Examined the academic, psychological, and family patterns of 200 middle class dropouts and their reasons for dropping out. Proposes that school, psychological, and family factors are not separate but rather coexist and interact in the creation of this social problem. In addition, these factors interact with larger sociocommunal and sociopolitical…

Comparison of 60 junior high school students (20 academically gifted, 20 academic achievers, and 20 "nongifted") found that the academically gifted students demonstrated more negative affective and physiological stress reactions to an experimentally induced failure condition. (DB)

This study, involving 127 poor black pregnant girls (12 to 18 years old) of whom 33% reported previous physical or sexual abuse, found that abused adolescents scored significantly higher on stress and depression scales and rated their families as less supportive than did nonabused adolescents. Abused adolescents were also more likely to report…

Research on self-concept, attributions, anxiety, depression, and suicide among adolescents with learning disability is examined for the purpose of detecting consistency of emotional and developmental indicators. Analysis indicates that these students appear to be at increased risk for severe depression and suicide. (Author/DB)

Explores Maria Montessori's notion that a young child's brain is significantly different from an adult's and that young children develop according to a series of predictable "sensitive periods." Cites numerous empirical studies that support these and other ideas Montessori postulated without the advantage of sophisticated scientific…

High school students with learning disabilities (LD), low achievement, or average achievement responded, several times daily, to questions concerning levels of affect, activation, cognitive efficiency, self-esteem, motivation, and feedback from others. LD students reported feeling more positive and active than the other groups during school hours;…

Treats educators' emotional lives as psychological, social, and political phenomena shaped by how teaching is organized and led. Presents a conceptual framework of seven elements that illustrate location and representation of emotions in teachers' work and professional development. Discusses 10 implications and recommendations for administrators…

Compared parents' problems and preschoolers' well-being in families of children living with their mothers or fathers in Denmark. Found close associations between strains on parents and child well-being. Parents who were not appreciated at work or unemployed were more likely to have conflicts with their children. Fathers had better jobs, less…

Explored the relation between measures of emotional competence, behavioral regulation, and general social competence and African American preschoolers' peer acceptance and popularity. Found that gender, emotional knowledge, emotion regulation, and themes of violence in response to hypothetical situations of interpersonal conflict were strongly…

Addresses the rift between black middle and upper classes and those in the so-called underclass, and suggests means for bridging this gap. The author argues that for conditions within the black community to improve, blacks must first take individual and collective responsibility for their destinies. Also explaines which positive,…

To understand causes of stress in the workplace, research administrators can use the theory of "personality priorities" to understand researcher behavior. The theory suggests each individual adopts rules to help make decisions and maintain a sense of belonging. Each of these personality priorities (control, comfort, pleasing,…

Examines two theoretical approaches on how we understand our own and others' minds: a causal explanatory and an interpretive social approach. Explores the relations between these views and suggests that the real challenge of the cognitive revolution is to unite the two approaches, to achieve a causal naturalistic account of the acquisition and…

Suggests that a better understanding of the development of children's theories of mind, requires theoretical perspectives that do not privilege the child who conceptualizes or actively participates in social interactions. Proposes that a better understanding of the relationships among brain, psyche, behavior, and culture should be promoted. (AA)

Examines Astington and Olson's proposal under the context of von Wright's and Hempel's theories of explanation and understanding. Suggests that for taking children's meaning making seriously, researchers should find a principled way to acknowledge the role of interpretation in scientific thinking even in the making of explanation itself. (AA)

Examines the relationship between causal-explanatory and interpretive-hermeneutic approaches to how we understand our own and others' minds. Suggests that the two approaches discussed by Astington and Olson are mutually enlightening but, contrary to the proposed position, are irreducible to each other. (AA)