Children who organized pictures according to taxonomic categories (e.g., animals, vehicles) demonstrated significantly greater recall than children classified as nontaxonomic. (Author/MP)

Two studies are reported that examine intraindividual variability in performance on measures of fluid intelligence, varying either practice or testing time conditions. Substantial improvement in level of correct performance is obtained for both conditions; error patterns, however, differ for the two. (Author/GK)

Reports on a yearbook study that provides some data about the differences between college yearbook buyers and nonbuyers. (RL)

An appraisal was made of data reported by Clay (1969) as evidence for individual differences in self-correction behavior in children's reading. It was found that the index of incidence of self-correction used had several properties which could not be justified. (Author/SJL)

Argues that developmental psychologists need attitudes, methods, and conceptual schemes that integrate the distinctive contributions of both nature and nurture in order to study change and consistency in developmental functions, as well as individual differences in behaviors of interest. A conceptual scheme for early mental development is…

Sex differences and their relationship to individual differences were examined for Maccoby and Jacklin's sex differences summaries, for a diverse set of measures of specific cognitive abilities (including verbal ability), and for objective personality assessments of 216 school-age children. Average differences between groups appeared to be trivial…

Results indicate that assertiveness training is attractive to and effective for low performance self-esteem women. Treatment brings immediate and long-lasting improvement. (Author/BEF)

An important contribution of cognitive style research is to make teachers aware of the cognitive style differences of their students and the resultant implications for teaching and learning. (JD)

The relationship between vocational preferences of adolescents and their birth order was examined. Firstborns were found to be overrepresented in the conventional and enterprising areas; later borns were found to be overrepresented in the social and investigative areas. (Author/GK)

Findings indicate that interpersonal compatibility in work groups and its relationship to goal achievement is not a unidimensional or unidirectional phenomenon. Rather, compatibility appears inextricably related to other aspects of group problem solving, including the methodology of decision making. (Author/IRT)

The appropriateness of the starting points for Peabody Individual Achievement Test subtests as suggested by the test authors was investigated. For a sample with an average IQ of 98, there was an average difference of nearly eight points between suggested starting points for the mathematics subtest and the actual basals. (Author)

This study provides guidelines for practitioners to determine the minimum differences, in scaled score points, needed for statistical significance when applying the Bannatyne recategorization of Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children--Revised subtests on a individual basis. (Author)