Describes a mixed longitudinal analysis of 1,356 twins, (three to 15-years-old) their siblings, and cousins, who underwent a battery of physical and behavioral tests. The covariance structure analysis method in biometrical genetics was employed to specify determinants of the structure of cognitive abilities, to indicate how these change during…

Investigated whether, in a sample of 30 infants, anger could reliably be observed in facial expressions as early as seven months of age. Also considered was the influence of several variables on anger responses: infants' familiarity with the frustrator, repetition of trials, and sex of the child. (Author/RH)

Examines the effect of nutritional supplementation provided to mothers during pregnancy and lactation on the mental and motor development of their infants. While neither sex nor mental differences could be attributed to supplementation, motor development in infants was affected. (Author/MP)

Uses Rousseau's "Emile" to explicate Kohlberg's characterization of moral development and to illuminate several theoretical problems in Kohlberg's cognitive-developmental account. Analysis supports contentions that Kohlberg's concept of morality is unduly narrow and suggests that his one-sidedly rationalistic approach exaggerates the…

The authors examine the importance of self-direction in education and review efforts to activate this skill in severely mentally retarded pupils, 16-19 years old. Such an approach to develop shared regulation in the curriculum features such strategies as verbal elaboration, imagery, auditory rehearsal, clustering, and sequencing. (CL)

Investigates logical and perceptual determinants of social-cognitive development by examining children's use of consensus information for causal attribution. Results verify the importance of perceptual processes, demonstrating that children can use consensus for person attribution earlier in development than they can for stimulus attribution.…

Items from the Leiter International Performance Scale (LIPS) were analyzed for their conceptual versus perceptual character; these item groupings were then used to create intratest LIPS profiles for 16 language-disordered and 16 children aged 4.4 to 5.5, who were matched for CA, sex, and Leiter IQ. (Author)

Results obtained from 44 children (ages 7 through 16) with sex chromosome abnormalities and from 17 chromosomally normal siblings demonstrated that children in the former group have an increased risk of encountering learning problems. (MP)

Children considered preoperational on multiple classification skills and left-right conceptions were trained to work on classification problems under different conditions, including two variations of children working in pairs, and a situation in which children worked alone. Those in collective conditions progressed more significantly than those in…

H. Corman and S. Escalona's scales for object permanence and spatial relationships were readministered to 71 severely and profoundly mentally retarded individuals (mean age 19 years) five years after the last previous administration of the scales. Gains in mean scores were small but statistically significant for both scales. (Author)

Comments on Damon and Killen's study, pointing out that the methodological difficulties in examining spontaneous moral discussions have led to the appropriation of a dyadic social-cognitive conflict paradigm that focuses on dialogic interaction. (Author/RH)

Describes Parent-Child Interaction, a model designed to instruct parents to teach their preschool children basic cognitive and perceptual skills. Studies testing it are reported. (JOW)

Herman T. Epstein's hypothesis that the brain grows in five stages contradicts the conventional theory that growth is constant until approximately age 18. Epstein argues that the curriculum should be adapted to students' cognitive skills and that special attention should be given to the plateau stages in brain development. (WD)

Skin temperature biofeedback performance was studied in 38 6- to 10-year-old children and 38 of their parents across two sessions of audio biofeedback segments in which participants alternately attempted hand-warming and hand-cooling. Children were superior to adults in controlling skin temperature in the presence of biofeedback. (Author/DB)

The study assessed object permanence construct performance in 20 severely handicapped students (4 to 14 years old) who were differentiated by treatment (prompt) condition and motor ability level. Results revealed a trait (motor ability) x treatment interaction. (Author/SB)