Examined relations between patterns of marital communication, child adjustment, and family functioning. Subjects were couples observed to be hostile, hostile- withdrawn, or engaged, and having a 4- or 5-year-old child. Found that families in which couples were hostile-detached showed the most negative outcomes. Marital typology accounted for…

Examined stability and change from middle childhood to middle adolescence in participants' perceptions of their friendship-making ability and their friends' deviant behavior. Although perceptions were not highly stable over 5 years, participants perceived their friendship-making ability as greater during childhood than during adolescence;…

Psychological data were analyzed for 164 individuals (ages 3-15) with autism (IQs 14-143). Verbal IQ lagged behind nonverbal during the preschool years, but by school age the gap had closed. For school-age children with low IQs, math, spelling, and writing scores were consistent with IQ and reading was above IQ. (Contains references.) (Author/CR)

This study examined two neglected dispositional contributions to creativity, needs for uniqueness and cognition, in 150 undergraduates. Results indicated individuals high in the needs of uniqueness and cognition evidenced more creative past accomplishments and produced richer visual and verbal products, more individualistic photo essays, and more…

Examined pathways to effective teaching among African-American and Latino early childhood teachers serving low-income children. Found that after controlling for formal education, responsive involvement in the field could be predicted by a teacher's staying in the field for the community, being mentored, and being supervised. Engaging in language…

Analysis of data on 115 British children placed in local child protection registers prior to their 6th birthday found significant relationships between low birth weight, unintended pregnancies, poor health, and developmental problems in infancy and subsequent maltreatment. Also, mothers of registered children were less likely to have reported…

This study examined a model of emotional, cognitive, and behavior predictors of peer acceptance in 201 early elementary school students. Findings indicated that social skills mediated the effect of emotion knowledge on same- and opposite-sex social preference. However, social skills and verbal ability were more strongly related to opposite-sex…

Hypothesized that students who continue full-time study after high school have higher levels of career maturity, psychological well-being, and academic achievement while at school. Surveyed 254 Australian seniors and 132 of these students 9 months after graduation. Found that students who proceeded to full-time further study scored higher in all…

College academic success and retention have traditionally been predicted using demographic and academic variables. This study moved beyond traditional predictors. A survey of 218 undergraduate students revealed that emotional and social factors (e.g., stress, frequency of alcohol consumption) related to GPA and emotional factors (e.g.,…

A review of articles concerning use of social support to alleviate stress in mothers of children with autism found an association between challenging child characteristics and mothers seeking social support, with mothers under greater stress being more prone to pursue social support. Informal support appeared more effective than formal support.…

A case study of an academically gifted college student who committed suicide resulted in three sets of findings: those that reflected exclusively on the subject's life, those that compared his life with 3 previous psychological autopsies conducted, and those that reflected the parents' observations and experiences of his life. (Contains…

Summarizes key predictors of offending discovered in longitudinal study of 411 males. Most important childhood predictors of offending were socioeconomic deprivation, poor parenting, family deviance, school problems, hyperactivity-impulsivity-attention deficit, and antisocial child behavior. Proposes theory to explain results, including…

Describes a study of college students that was conducted to isolate interactivity as an independent variable and test its effects upon student learning, the time required to complete the study unit, and student attitudes. Results are compared for a group using a traditional videotape and one using an interactive videotape. (five references) (LRW)

Two models are presented, which depict dropping out as a developmental process that may begin in the earliest grades. The frustration-self-esteem model focuses on school failure and student rejection of or by a school. The participation-identification model focuses on student involvement in schooling, with behavioral and emotional components. (TJH)

Assessed association between interspousal aggression and child problems after controlling for parents' general marital discord among 87 couples requesting marital therapy. Spouses completed measures of marital aggression, marital discord, child problems, and family demographics. Results showed that marital aggression contributed unique variance to…