This essay asserts that clinical conceptualizations of emotion that stress its disruptive influences and functional models of emotion that emphasize its adaptive aspects can be integrated into a developmental psychopathology framework. Under certain conditions, emotion regulation may develop dysregulatory aspects that can become a characteristic…

This essay reviews research on mother-infant roles during early interactions and how these serve to foster the development of infant emotion regulation. It provides illustrations of the ways in which physical unavailability (resulting from hospitalization or other separation) and emotional unavailability (resulting from mental illnesses such as…

Examined multiple measures of 82 young children's emotionality, regulation, and social functioning over a 2-year period, finding that social functioning was predicted by low negative emotionality and high levels of regulation. Also found that vagal tone was positively related to competent social functioning and emotionality/regulation for boys,…

Examined empathy and conservation abilities of nonretarded children with autism and compared their performance to that of normally developing children. Autistic children performed surprising well, but not as well as normal children. There was a closer association between cognitive abilities and affective understanding among the autistic children…

Three frameworks for work attitudes instruction in trade and industrial education are (1) historical--democratic and indoctrinational approaches; (2) social psychological--group discussion, problem solving, role playing, reward, role modeling; and (3) industrial sociological. Compatibility between attitudes taught and organizational structure of…

Developmental changes in the pattern of 50 families' conversations about feelings were examined when the families' second-born children were 33 and 47 months old. The total amount of talk and the frequency of talk about feelings between sibling pairs increased, whereas the amount of mother-child conversation and references to feelings decreased.…

Reviews five books in early childhood education: (1) "Teaching Social Studies to the Young Child: A Research and Resource Guide"; (2) "Special Children: Meeting the Challenge in the Primary School"; (3) "Educational Provision for Our Youngest Children: European Perspectives"; (4) "Topic Work in the Early Years:…

This study of 46 women with the fragile X gene and 56 controls found that performance on emotion perception and perspective-taking tasks was related to full-scale IQ scores but not to fragile X group status when effects of IQ were removed. Results represent a differentiation between fragile X and autism. (Author/JDD)

This paper examines the affective components of reading and related learning disorders. A dynamic-developmental-interaction approach to etiology is suggested to allow for integration of constitutional, developmental, and environmental factors. The paper considers parental dynamics, intrapsychic factors, and interpersonal factors. (Author/JDD)

Using data from the High School and Beyond survey, compares junior and senior year performance and other variables in Catholic single sex, Catholic coed, and public schools. Finds Catholic school students are urged to take more academically demanding courses; this accounts for public/Catholic differences in achievement and university attendance.…

The Bears' Picnic, a new test of representations of self and family, was given to 27 4 year olds at 20 months of age who had been observed with their mothers. Maternal sensitivity to the child in play at 20 months was related to child's valuing or devaluing of self and others at 4 years. (DR)

Institutionalized adults with mental retardation (74% of whom had severe to profound retardation) were assessed. Of 30 adults who had been diagnosed as having affective disorders, 4 did not meet modified criteria for affective disorder; and of 30 with other psychiatric disorders, 6 did meet criteria for affective disorder. (Author/JDD)

Examines historical context, generalizability, methodological strengths and limitations of construct of "expressed emotion" (EE), designed to explore impact of family and social environment on vulnerability to relapse of schizophrenic patients, and Camberwell Family Interview, as well as nature and effects of treatment intervention programs…

Compared attention, behavioral reaction, facial affect, and cardiac responses of 22 autistic and 22 mentally retarded preschoolers to emotional displays. Found that both groups looked more at the experimenter and displayed more interest and concern when the experimenter showed strong distress than when she showed neutral affect. Autistic…

Discusses the treatment of idioms in language learning, specifically questions that need to be addressed when decisions are made on the role of idioms in language-learning programs. Particular emphasis is on the extent to which idioms present a particular source of misunderstanding and confusion for learners. (Author/VWL)