Examined the mediating role of the home environment on the relationship between IQs of mothers and their low birthweight children. Results indicated that the IQ of children at three years was related to maternal IQ and measures of home environment when children were one and three years of age. (BB)

Introduces the confluence model as a theory specifying the process by which the intellectual environment modifies intellectual development. Using this model, explores the contradiction between prediction of secular trends in test scores by trends in aggregate birth order and the lack of prediction of individual test scores by birth order using…

Brazilian data demonstrate strong negative effects of women's schooling on fertility; no increase in women's labor supply despite rising wages; and strong effects of parental schooling on children's schooling and survival. Effects of early schooling on fertility work primarily through increased investments in child quality. (SK)

Interviewed mothers to examine the developmental significance of preschoolers' imaginary companions. Found that relationships with invisible companions were described as sociable and friendly, whereas personified objects were usually nurtured. Object personification frequently occurred as a result of acquiring a toy; invisible friends were viewed…

Maintains that medical growth charts that have been created by pharmaceutical companies can be utilized to demonstrate a variety of statistical concepts in psychology. Expounds that the charts are based on data collected from 1963-1975 by the National Center for Health Statistics with a sample of over 20,000 children. Provides teaching activities.…

The economic situation of older, single childbearers before and after giving birth is compared with their married counterparts and teen mothers. Similarities among nonmarried women across all ages and substantial variations for older mothers are found. Specific effects of a birth on economic status are discussed for each group. (EMK)

Evaluated statistically the effect of intranatal and early postnatal period factors on mental development of very low-birth-weight infants. Covariance structure analysis revealed direct influence of birth weight and gestational age in weeks on mental development at age 1, and of opthalmological aberrations and respirator disorder on mental…

Compared language development of 16 firstborn and 16 secondborn children at 21 months to investigate whether secondborn children benefit from overheard conversations between caregivers and older siblings. Found that secondborn children were more advanced that firstborn in pronoun production, while not differing general language development,…

Investigation of differences between women who change jobs after childbirth and those who stay with employers reveals that women are motivated to change by both financial and family reasons. A trade of compensation for greater family accommodation may be more necessary for those with lower levels of skill, education, and experience. (SK)

Birth data for 1,031 Dutch patients with autism were compared to those of the national population. Separate analyses were performed on diagnostic subgroups (i.e., infantile autism vs. other psychoses with origin specific to childhood), gender, and intelligence. No evidence was found that autism is characterized by a deviant birth pattern.…

Developments in assisted reproductive technologies have made it possible for couples to select the sex of a child prenatally. This article used the NASW Code of Ethics and information from the Ethics Committee of the American Society of Reproductive Medicine to consider ethical dilemmas related to social justice (for example, reinforcement of…

The changing face of midwifery practice and education in Australia is challenging the previously accepted notions of the birth experience, the options of care that are available for women and their families, and the role of the midwife in that experience. The role of the midwifery educator is also challenged by the move away from a predominantly…

The influence of older peers on younger children's emerging symbolic play was examined for 24 young children in eight participating long-day child-care centres. Toddler participants (aged from 17 to 31 months) were observed and video-taped in three conditions in free play in the outdoor environment as follows: condition one, with their same-age…

Support for WIC, the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children, is based on the belief that "WIC works." This consensus has lately been questioned by researchers who point out that most WIC research fails to properly control for selection into the program. This paper evaluates the selection problem using rich data…

E. Durkheim (1897) suggested that the societal rate of suicide might be explained by societal factors, such as marriage, divorce, and birth rates. The current study examined male prison suicide rates and suicide rates for men in the total population in the United States and found that variables based on Durkheim's theory of suicide explained…