bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The correlates of antenatal attachment in pregnant women
Authors: Condon John T. , Corkindale Carolyn
Published: July 2011

Maternal‐foetal attachment represents the earliest and most basic form of human intimacy, and has both theoretical and clinical significance. Utilizing a previously published self‐report questionnaire to assess antenatal attachment, the present paper explores its correlates using 238 women in the third trimester of pregnancy. Extrapolating from studies of maternal‐infant attachment, it was hypothesized that depression and a lack of social support would be detrimental to the development of maternal antenatal attachment. The findings confirmed these hypothesized effects. In particular, the subgroup of women having low attachment was characterized by high levels of depression and anxiety, low levels of social support (outside the partner relationship) and high levels of control, domination and criticism within the partner relationship. Antenatal attachment may be predictive for future maternal‐infant attachment. The findings suggest that negative mood states and lack of social support during pregnancy may warrant greater attention than has previously been accorded them.
Psychosocial factors in the onset of eating disorders: Responses to life‐events and difficulties
Authors: Troop Nicholas A. , Treasure Janet L.
Published: July 2011

A number of studies have proposed a role for stress in the onset of eating disorders. Initially the focus was on the life‐events and difficulties themselves. However, the aim of this study was to examine the coping and support elicited in response to the crises that precipitate onset of eating disorders. Thirty‐two women who had developed an eating disorder within four years of presentation were administered semi‐structured interviews asking about events and difficulties in the year before onset, as well as how they coped and the support they received. Twenty women with no history of eating disorders acted as a comparison group. Results show that the onset of anorexic symptoms is associated with cognitive avoidance in response to a crisis while the onset of bulimic symptoms is associated with cognitive rumination. In addition, women who developed an eating disorder were more likely to be helpless in response to the crisis than women who did not develop an eating disorder. It is concluded that coping interventions may be useful in terms of primary and relapse prevention.
Individual risk factors for early repetition of deliberate self‐harm
Authors: Scott Jan , House Richard , Yates Martin , Harrington Jill
Published: July 2011

This study investigated individual factors associated with repetition of deliberate self‐harm (DSH) within three months of a first‐ever episode. Individuals from an 'at risk' population who repeated DSH (N = 25) were compared with a socio‐demographically matched group of 'at risk' individuals who did not engage in a further episode of DSH (N = 18). In comparison with the 'single DSH' individuals, those in the 'repeated DSH' group demonstrated significantly higher levels of depression and hopelessness, were significantly less skilled at problem solving, were significantly less likely to report the availability of a confidante and significantly more likely to identify that the reason for their DSH was to communicate their desperation. The implications of these findings for risk assessment and interventions are noted.
Foulds' hierarchy: Validation of predictions in psychiatric and dermatological patients
Authors: Rubino I. Alex , Pezzarossa Bianca , Zanna Valeria , Ciani Nicola
Published: July 2011

Foulds' inclusive non‐reflexive law of symptom formation has been hitherto confirmed only on psychiatric or non‐clinical persons. Given that respectively a yes‐bias and a high frequency of non‐classified patients may have inflated the rate of confirming protocols in these groups, a validation study was conducted with the Delusions‐Symptoms‐States Inventory (DSSI) on 188 psychiatric and 295 dermatological patients. Although nonclassified patients were not included in the study (thus lowering the number of conforming patterns), both samples showed percentages of patterns conforming to Foulds' law which were above 85 per cent. No significant intergroup difference was found. The rate of conforming patterns in both groups was lower for members of the two psychotic classes (61–77 per cent). Foulds further hypothesized that the number of pathological sets within a given class grows if there is allocation into a superordinate class. This assumption was confirmed in both groups and for most of the inter‐class comparisons. Suggestions were advanced to clarify the issue of the time span to be covered by Foulds' pyramid, to refine the instructions and the response format of the DSSI, and to include into the pyramid further relevant disturbances.
Psychotherapeutic work with people with dementia: A review of the literature
Authors: Cheston Richard
Published: July 2011

Until recently, psychotherapy and counselling techniques have rarely been used with people with dementia. However, the change in emphasis within dementia care towards a person‐centred approach has meant that there is a growing clinical interest in their use. This paper reviews the published literature in this area which bears on psychotherapy assessment, intervention and evaluation. Although there is a developing clinical literature on intervention techniques drawn from all the main psychotherapeutic approaches, there has been little research into the effectiveness of this work and such research as does exist often uses methodologies that are inappropriate for such an early stage of clinical development. It is argued that clinical research should adopt case study or single‐case designs that are more appropriate than group designs for evaluating new clinical developments.
Adolescents who drop out of psychotherapy at a community‐based psychotherapy centre: A preliminary investigation of the characteristics of early drop‐outs, late drop‐outs and those who continue treatment
Authors: Baruch Geoffrey , Gerber Andrew , Fearon Pasco
Published: July 2011

The present study examined the difference between young people who terminated treatment prematurely and who continued in treatment. One hundred and thirty‐four young people (ages 12 to 24 years) who attended a community‐based psychotherapy centre for psychoanalytic psychotherapy between 1 April 1993 and 31 March 1996 comprised the sample. It was predicted that drop‐outs would consist of younger adolescents who were referred, who show a high score for externalizing problems such as aggression and delinquency and a low score for internalizing problems such as anxiety and depression. It was also predicted that continuers would be older, self‐referred and show a high score for internalizing problems and a low score for externalizing problems. The results indicated significant differences between drop‐outs and continuers: dropouts were younger, had greater externalizing problems, school problems and presented with moderate to severe hyperkinetic or conduct disorder. Continuers were older, had fewer externalizing problems, were self‐referred and were likely to be treated by supportive therapists. Since age was the most significant predictor of attendance, the sample was separated into younger adolescents and older adolescents and the same analyses repeated. In the younger group ethnic minority status, and being treated by a supportive therapist predicted continuing in treatment and a diagnosis of conduct disorder predicted premature termination. The clinical implications of the present findings for the delivery of psychotherapy services to young people are discussed.
Strategies for well‐being in later life: A qualitative analysis
Authors: Sherrard Carol
Published: July 2011

A 70‐year‐old retired professional man, with some health problems but a high measured level of well‐being, was interviewed for his perception of the sources of well‐being. A grounded‐theory analysis showed that he related well‐being most strongly to the freedom to choose activities, and manage his own time. Other well‐being strategies within these domains were (i) reconstruing time, so that physical slow‐down was assimilated to the positive values of leisure, patience and a steady pace of work, and (ii) social comparisons of self with others. Well‐being in the context of age‐related symptoms was achieved explicitly through tenacious self‐monitoring and self‐management of physical and cognitive effort, and implicitly through minimizing or distancing of symptoms. The implicit strategies suggest a reorganization of subjectivity. The Discussion addresses the problems of inferring implicit strategies, and psychological processes specific to the experience of ageing.
Ethological strategies for defence in animals and humans: Their role in some psychiatric disorders
Authors: Dixon A. K.
Published: July 2011

Ethological strategies for defence in animals and humans are expressed as either aggression or flight behaviour. Aggression is employed by animals during intraspecific competition for resources, mate, territory and acquiring and maintaining social status. It also disperses individuals throughout the biotope. Flight behaviour is used to avoid a source of danger or harm, has both dynamic and static forms, is phylogenetically very old and takes precedence over all other activities including social behaviour. Animals exposed to inescapable threats or attacks exhibit a characteristic defensive strategy, arrested flight, which consists of gaze‐avoidance or cut‐offs, cryptic postures such as immobility and covert surveillance of their surroundings. Arrested flight also occurs in social encounters when submission fails to reduce attacks, and in prey animals when escape from a predator is hampered. Ethological studies show that during interviews, depressed patients exhibit a pattern of non‐verbal behaviour having all the hallmarks of arrested flight. Cut‐off behaviour, which seeks to reduce the input of flight‐evoking stimuli is especially evident in these patients but takes an extreme form, i.e. eye closure, in the gaze‐profiles of paranoid patients. It is proposed that cut‐offs always denote the presence of incipient flight and that arrested flight is a ‘last measure’ defensive strategy in response to inescapable proximal threat. It can arise in humans whenever their escape routes are hampered and characterizes the behaviour of patients suffering from depression. As in animals, different pathways may lead to arrested flight in humans. In humans, defensive mechanisms also operate at the mental level through putative ego defences, the psychological function of which is to preserve self‐esteem by hindering the access of disturbing emotional material into awareness. It is suggested that they function ethologically as mental cut‐offs analogous to the behavioural cut‐offs in animals.
Prevalence differences in depression among males and females: Are there evolutionary explanations?
Authors: McGuire Michael T. , Troisi Alfonso
Published: July 2011

Differences in male‐female prevalence rates of depression are interpreted in evolutionary perspective. Three evolutionary hypotheses are evaluated: (a) depression represents an evolved strategy to deal with adverse social interactions, particularly among partners, (b) depression has self‐preservative and manipulative features, and (c) depression is a consequence of failing to achieve biological goals. While these hypotheses are not necessarily mutually exclusive, evolutionary explanations often suffer from not specifying which hypothesis is primary and which are secondary. We argue that failing to achieve biological goals is primary and that evolved strategies and self‐preservative and manipulative behaviour are secondary. Findings pointing to depression‐contributing features of male‐female differences, asymmetries in male‐female relationships and male‐female differences associated with reproduction are discussed to support our view that evolutionary explanations can adequately account for a significant percentage of the reported prevalence differences.
Evolutionary kinship therapy: Basic principles and treatment implications
Authors: Bailey Kent G. , Wood Helen E.
Published: July 2011

The idiom of kinship is a powerful one that stretches across many levels of social behaviour (van den Berghe, 1979), and Daly, Salmon & Wilson (1997) recently outlined the basic principles of a comprehensive, evolution‐based kinship psychology. Their approach merges traditional kinship theory, Hamilton's inclusive fitness model and the broader realm of evolutionary psychology into an exciting and provocative call to arms. They address biological, psychological (viz. fictive kinship) and kin‐like levels of analysis, and they argue for a relationship‐specific kinship psychology that deals with the particular demands of being a mother, father, mate, offspring or grandparent. Our particular approach to kinship psychology has focused primarily on the distinction between biological kinship and psychological kinship (Bailey, 1988; Bailey & Wood, 1993; Nava & Bailey, 1991), and more recently on the role of kin‐like relations in psychotherapy and other social contexts (Bailey, 1997a; Wood, 1997). The kin‐like category is especially noteworthy in modern industrialized countries where acquaintanceships and stranger‐to‐stranger interactions often predominate over biological and psychological kinships (Ahern & Bailey, 1997).
Asthma and menstruation: The relationship between psychological and bronchial hyperreactivity
Authors: Mirdal Gretty M. , Petersson Birgit , Weeke Bent , Vibits Aase
Published: July 2011

The aim of this study was to investigate a possible interrelation between bronchial hyperreactivity and psychological hyperreactivity. In order to record changes in both bronchial and psychological reactions throughout the menstrual cycle, 10 women outpatients with moderate asthma were followed up for six months, and their physical and psychological status as well as their reactions to life‐events and environmental influences were assessed through self‐reporting measures and weekly psychotherapeutic sessions. Psychotherapy was used both as a supplement to the medical treatment and as a method of data collection. A relationship between lowered resistance to stress, lowered resistance to infections and increased bronchial hyperreactivity is suggested as background aetiological factors for the exacerbation of asthma around menstruation.
Attachment representations and representations of the self in relation to others: A study of preschool children in inner‐city London
Authors: McCarthy Gerard
Published: July 2011

The study examined the relationship between attachment representations and representations of the self in relation to others in a sample of 42 children aged between 4 and 5.9 years. The relationship between children's attachment representations and parents' style of regulating negative affect was also explored. The families were using local authority day‐care facilities in a deprived inner‐city area of London. The quality of attachment representations was assessed using a modified version of the Separation Anxiety Test. Assessments of the representation of the self in relation to others consisted of (a) assessment of the child's view of self within the relationship with the attachment figure, using an incomplete doll story procedure; and (b) assessment of the child's perceptions of the way others view them using a puppet interview. Significant connections between attachment representations, representations of self in relation to others, and parents' negative affect regulation were found. Children with secure attachment representations had a significantly more positive view of the self in the relationship with the attachment figure than children with disorganized attachment representations, and a significantly more positive perception of the way others view them than children with avoidant attachment representations. Children with secure attachment representations had parents with more adaptive ways of regulating their own negative affect than children with ambivalent or disorganized attachment representations.
A group for the adult daughters of mentally ill mothers: Looking backwards and forwards
Authors: Williams Anne Sved
Published: July 2011

A closed time‐limited therapy group was conducted for four women who had all been raised by mentally ill mothers. Themes recurring frequently included hatred of self and mother, current lack of extended family support, current parenting difficulties, ongoing stigma and isolation. All group members perceived themselves as troubled despite others' perceptions of them as resilient. The results for the individuals treated are outlined using clinical material, as statistical analysis was not undertaken. All were able to cease individual therapy.

Conclusions focus on the benefits of such a group process of recognition and affirmation of the profound consequences of a mother's mental illness on her daughters and thence to grandchildren. The possibility of primary prevention using techniques from infant‐parent and child‐group therapy is discussed.
The disruption of the ‘sense of self’ in schizophrenia: Potential links with disturbances of information processing
Authors: Hemsley David R.
Published: July 2011

It is argued in this paper that the disruption of one aspect of the ‘sense of self’ in schizophrenia, that relating to the continuity of conscious experience and the organization of action, may be linked to current models of the information‐processing disturbance prominent in the disorder. The ‘sense of self’ in normal persons in part results from the consistent manner in which contextually appropriate stored material operates on sensory input. If, as has been proposed, there is in schizophrenia a disruption in the moment‐by‐moment integration of these sources of information, then a disturbance in the ‘sense of self’ is implicit in the cognitive model. A consideration of action identification theory (Vallacher & Wegner, 1987) permits further links to be made, since higher‐level action identities are viewed as being practically synonymous with self‐defining significance. It is suggested that the information‐processing disturbance results in a tendency to low‐level action identification and a gradually developing instability in the sense of personal identity.
Understanding patients: Implicit personality theory and the general practitioner
Authors: Bower Peter
Published: July 2011

The patient‐centred general practitioner (GP) is expected to advance beyond biomedical illness categorization (the disease‐centred method) and develop an understanding of the ‘whole person’ in order to inform clinical decision making. This paper argues that researchers cannot yet provide GPs with a relevant, reliable and predictive model of individual behaviour that would apply unproblematically to their everyday clinical work. Without such a system, it is hypothesized that GPs will continue to ue their own implicit personality theories and models of human behaviour in their attempts to understand and predict patient behaviour. Research into such theories from a variety of perspectives could illuminate their content, structure, validity and function in general practice.
Nature and determinants of preschoolers' differential behaviour to adults and peers
Authors: Hinde R. A. , Easton D. F. , Meller R. E. , Tamplin A.
Published: July 2011

The extent to which 42‐months and 50‐months‐old preschool children interacted with adults in school was not related to how much they interacted with peers. Ways in which interactions with adults differed from those with peers are documented. These differences are likely to have differential effects on personality development. In turn, their roots may be found in the personalities of the children on arrival at school, and thus probably in the home background. Here sex and sibling status differences are explored. Boys oriented more towards peers than girls, whilst girls and firstborns tended to interact with adults more than did boys or second‐borns.
Outcome at age nine of psychophysiological selection at age three for risk of schizophrenia: A Mauritian study
Authors: Venables P. H. , Dalais J. C. , Mitchell D. A. , Mednick S. A. , Schlusinger F.
Published: July 2011

In 1972, three subgroups of subjects were selected from a total population of three‐year‐olds in two towns in Mauritius on the basis of pattern of electrodermal responsivity. This study indicates that three years later in the case of intelligence and five years later in the case of rated patterns of behaviour these subgroups are behaving differently. Both electrodermal hyper‐responders and non‐responders who exhibit physiological indices found in schizophrenic population are less aggressive than a control population. Among males verbal intelligence is shown to be lower in the group selected on the basis of non‐responsivity.
Developmental status and school achievements of minority and non‐minority children from birth to 18 years in a British Midlands town
Authors: Scarr Sandra , Capando Barbara K. , Ferdman Bernardo M. , Tower Roni B. , Caplan Janet
Published: July 2011

The academic underachievement of minority children in Britain has received national attention in recent years. At the request of the Education Authority and the Community Relations Council in a Midlands town, a survey of the developmental status, school achievements, and post‐secondary outcomes of West Indian, Indian, Pakistani, and non‐minority children was undertaken.

The research is reported in three sections. The first surveys the health, developmental status, and home environments of preschool children from birth to 60 months. The second concerns longitudinal health and school achievements of a sample of children presently nine years old. The third reports reading, IQ, and school examination results for minority and non‐minority children in the same schools and a sample of middle‐class children from other schools; and data on the post‐secondary careers of youths from the same populations.

In the population studied, minority children, especially West Indians, lag behind non‐minority children from the preschool years to late adolescence. The lesser intellectual and school achievements of West Indian children were found to be important handicaps in both further education and employment.
Reading and writing in English and Japanese: A cross‐cultural study of young children*
Authors: Kimura Yuko , Bryant Peter
Published: July 2011

We report a series of experiments which compare the ways in which Japanese and English children read and write single words. The Japanese children read and wrote the words in two types of script, kana and kanji. The first of these consists of symbols which signify syllables, and the second entirely of ideograms. Both groups read and wrote words with and without concurrent vocalization. Concurrent vocalization had no apparent effect on reading or writing kanji: nor did it affect reading English words. But it did consistently impede reading and writing kana words and it did impair writing English. We conclude, tentatively, that English children may read words without the help of prelexical phonological analysis, but that they spell them on the basis of sound‐symbol relationships. We also conclude that there may be no such sharp distinction between reading and writing in either of the two types of Japanese script.
Does repetition of the question influence children's performance in conservation tasks?
Authors: Neilson Irene , Dockrell Julie , McKechnie Jim
Published: July 2011

Three experiments are reported which evaluate Rose & Blank's claim that repetition of the conservation question in the traditional conservation task is interpreted by the child as a cue to change his judgement. Experiment 1 indicated that repetition of the conservation question per se does not lead to a change of judgement in the child. Experiment 2 demonstrated that the facilitatory influence of Rose & Blank's one‐judgement procedure was specific to number conservation tasks. This procedure was found not to facilitate children's length, weight and liquid conservation responses. Experiment 3 found the one‐judgement procedure not to facilitate correct number conservation judgements in nursery children. These experiments suggest that Rose & Blank's original results were specific to the conservation task and age group they studied. The one‐judgement procedure would appear to promote counting in such tasks.
Mitigating circumstances in children's perceptions of criminal justice: The case of an inability to control events
Authors: Irving Kym , Siegal Michael
Published: July 2011

Children's perceptions of criminal justice were examined for three types of crimes: assault, arson and treason. They were told about mitigating circumstances which consisted of brain damage, passion and economic need. These were contrasted to a situation in which no mitigating circumstances were offered. The results indicated that the subjects aged 7 to 17 years generally progressed with age from making legal judgements mitigated by a variety of circumstances to recognizing few situations in which such circumstances apply. While, in some cases, younger children were harsher in their judgements than older ones, their leniency and acceptance of mitigating circumstances were highly dependent on the situation. The findings are discussed in terms of legal socialization processes.
Observational learning of conservation: When imitative practice makes nearly perfect
Authors: Robert Michèle , Fortin Andrée
Published: July 2011

Observational learning of conservation: When imitative practice makes nearly perfect

The present experiment tested the hypothesis that observational acquisition of conservation can be achieved through initial imitation. Non‐conservers, who had already completed a conservation‐related task either successfully or unsuccessfully, were exposed to a conserving model. During immediate post‐testing, one group performed conservation tasks which lent themselves to direct imitation of the model, and subsequently performed conservation tasks which did not so lend themselves. Another group performed the same two types of tasks in reverse order. Two other groups each repeated one of the types of tasks twice. Delayed post‐testing which involved both types of tasks followed one and eight weeks later. The initially competent observers always surpassed those who were less prepared. The latter persistently failed unless given optimal opportunity to practise the model's rule during immediate post‐testing. Overall, opportunity for imitative rehearsal was extremely beneficial. Because imitation promotes required mental organization, it does appear to be significant in cognitive development.
The autistic child's recognition of age‐related features of people, animals and things
Authors: Hobson R. Peter
Published: July 2011

Clinical observation indicates that at least some autistic children are uncertain about the age group to which other people belong. A card‐sorting technique was employed to compare the consistency with which autistic subjects sorted pictures of people and of dogs into those that were young and those that were adult, and the consistency with which they sorted non‐representational geometrical figures, and drawings of objects that were new or worn‐out. The children were 16 autistic and 16 non‐autistic retarded individuals matched for chronological age and for non‐verbal intelligence. Autistic children were less consistent than control children in sorting pictures of people and animals according to age, but they were not less consistent in sorting geometrical figures nor in sorting drawings of things by age‐related features. Autistic children's relative failure to distinguish between children and adults may reflect an important aspect of their impaired social development.
Visual field asymmetries in congenitally deaf and hearing children
Authors: Vargha‐Khadem Faraneh
Published: July 2011

Five experiments involving American Sign Language (ASL) signs, English words and faces were carried out to investigate visual field asymmetries in congenitally deaf and hearing children. Hearing subjects demonstrated a significant right visual field superiority for the perception of moving (ASL) sign sequences and English words and a significant left visual field advantage for the processing of static (ASL) signs and faces. In contrast, deaf subjects showed a significant right visual field superiority on the face task. No significant visual field asymmetries were indicated by the deaf group on tasks involving (ASL) signs or English words. Subject performance, however, was consistent and reliable across different language tasks. The results are discussed in terms of their implications for underlying patterns of cerebral lateralization in the deaf.
The role of general ability and specific talents in information processing
Authors: O'Connor N. , Hermelin B.
Published: July 2011

In the studies reported here, the relationship between general intellectual ability and specific talents is investigated. It was found that independent of IQ, musically gifted children showed a greater capacity for the simultaneous processing of verbal material than did children gifted for the visual arts. However, the artistically gifted children were faster in recognizing hidden figures than were the musical and in fact equalled the performance of children with significantly higher IQs. In a recognition task, artistically gifted children with lower IQs seemed to encode and store non‐verbalizable material as efficiently as those with higher IQs. These lower IQ artistic children, in contrast to the other groups tested, recognized non‐verbal and verbal material equally well. They also were less affected by an increase in set size of non‐verbal items than were other children. The experiments demonstrated that not only general cognitive level, but also specific ability, can affect processing strategies and efficiency of task performance.
Infants' delayed recognition memory for colour and form
Authors: Bushnell I. W. R. , McCutcheon E. , Sinclair J. , Tweedlie M. E.
Published: July 2011

Delayed recognition memory was investigated in 5‐ and 9‐week‐old infants after extensive familiarization to a visual stimulus. Both age groups were found to demonstrate memory for colour and form information after a 24 hour delay. In addition the location of testing, relative to the location of familiarization, was found to influence the apparent strength of memory, while there was no effect of sex nor evidence of additivity of stimulus dimensions.
Infant perception of a manual pick‐up event
Authors: Leslie Alan M.
Published: July 2011

Manual pick‐up of an object is a simple causal event frequently observed by infants. A habituation‐recovery of looking technique with filmed stimuli is used in experiments which seek to investigate aspects of the perception and encoding of such events in infants. In the first study with 28‐week‐olds, it is found that ‘lateral mirror‐image’ pick‐ups are hardly discriminable, while a change in the contact relation of hand and object is readily discriminable. In the second, again with 28‐week‐olds, the discriminability of the contact relation appears to be specific to a dynamic context involving a hand (rather than another inanimate object). The results of a further experiment make it appear unlikely that the previous results were simply due to the partial occlusion of the picked‐up object produced by the grasping. The implications of these results for infant perception of causality are briefly considered.
The role of media in road safety education for young children
Authors: Rothengatter Talib
Published: July 2011

This study compares the effectiveness of two videotaped traffic safety messages, both concerning crossing the road in the vicinity of parked cars. In the ‘instructional’ version the message was presented according to the principles generally used in media presentations for children. The ‘modelling’ version closely followed social learning principles. Both versions were presented to subjects 5 years of age. The subjects were pre‐tested and post‐tested on crossing the road and their comprehension of the film content was tested after presentation. The ‘modelling’ version resulted in a significant increase in the children's capacity to demonstrate the crossing behaviour, whereas the ‘instructional’ version did not. The comprehension test demonstrated that children exposed to the ‘modelling’ version also showed a significantly higher level of understanding.

The conclusion is drawn that traditional media presentations are not successful in effectuating behavioural change in young children. Presentations which follow ‘modelling’ principals and are adapted to the developmental characteristics of the audience can improve young children's behaviour capabilities and can as such be an important part of educational programmes such as road safety which aim at causing behavioural change in young children.
The effects of father absence on children's achievement motivation, ego‐strength, and locus‐of‐control orientation: A five‐year longitudinal assessment
Authors: Fry P. S. , Scher Anat
Published: July 2011

Predictions of reductions in children's achievement motivation, educational aspirations and interpersonal orientation due to early and prolonged father absence were investigated. To test these predictions, 120 father‐present and 120 father‐absent male and female children (aged 10 years) were assessed on measures of achievement motivation and related interpersonal orientation scales. A five‐year longitudinal follow‐up of 85 father‐absent and 85 father‐present subjects was carried out to assess subjects' later development. A multivariate analysis using a repeated measures design showed that father‐absent subjects, compared to father‐present subjects, declined in achievement motivation dimensions of competitiveness, desire for mastery, perseverance and willingness to endure negative consequences. They showed a corresponding increase in negative ego‐strength dimensions of social alienation and self‐centredness. The results indicated that father‐absent boys and girls changed differently in psychosocial dimensions over time and father absence had more adverse effects on boys than girls. Educational and developmental implications of the longitudinal analysis are discussed.
Factors influencing the use of transparency in children's drawing
Authors: Crook Charles
Published: July 2011

When young children draw a scene in which one object partially occludes another, they often depict hidden features of the occluded object by rendering the nearer object transparent. This may signify a motive to produce drawings that are informative. Three experiments are reported in which a simple paradigm is employed to consider this possible basis of transparency drawing. Experiment 1 established a gradual decrease in the use of this device across the 5–7‐year age range. Its occurrence could not be ascribed to a simple lack of graphic skill and it was not readily inhibited by stronger perceptual marking of scene boundaries. The extent to which children were purposefully producing informative drawings was evaluated in Expts 2 and 3. Because an increase in occluded information actually served to inhibit transparencies, it is argued that they need not reflect such a communicative attitude.

An alternative account is proposed whereby drawing decisions are guided, sometimes inappropriately, by the structure of cognitive representations children form of scenes. Transparencies signify a failure to anticipate certain graphic ambiguities thereby generated. However, they may be inhibited if the geometry of a particular scene forces the child to confront such ambiguity at the outset of drawing.
Display vs. memory search for digits and faces among mentally handicapped and MA‐matched non‐handicapped youngsters
Authors: Krupski Antoinette
Published: July 2011

This experiment was designed to explore possible explanations for handicapped individuals' characteristically poor performance on memory scanning tasks. Independent variables included group (mentally handicapped vs. non‐handicapped), type of search (display vs. memory), type of stimuli (digits vs. pictures of unfamiliar boys' faces), and load (2, 3, or 4 items to be searched). Results indicated that handicapped and non‐handicapped groups did not differ when searching displays but did when searching memory, which suggested that the handicapped group's most significant impairment was specific to some aspect of memory search. Handicapped youngsters were also hindered by increasing loads more than control youngsters were. This result as well as impairment in memory search may have been due to handicapped youngsters' relatively short visual spans. The groups did not differ in their response to the two types of stimuli, faces and digits. Facial search was a considerably more demanding task than digit search for handicapped and normal children.
Mothers and day‐care teachers: Young children's perceptions
Authors: Tephly Joan , Elardo Richard
Published: July 2011

Young children's perceptions of the roles of mothers and day‐care teachers were explored in a study using artists' sketches depicting a woman and a child in a variety of functions and emotional interactions. Fifty‐seven 5‐year‐old children were interviewed. Twenty‐five of these children were interviewed again approximately 10 days later to measure stability of responses. Young children apparently perceive their mothers and day‐care teachers performing similar caregiving, guidance and developmental functions. Intensity of children's feelings still leans toward mother as the major figure in physical, intellectual, social and emotional development. Thus, the mother‐child bond is apparently not threatened by a quality day‐care experience. Stability measurements demonstrated that the interview procedure was a reliable investigative approach.
Social interaction and cognitive growth: Possible causal mechanisms
Authors: Carton Alison F.
Published: July 2011

The causal role of social interaction in the promotion of cognitive development has recently emerged as an important issue in developmental psychology. Two dominant theoretical orientations are currently guiding the empirical studies. The Piagetian perspective has influenced studies conducted to measure operational advances in cognitive functioning as a result of conflict between children. Vygotsky's developmental framework has provoked interest in the ontogenesis of self‐regulatory abilities in children through an analysis of social problem solving. Both seek to explain cognitive development through social processes. Theoretical and empirical links between the two approaches are explored, and the possible role of linguistic processes as causal mechanisms examined.
Teachers' ratings of children's behaviour in relation to blood lead levels
Authors: Yule William , Urbanowicz Marie‐Anne , Lansdown Richard , Millar Ian B.
Published: July 2011

Teachers rated the behaviour of 166 children whose blood lead levels had previously been determined. Ratings were made on the Conners Scale, the Rutter Scale B(2), and Needleman's Scale. The results broadly replicated the findings of Needleman et al. (1979) in so far as they indicate a relationship between difficulties in attention and increased blood lead levels over the normal range of blood lead values. ‘Hyperactivity’ on the Rutter and Conners scales were found to be significantly related to children's blood lead levels, independent of chronological age. Social factors remain uncontrolled in this pilot study.
Why preschoolers are reluctant to count spontaneously
Authors: Michie Susan
Published: July 2011

Two experiments are reported which examine children's counting and its role in reasoning about the relative numerosity of two arrays. In the first experiment, children's number judgements were compared under different conditions designed to evaluate the importance of three different cues to number—length and density of rows, small number perception and counting. Children were found to count very rarely unless specifically asked to do so. Experiment 2 investigated some possible reasons why children who count readily in some situations are reluctant to count spontaneously in this number judgement task. Spontaneous counting in 4‐year‐olds increased in one condition only: when they were given feedback as to the correctness of their previous judgements. This feedback showed that basing judgements on number as counted was always correct whereas length and density judgements were only sometimes correct. Preschoolers' preference for length as a cue to number may therefore be due to their belief that length is a more reliable cue than counting, rather than to their ignorance about the link between counting and numerical reasoning.
Prior visual inspection and object naming: Two factors that enhance hidden feature inclusion in young children's drawings
Authors: Bremner J. Gavin , Moore Susannah
Published: July 2011

It is widely held that young children draw what they know rather than what they see. However, evidence is growing that they can be provoked into making visually realistic drawings. In this study two factors were found to affect the form of visual realism. In Expt 1, 5‐ and 6‐year‐olds produced visually realistic drawings of a familiar object when it was neither named nor given to the child to inspect before drawing. On the other hand, prior inspection led to significant hidden feature inclusion at 5 and 6 years, and this applied whether the object drawn was familiar or novel. Seven‐year‐olds' drawings were visually realistic in all presentation conditions. In Expt 2, 6‐year‐olds were shown to include the hidden feature if the object was named before drawing. Two conclusions are drawn. It is possible that children draw what they have seen over time rather than what they see at a particular time. Secondly, object naming may lead to drawing from a canonical model tagged by the object's name.
Reading retardation revisited
Authors: van der Wissel A. , Zegers F. E.
Published: July 2011

Children who fail at school are often classified as retarded or as ‘dull’ on the basis of their IQ. We question the usefulness of this distinction. We review the ‘Isle of Wight’ studies and argue that most differences reported between retarded readers and dull readers may be explained by fairly general principles, among which are a ceiling effect on the reading scores and the different reading score distribution of boys and girls. It is suggested that the distinction between retarded and dull readers be abandoned.
Mathematics in the streets and in schools
Authors: Carraher Terezinha Nunes , Carraher David William , Schliemann Analúcia Dias
Published: July 2011

An analysis of everyday use of mathematics by working youngsters in commercial transactions in Recife, Brazil, revealed computational strategies different from those taught in schools. Performance on mathematical problems embedded in real‐life contexts was superior to that on school‐type word problems and context‐free computational problems involving the same numbers and operations. Implications for education are examined.
Relations between teenagers' age, knowledge, expectations and maternal behaviour
Authors: Fry P. S.
Published: July 2011

The maternal behaviour of 105 teenage mothers ranging in age from 16 to 22 years was studied in order to identify characteristic interactions and the relationship of these with the mothers' age, their knowledge of child development and their maturity of expectations about parental roles. The mothers' age, knowledge of child development, and maturity of expectations were related to their interactive behaviours. Younger teenage mothers had correspondingly less knowledge of child development, less mature expectations of the maternal role and tended to be more ‘controlling’ and ‘non‐verbal’; older teenage mothers had more knowledge of child development and tended to be more ‘reciprocal’ and ‘stimulating’ in their interactions with infants. Mental health implications for teenage parenting, child care and social policy are discussed.
Recompense as a factor in assigned punishment
Authors: Hommers Wilfried , Anderson Norman H.
Published: July 2011

Children's judgements of deserved punishment were studied as function of three moral variables. Subjects judged how much a child in a story should be punished for ruining another's stamps, given information about (a) how many stamps were damaged, (b) the culpa, or intent, of the harmful act, and (c) recompense, or the proportion of stamps paid back by the offender. In three experiments, recompense had substantially greater effects than the damage for which recompense was made. This pre‐potency of recompense was greater at younger ages across a range from 4 years to college age. Damage and culpa were integrated by an additive rule in agreement with previous work. In contrast, the recompense‐damage and recompense‐culpa integration rules were both non‐additive.
Age trends in the Mueller‐Lyer and Ponzo illusions
Authors: Predebon John
Published: July 2011

Age‐related changes in the magnitudes of the ingoing fin and outgoing fin forms of the Mueller‐Lyer illusion and in the magnitudes of two versions of the Ponzo illusion were investigated in children ranging in age from 5 to 11 years. Both forms of the Mueller‐Lyer illusion declined with age. The classical Ponzo illusion showed a quadratic age trend, thus confirming the work of Quina & Pollack (1972), while no significant age‐related changes were found for the multi‐converging line version of the Ponzo illusion.
Black pupils' progress in secondary school—I. Reading attainment between 10 and 14
Authors: Maughan Barbara , Dunn Graham , Rutter Michael
Published: July 2011

This study presents follow‐up findings on the reading progress of black and white children from an inner London sample between the ages of 10 and 14. At 10, mean scores for black children of West Indian origin were well below those of whites. By 14, black girls had maintained comparable levels of progress with white girls, but there was some evidence of slower progress among black boys. These findings differ from the results of previous British longitudinal research in this area. Possible reasons for these differences are discussed.
Feedback‐dependent encoding of length series
Authors: Perner Josef , Aebi Jill
Published: July 2011

Our first experiment provided evidence for the view that visual feedback in transitive reasoning tasks of the Bryant & Trabasso (1971) variety results in graded linear encoding of the length series whereas linguistic feedback results in dichotomous encoding. When 6–8‐year‐old children had to tackle transitive tasks in which the visual formation of a graded series was impossible (e.g. A > B, N > A, B > N) the performance was more disrupted under conditions of visual than under conditions of linguistic feedback. In a second experiment with 6‐ and 8‐year‐olds it was found that high test accuracy does not depend on perceiving actual lengths (visual feedback) but can also be induced through linguistic feedback by providing a procedural cue to gradations. The cue provided was the ratio of occasions on which a stick was described as being ‘longer’ than the comparison stick to occasions on which it was described as being ‘shorter’. The procedure adopted during training was designed so that these ratios corresponded to the relative lengths of the sticks.