Examined qualitative developmental change in the use of category organization between ages 8 and 10 and the supportive functions of task environment and category knowledge in this development. Results support the hypothesis that most 10 year olds are capable of strategically activating category knowledge in appropriate task environments when items…

Asked 9, 11, and 13 year olds and college students about risk factors for AIDS, colds, and cancer. Found that knowledge of risk factors became more accurate with age; knowledge of risk factors was largely independent of knowledge of nonrisk factors; and knowledge about 1 disease was largely independent of knowledge about another. (MDM)

Identified most significant family and nonfamily persons in lives of 180 preadolescents and 180 adolescents. "Mother" and "same sex friend" emerged as outstanding choices. Family members (except siblings) were associated with positive characteristics, whereas, among unrelated adults, youth group leaders were viewed positively.…

Examined whether 52 middle school students who received free or reduced-price meals suffered lower general or area-specific self-esteem than did 52 students who did not receive such benefits. Also examined whether self-esteem varied by grade level. Using Piers-Harris Children's Self-Concept Scale, found no significant differences for either group…

As part of a psychological evaluation, 35 sexually abused girls were asked to indicate their preference for a male or female counselor. Girls evaluated by male examiners were less likely to have a clear preference for a female counselor. The sex of the examiner was related to participants' anticipated comfort with a counselor of a particular sex.…

Researchers from University of Victoria (Canada) and East China Normal University (China) have worked on development of career guidance materials for middle schools. Conducted needs assessment of Chinese middle school students, their parents, and teachers. Results were juxtaposed with Canadian sample, highlighting both similarities and differences…

Comments on revision of Piagetian theory of reciprocity in forgiveness by Enright (PS 522 365) in this issue. Reviews relationship of Enright theory to previous research. Suggests that forgiveness may require moral insights in addition to reciprocity, but reciprocity appears central to children's and adults' understanding of forgiveness. Provides…

Teachers rated 948 boys from low socioeconomic environments on physical aggression at ages 6, 10, 11, and 12. Classified boys according to stability of fighting over time. Findings showed that developmental pathways of physically aggressive behavior for boys in low socioeconomic environments were related to familial adversity and poor parenting…

Examined the effect of socially ambiguous information on behavioral and trait perception. White children and black children were shown drawings of white characters and black characters whose behavior could be interpreted positively or negatively. Results provided evidence that race affects the manner in which behavior is interpreted in ambiguous…

Young adolescents (n=396) from single- and two-parent families carried pagers for one week, reporting on daily activities, companionship, and quality of subjective experience. Found that adolescents' overall patterns of time use and subjective experience were similar in both family types, although similarity was achieved by reorganization of…

Hospice of North Carolina developed and pilot tested curriculum materials dealing with death, loss, and grief for grades K-3, 4-8, and 9-12. Middle school curriculum was tested in 4 schools with 211 students. Findings from general information questionnaire administered to students suggest that middle school students experience many significant…

Evaluated six-week support group for six preadolescent siblings of children with mental or physical handicaps. Comparison with five nonparticipants revealed that group had significant effect on participants' perceptions of social support. Parents indicated some improvements in participants' behavior toward siblings. Found no significant…

Discussion of the development of educational radio programs highlights one particular program, "Kid's Corner;" introduces a method to identify and classify the attributes from the radio program; discusses those attributes which were shown to relate to children's judgments of appeal of the program; and suggests implications for…

A total of 881 third through fifth graders completed sociometric measures of acceptance and friendship, a measure of loneliness, a questionnaire on their best friends, and a measure of friendship satisfaction. Results indicated that, although many low-accepted children had satisfying friendships, they were less satisfying than the friendships of…

Used three-wave longitudinal design to examine relationships among emotional restraint, peer drug associations, and gateway drug use among 1,256 middle school students. In reciprocal model, low emotional restraint was significantly related to subsequent increases in gateway drug use among boys. In contrast, peer drug models and peer pressure were…