Premeaningful vocalizations produced by nine normally developing and 10 Down's syndrome infants were recorded as part of a longitudinal study of language development. Both groups began to produce canonical, reduplicated babbling at 8 to 8 1/2 months of age, and trends regarding consonantal and vocalic development for both groups were similar…

Differences in moral development (as conceived by Kohlberg) were examined in a sample of delinquent teenagers. The repeater group was not found, as had been hypothesized, to be lower on moral maturity than those who engaged in less delinquency. (GC)

Investigates why young children who cannot seriate on the standard Piagetian task do seriate when given a task that uses different materials. Explores the process by which various levels of seriation ability are achieved. Findings are consistent with information-processing analyses of development but conflict with Piagetian stage theory.…

The article explores the dilemma of young gifted children (ages 4-8 years) in the evolution and resolution of their own system of morality. The author explains that research and observation has revealed a systematic appearance and disappearance of magical thinking (the hallmark of the onset of reasoning) in four stages. (PHR)

The thesis of this article is that, in the drawings of very young children, line is produced as a path before it is produced as a boundary. An explanation for this progression is proposed. (Author/JMB)

Instead of limiting himself to postulating two discontinuous types of thought, autistic and logical, Piaget studied transitional forms, thereby placing autistic and logical thought on a developmental continuum. Nevertheless, the discovery of transitional forms did not lessen the opposition between the two extremes of autistic and logical thought.…

In three studies of infants' ability to perceive partially occluded objects with specific appearances, a screen alternately uncovered and covered either a connected or interrupted rectangle. Pattern of infants' looking times suggests that they perceive the unity of the partially occluded object by 6.5 months but did not perceive the form of the…

This new edition of one of the classic works of psychology highlights the achievements of this pioneer in the study of intelligence and child development. (SLD)

Compares childrens' ability to read words printed in their own invented spelling with their ability to read the words correctly spelled. Finds that children responded similarly to invented and correct spellings and that there was a small tendency to gradually respond more accurately to standard spellings from first to third grade. (RS)

Suggests basic truths about adult behavior: (1) adult behavior is determined by transition, not age; (2) adults are motivated to learn and change by a need to control, belong, matter, master, renew, and take stock; and (3) adult readiness for change depends on situation, support, self, and strategies. (JOW)

Drew on national sample of married persons interviewed three times over eight years. Found marital quality to be stable phenomenon. Marital happiness and interaction were both found to decline over time whereas divorce proneness, problems, and disagreements did not exhibit significant developmental change. Found no sex or duration differences in…

Presents developmental characteristics, implications for volunteerism, and potential activities for the range of volunteering for each stage of the life span. Concludes that volunteer managers are faced with the challenge of pulling together all aspects of society to build upon their unique abilities and insights. (Contains 24 references.) (JOW)

Compared hormone concentrations in 52 pre- and postmenarcheal girls to determine if they fit a dichotomous model of pubertal development surrounding menarche and to study methodological issues of variability in self-reports of menarche. Found discrepancies in reporting the age of menarche and great overlap in hormones between pre- and…

You see them every day in middle schools: students who seem to spend more time in the office than they do in class. In Florida, middle school students are more likely than elementary or high school students to be suspended, according to the Florida Department of Education (2001). While many adolescents go through their middle school years…