Biological differences alone did not account for differences in self-conception of interpersonal abilities found between 197 adolescents with hearing disabilities and 53 nondisabled adolescents, nor did they account for differences between subgroups of those with hearing disabilities. Cognitive, emotional, motivational, and social factors also…

Examined low achievement in normal-or-above intelligence early adolescents born preterm, in a longitudinal study from birth through 12 years of age, compared to a group with no achievement problems. Found significant group differences in several domains in early adolescence. Also found that biological and social factors in infancy were associated…

Examined hormonal influences on activity and playmate preferences in children with congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH) age 2.5 to 12 years and their relatives. Found that girls with CAH preferred boys' toys and activities, whereas boys with CAH did not differ significantly from controls. Activity and playmate preferences were not related. (MDM)

This essay discusses the evaluation of the relationship between the nervous system and emotion regulation, introducing vagal tone as a measurable organismic variable that contributes to individual and developmental differences in the expression and regulation of emotion. (MDM)

The development of 58 preterm low-risk infants was compared over their first 7 years with 100 full-term infants. The study found "catch up" phenomena at certain ages and periods of reversal. Results also indicated that advantaged family circumstances may reduce or compensate for preterm birth whereas a disadvantaged environment may amplify adverse…

Described is an ongoing study of monozygotic and dizygotic twins, separated in infancy and reared apart. Discussed are the procedures and results of this study with interpretations of the results. The effects of parenting, education, and other interventions are considered. (CW)

Examines three alternatives to the classical framework of early cognitive development: modularity-nativism, connectionism, and theory-theory. Arguments are marshaled to support the "theory-theory" view, which emphasizes a combination of innate structure and qualitative reorganization in children's thought based on input from the people and things…

Considers the contribution to information-processing accounts of human intelligence differences made by Arthur Jensen, commending his persistence in research and noting his reductionist orientation. Explores the question of correlated vectors studied by Jensen. (SLD)

This article explores possible biological factors related to motivation and the relationship of motivation to academic achievement in students with attention deficit hyperactivity disorders. Suggestions are provided for increasing scholastic motivation in this population, including using cooperative learning groups to motivate students to…

A study of 20 multiple birth children (MBC) (ages 7-8) and 20 controls found MBC performed significantly more poorly on some tasks of phonological processing, and early phonological skills of MBC were correlated with poor performance on visual rhyme recognition, word repetition, and phoneme detection tasks five years later. (Author/CR)

This article discusses advances in structural and functional neuroimaging that indicate that, in general, nonfluent aphasias are associated with left pre-rolandic lesions and fluent aphasias occur with left post-rolandic lesions that spare pre-rolandic areas. However, functional neuroimaging studies have also shown that neural dysfunction often…

A study that compared 20 children with reading difficulties (RD) with severe executive processing deficits, 16 with RD with moderate executive processing ability, 20 with high ability, and 20 who had moderate sentence span scores, found a domain-general system may partially contribute to poor working memory in children with RD. (Contains…

Argues that research in environmental communication should look at communication-related linkages between society and the environment, and that biosocial theory presents a useful conceptual framework. Suggests five empirical generalizations about mass communication's possible roles in the interactions between people and the environment, drawn from…

Four studies examined the claim that preschoolers understood biological inheritance. Found that it was not until age seven that children demonstrated that they understood birth as part of a process selectively mediating the acquisition of physical traits and learning or nurturance as mediating the acquisition of beliefs. (MDM)

Etiology of verbal and performance delays were investigated in a large population sample of twins at 2 and 3 years (N=2,449 pair). Longitudinal genetic analyses indicated substantial heritability of verbal delay from 2 to 3 years, especially in combination with performance delay. Results suggest a strong genetic contribution to verbal delay…