Current research indicates the possible influence of IE development on cognitive development. Efforts are being made to identify behaviors by which parents or teachers can increase development of internal control expectancies in preschool children. Studies correlating children's IE scores with various mother behaviors or mother-child interaction patterns are being conducted. The theoretical rationale is that if development of internal control expectancies increases information seeking, information processing, and information using in early childhood, it should then contribute to intellectual development. Correlations of IE to cognitive development in early childhood that have been found include: (1) clear developmental trends in internal control scores; (2) clear socioeconomic differences; (3) expected cultural differences; and (4) mixed evidence about relation to intelligence and achievement test scores. Research this year has been focused on relating IE to several specific cognitive development variables under laboratory conditions. Findings showed: (1) fairly good evidence of relation to ability-type laboratory tasks (discrimination and mirror tracing learning tasks) and cognitive style and strategy variables; (2) the intelligence-type tests used seem not valid enough to test any relation of IE to intelligence; and (3) persistence and alertness--attentiveness seem not generalized enough dispositions to relate to any variable, IE or other. Incidental findings concerning performances and intercorrelations may be significant for future research. (KM)