Using cognitive and psychosocial variables, predicted the academic performance of 40 female and 84 male specially admitted White freshmen. High school rank and American College Test scores were the most effective overall predictors. Demonstrated community service and preference for long-term goals were significant psychosocial predictors for…

Contrasts aptitude by treatment interaction (ATI) and hierarchical linear modeling (HLM) methods for making cross-level inferences between individual-level and group-level factors in school effectiveness research. Recommends HLM when intraclass correlations are high. ATI is suitable when intraclass correlations are low, but partitioning the…

Reports research concerning the definition of variables by pupils ages 12 to 14 during investigative work. Findings suggest that an increase in the complexity of an investigation lowers the ability to identify relevant variables and substantive concepts intrude on the ability to define the appropriate dependent variable and to control variables.…

Nonword span (nonwords conforming to English phonology) was used to measure phonological memory and was found to be generally predictive of the number of trials needed for acquiring certain English (second-language) new words for 84 Hong Kong seventh graders. This relationship, however, was preserved only in those students whose English vocabulary…

Reviews the major literature on creative processes in children that should be predictive of adult creativity, focusing on affective processes and children's play. Describes Russ's (1993) model of affect and creativity, and cognitive processes, personality processes, and affective processes important in creativity. Discusses theories of play,…

Gifted high school students (N=199) were evaluated using the Sternberg Triarchic Abilities Test; their academic performance was judged by independent raters; and their thinking styles were measured by two converging self-report questionnaires. After controlling for ability level, styles of thinking significantly contributed to prediction of…

Study examined how elementary teachers' personal variables predicted their classroom computer use. Teachers completed questionnaires that assessed level of computer use, subjective norms, innovativeness, perceived relevance of computers to teaching, and self-competence in using computers. Many teachers did not use computers for teaching.…

Findings of t-tests on results from 1,247 adolescents in South Carolina indicate that, without adjustment, whites were higher than blacks on socioeconomic status, grade point average, and attitudes favoring drug use. Blacks were higher on positive peer influence, commitment to education, self-efficacy expectations, and reported conduct disorder…

Factors associated with completing a follow-up interview in an AIDS outreach/intervention project targeting out-of-treatment crack smokers were studied through 409 baseline interviews and 288 follow-up interviews. The study demonstrates that access to hard-to-reach subjects for follow-up is possible. Methods to enhance follow-up rates are…

A study investigated the relationship between college first-year students'0 self-reported attitudes and behavior and academic success in the first college year. Three of four subscales used in combination predicted accurately first-year students who ended the year in good academic standing. However, the model was much less precise for predicting…

Four studies tested claims that young children are inhibited in attempts to change drawings because of constraints by order in which representational elements are drawn. Found that procedural rigidity levels did not predict preschoolers' performance when asked to change their representation and that preschoolers could change rigid sub-procedures…

Two studies examined the viability of assessing reading strategies using a think-aloud protocol combined with latent semantic analysis (LSA). Findings demonstrated that the responses of less-skilled readers semantically overlapped more with focal sentences than with causal antecedent sentences, whereas skilled readers' responses overlapped with…

This study interviewed 51 children, ages 3 to 7, about an inoculation after an approximate 2-week delay. Responses indicated a relationship between parents' attachment avoidance and children's distress during the inoculation. Parental attachment anxiety and the interaction between parental avoidance and children's stress predicted children's…

This longitudinal study examined the development, antecedents, and concomitants of empathic concern in the second year of life among 125 first-born girls. Findings indicated that empathic concern for mother's simulated distress increased from 16 to 22 months, whereas empathy for a stranger's simulated distress decreased. Fearful temperament and…

Examined links between parental knowledge and adolescent delinquent behavior for correlated rates of developmental change and reciprocal associations from age 14 to 18. Found that parent knowledge was negatively correlated with delinquent behaviors at age 14 and knowledge increases over time were negatively correlated with increases in…