Three studies investigated whether children, ages 2-7, recognized facial expressions by category. Study 1 focused on emotion categories of happiness and anger; Study 2, on sex differences, with sadness added. Study 3 was on 2- and 3-year-olds. All three studies showed a Label Superiority Effect, in which emotion labels resulted in more accurate…

Finds that maternal responsiveness in infancy consistently predicts intellectual performance in early childhood. (PCB)

Four studies involving 160 children of 4-11 years and 14 adults focused on the development of beliefs about selective attention. Children's beliefs about attention appeared to change greatly during the age range studied. Predictions of successful comprehension of unattended stories declined sharply between ages 4 and 6. (RJC)

The repeated psychological assessment of 41 high-risk infants during the first 2 years of life using the Mental Scale of the Bayley Scales of Infant Development was investigated. Analyses indicated that the infants' cognitive functioning remained fairly stable over the 2 years, particularly from age 6 months on. (Author/JDD)

Infants of 14 months of age demonstrated significantly improved understanding of containment as a result of a training intervention in which they played with cans and tubes in their homes for a month. After training, their test scores were similar to those of untrained 20-month-old children. (RH)

In two experiments, large effects of variations in the form and timing of the cardinality question suggested that preschoolers' cardinality responses were situation-specific. Results suggested that children had no initial understanding of the relation between cardinality responses and numerosity. (RH)

The article reviews the development of infant cognitive assessment and describes selected tests. Considerations in choosing, administering, and interpreting the results of infant intelligence/cognitive assessment instruments are outlined. The usefulness of cognitive assessment is discussed as are new approaches to assessment. (Author/DB)

A sample of 44 infants of five months of age showed a significant reaching preference for the apparently nearer region of a computer-generated display. This indicated that the infants were sensitive to boundary flow information for depth at an edge. (RH)

Exploration of a coincidental similarity between the work of Rene Descartes and Jean Piaget relating to the contemporary pedagogical conception of understanding as an active construction of reality points out some of the images that coalesce around this conception and reflects upon alternatives to the conception. (CB)

Four experiments investigated children's confusion regarding memories of what they said and what they imagined saying. The ability to distinguish imagined from actually uttered words increased with age, while performance in sentence completion tasks decreased. Metamemory suggestions did not affect elaborations. (SAK)

Two experiments investigated the role of continuity cues in infants' perception of launching events as causal. Results indicated that younger subjects' perceptions of the particular object may influence perception of causality and that infants' use of cues to causality changes with age. (WP)

Suggests that adequate conceptions of children's measurement processes should take into account social and cognitive learning. Contends that progress in children's performance in measurement depends on learning in both areas. Reports significant findings from two studies designed to test the effects of intersubjectivity, or the social dimension,…

Deceptive box experiments showed that when children see the expected contents before the boxes are changed, it is easier to report their own and a puppet's initial true belief, but also a puppet's current false belief. Results support the "reality masking hypothesis," that facilitation is due to the belief option being linked with a…

Reviews two books by L. S. Vygotsky and A. R. Luria: (1) "Studies on the History of Behavior: Ape, Primitive, and Child"; and (2) "Ape, Primitive Man and Child: Essays in the History of Behavior." Both books are based on a book published in 1930 that examined the phylogenetic, historical, and ontogenetic development of human…

Some scholars have suggested that it is the "most advantaged" children, the children of high income households or who have high cognitive ability, who are negatively affected by early maternal employment. If this were true, less advantaged children would not be affected as strongly. Findings indicate that in terms of effects on cognitive…