Examined task factors, cognitive processes, and individual differences as determinants of performance in 188 adults locating a position on a topographical map. Both spatial visualization ability and a visual learning style were found to be effective predictors of performance. A form of verbal strategy training produced significantly improved…

Compared attitudes, expectations, and behaviors of early adolescent girls with an adolescent childbearing sister to those of girls with nonchildbearing adolescent sisters. Found that the younger sisters of childbearing adolescents were consistently different from those of nonchildbearing adolescents on key characteristics known to be correlated…

Discussion of telecommuting motivations and constraints focuses on a study that analyzed differences in variables due to gender, occupation, and presence of children for 583 employees of the city of San Diego. Research hypotheses are discussed, and implications for forming policies to support telecommuting are suggested. (Author/LRW)

Examined whether social cognitions forecast change in aggressive habits over the school year for 189 third through seventh graders. Found that aggression-encouraging cognitions assessed in the fall promoted aggression over the school years, but that such developments hinged on the child's sex and on initial levels of aggression and victimization.…

Examined contributions of attachment, maternal-reported stress, and mother-child interaction to the prediction of teacher-reported behavior problems in 121 French-Canadian children. Security of attachment significantly predicted likelihood of behavior problems: insecure children labeled controlling or other were most at risk for…

This article discusses psychobiological factors that affect recovery after traumatic brain injury in children and adolescents, including biological pathophysiology of the injury, the cognitive stage of the child at injury, the amount of time after injury, the challenge level of tasks, and the child's reserve of psychosocial resources. (Contains…

A study compared specific repetitive behaviors in 32 adults with autism with 34 controls with mental retardation. The occurrence of each behavior category, except dyskinesias, was higher in individuals with autism and they showed a greater number of topographies of stereotypy and compulsions. Repetitive behavior severity also predicated autism…

A group of 36 children with Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD) were compared with 36 typical children matched on age, gender, and verbal IQ. Both a competence-importance discrepancy and social support/positive regard construct were significant predictors of self-worth for controls; however, for those with DCD, only the competence-important…

Utilizes data from a prospective longitudinal study of at-risk children to explore multiple predictors of high school dropouts across development. Results reveal association of early home environment, quality of early caregiving, socioeconomic status, IQ, behavior problems, academic achievement, peer relations, and parent involvement with dropping…

College freshmen (n=326) who preferred field-independent and field-neutral learning styles had higher grade point averages. High school grade point average and ACT scores were the best predictors of freshman academic performance. Learning style and ACT scores best predicted student retention. (SK)

Educational practices involving emotional intelligence should be based on solid research, not sensationalistic claims. There are two emotional-intelligence models based on ability and an ability/social-competence mixture. Emphasizing cooperative behavior could stifle creativity, healthy skepticism, or spontaneity. Teaching emotional reasoning pays…

Thirty-three mother-child dyads participating in an early intervention program were observed through three 8-minute sessions that were videotaped for each dyad at the 5th, 10th, and 15th months. By 15 months, about half the dyads experienced an event that was defined as establishing successful interactions. Mothers' marital status predicted…

Forty-eight young adults with mental retardation were placed into high and low learned helplessness groups based on responses to a questionnaire. Participants were presented with vignettes and asked what they would do. Results found low learned helplessness participants obtained significantly higher decision-making scores. Additional information…

Characteristics influencing employment of 11,743 individuals with mental retardation were analyzed to evaluate employment rates for county providers. Good physical and emotional health, being male, age between 18-49, IQ between 50-75, and good adaptive skills were associated with employment. The importance of health promotion programs is…

Reports that studies of native and transfer students at a university indicated that lower division GPA and major were significant predictors of upper division GPA for both groups, but more so for transfers than for natives. States that, although race was not a significant predictor for transfers, it was the most significant predictor for native…