This review notes that more behavioral recovery is often seen following damage to the nervous system than should be possible from the limited capability of the nervous system for regeneration and reorganization. The review offers a framework for reconciling the effectiveness of early childhood intervention strategies and the conclusions of…

Examines the influence of prenatal sex hormones on later behavior and social learning that results from differential treatment of boys and girls by parents and peers. Also explores differences in academic achievement between boys and girls. Concludes that, contrary to the views of some parents and teachers in the 1970s and 1980s, inborn gender…

This follow-up study to the Nijmegen Otitis Media study evaluated 270 children (age 7). A history of otitis media with effusion (OME), even up to nine instances, did not have negative consequences for language performance at age seven. Intermittent, as opposed to more continuous, OME was not found to affect language ability negatively. (Author/JDD)

Investigates some of the biological constraints that shape the process of literacy acquisition. Explores the possibility of isolating processing components of reading which correspond to computational units of equivalent size in the neural architecture. Suggests that the process of literacy acquisition is largely constrained by a specific…

Although eliminating school violence is no easy task, understanding the biological basis of aggressive adolescent behavior and discussing it with colleagues is essential. Societal influences can trigger a predisposition for aggressive response in alienated, testosterone-elevated teens. Early-intervention programs that stress social and coping…

Research in temperament attempts to explain the normal range of individual differences in adjusting to stimuli, activities, and persons in the environment. Mini-series reviews temperament constructs and relates them to development of children's interpersonal and academic difficulties. They show how understanding temperamental roots of…

Presents an evolutionary-biological perspective on the course of human life. Discusses early development during the first few months of a child's life in the context of bonding with regard to the differentiation of diverse strategies of reproduction. Tries to integrate developmental-psychological knowledge and sociobiological assumptions. (DSK)

This article discusses research that examined the effectiveness of cochlear implants. Findings indicate children implanted at younger ages do better, children who have been deaf a shorter time do better, and higher-level central processes such as perception, attention, learning, and memory may play important roles in explaining effectiveness…

Three proposed models were tested to explore the inter-relationships affecting student academic performance and nonacademic factors using structural equation modeling. Results with 147 undergraduates suggest that a Bio-Model and a Family Mediated Model serve to predict academic performance moderately well. (SLD)

A comparison was made between a range of clinical and biochemical variables and zinc levels in 120 individuals with Down syndrome. No significant differences were found between the normal-zinc and low-zinc groups, except for IgG4 which was, unexpectedly, significantly decreased in the group with normal zinc levels. (Contains references.)…

Replies to C. M. Condit's responses to the authors' articles and comments advancing a communibiological paradigm. Argues that a general misidentification of the level of abstraction (paradigm not theory) drives Condit's complaints about communibiology, and outlines several misrepresentations of the authors' position. (SR)

Examines contemporary research on parental socialization. Highlights research designs that consider inherited, dispositional, and experiential factors in estimating influence. Describes evidence addressing issues of causality regarding the scope and nature of parental influences. Recommends basing conclusions about the significance of parenting on…

This article reviews recent advances in the "new genetics" and shows how such advances affect special education. Focusing on Williams, Fragile X, Prader-Willi, and Down syndromes, it notes how etiology-related cognitive-linguistic profiles and propensities to distinct personalities and behavior problems point the way to specific,…

This article presents replies to published comments on the authors' original article (R. L. Sternberg, E. L. Grigorenko, and K. K. Kidd. G. Carey cited in his response to their article a study by Tang et al. (2005) showing that "of 3,636 subjects of varying race/ethnicity, only 5 (0.14%) showed genetic cluster membership different from their…

Results of twin studies clearly demonstrate that genetic factors play an important role in the rate of language acquisition and linguistic proficiency attained by normal and impaired children and adults [see Stromswold, K. (2001). The heritability of language: A review and meta-analysis of twin, adoption and linkage studies. "Language," 77,…