This paper suggests that, at present, a science of natural developmental processes does not exist because few studies are concerned with development as it transpires in naturalistic environments and because truly developmental data are not collected or analyzed. (Author/JMB)

In cross-cultural child development research there is often a need to translate instruments and instructions to languages other than English. Typically, the translation process focuses on ensuring linguistic equivalence. However, establishment of linguistic equivalence through translation techniques is often not sufficient to guard against…

This study of the stability of parent behaviors toward toddlers over a 3-week period used both aggregated and nonaggregated data. Comparison of stability correlations indicated higher stabilities for aggregated scores, with the level of stability increasing as scores from additional single sessions were aggregated. (PCB)

Written in response to an article (Horn, 1983) that appeared in special Developmental Behavioral Genetics section of CHILD DEVELOPMENT (Volume 54), this commentary (1) notes some issues concerning Horn's analysis and interpretation of data and (2) highlights the potential for interpretational bias in behavior genetics research. (Author/BE)

In this rebuttal to Walker and Emory's commentary (also in this issue), Horn argues that the issue of the influence of environment on the average IQ of adopted children was well discussed in his article (Volume 54 of CHILD DEVELOPMENT). (BE)

This critique points out weaknesses regarding the test measures used by Munsinger and Douglass and questions the validity of these measures for the ages of the children used in their study. (JMB)

Paper considers some of the problems facing the researcher interested in patterns of abilities as revealed by a discussion of the Lesser studues (1971), presentation of reanalyses of their data, and a critical review of the research. (Author/CB)

Shares three ideas concerning how to evaluate the practical importance of developmental findings to make them more useful to policymakers: (1) statistical significance tests need to be accompanied by effect size estimates; (2) meta-analyses are helping in using all existing data when examining issues involved in policy debates; and (3) researchers…

In research with children, there is a common problem which could reduce the reliability of a questionnaire for some children but not others: verbal comprehension. (Authors)