To describe trajectories of aggressive behaviors for adolescents living in rural areas, we compared the patterns, timing and sex differences in development of physical and social aggression using five waves of data collected from youth in school surveys administered over 2.5 years. The sample (N = 5,151) was 50.0% female, 52.1% Caucasian and 38.2%…

This study aimed to determine the probability that a child with cerebral palsy (CP) will lose or gain ambulatory ability through adolescence and young adulthood. We analyzed retrospectively data from 1987 to 2002 on Californians with CP initially aged 10 years (SD 0.9y; n=7550 [4304 males, 3246 females]) and 25 years (SD 0.8y; n=5721 [3261 males,…

Examines connections between adolescents' perceptions of their relationships with their parents and the concept of individuation. Focuses on the parent-child relationship before adolescence, de-idealization of parents at the onset of adolescence, and development of an understanding of parents as persons. (RJC)

Examined development of self-monitoring behavior during adolescence. Administered Adolescent Self-Monitoring Scale to 490 students in grades 7 through 12. Findings supported hypothesis that self-monitoring behavior increases from early to late adolescents. Found significant difference by age in overall self-monitoring behavior and in sensitivity…

Gilbert Gottlieb's data and epigenetic approach support the conclusion that organisms are functionally-whole agents at each phase of development rather than simply incompletely developed adults prior to sexual maturity and deteriorated adults in old age. This implies that organisms construct distinct ontogenetic niches at each phase of…

A questionnaire consisting of two scales was administered to 550 Hong Kong secondary students to examine their emotional autonomy and susceptibility to peer pressure. Emotional autonomy was studied by the scale (EAS) developed by Steinberg and Silverberg (1986) and susceptibility to peer pressure was studied by the scale developed by Sim and Koh…

Discusses how youngsters learn to think in a recognizable adult fashion about political, social, and humanistic issues. Reports on research on the development of political attitudes over the course of adolescence. Concludes that the major difference between younger and older adolescents is the ability of the latter to think abstractly when…

Investigated relationship between early sexual maturation and psychosexual behaviors of dating and sexual intercourse among national sample of adolescent girls. Found early-maturing girls more likely to have experienced earlier dating and coital onset than late-maturing peers. Blacks experienced menarche and first intercourse at earlier ages, yet…

Examined development of self-consciousness and its relationship to emotional disturbance in early and late adolescence. Results indicated that self-consciousness decreased with age in nondisturbed subjects. Development of self-consciousness in temporary situations did not follow consistent patterns in disturbed subjects. Social-cognitive shifts in…

Neurological examination of children includes the screening for soft neurological signs (NSS). There is little knowledge about their evolution during adolescence, except that their lasting presence has been associated with developmental, psychological, and cognitive disorders. We report the results of a NSS exam (assessing gross and fine motor…

Assessed changes in the ability of girls from early to late adolescence to recognize their bodies. Subjects (N=157) were asked to choose their own picture (head occluded) from among five photographs. All were able to identify themselves with considerable accuracy, particularly the late-adolescent group. (JAC)

Reviews evidence on development of competence in decision making during adolescence focusing on cognitive aspects. Discusses indicators of competence: choice, comprehension, creativity, compromise, consequentiality, correctness, credibility, consistency, and commitment. Evidence suggests that many adolescents show reliable level of competence in…

Analyzed changes in parent-child relationship from data collected from mothers, fathers, and oldest children in 110 families whose oldest child was 11, 14, or 17. Results provide insight into expectations and processes involved in revising the quality of parent-child relationships during early adolescence. Socialization for independence during…

Notes that adolescent sexual abusers face developmental issues different from those of adults. Argues that specific needs of adolescent sexual abuser cannot by fully understood by simply extrapolating knowledge derived from work with adult perpetrators. Discusses importance of developmental issues facing adolescent perpetrator of sexual abuse and…

The present study was designed to investigate trajectories of identity development and their relationship to family functioning in a sample of Hispanic adolescents and their primary caregivers. Two hundred fifty adolescents completed measures of identity coherence and confusion and of family functioning, and parents completed measures of family…