Conduct Problems and Level of Social Competence in Head Start Children: Prevalence, Pervasiveness, and Associated Risk Factors

The purpose of the current project was to determine the prevalence of conduct problems, low social competence, and associated risk factors in a sample of 4-year-old low-income children (N = 426) from 64 Head Start classrooms in the Seattle area. Conduct problems and social competence were assessed based on a combination of teacher reports, parent reports, and independent observations of children interacting with peers in the classroom and with parents at home. We examined the relative contribution of a variety of risk factors, including maternal history and socioeconomic background, current levels of stress and social support, mothers' emotional state, and parenting competence in relation to pervasive (i.e., at home and school) and nonpervasive conduct problems and low social competence. Findings indicated similar risk factors for conduct problems and for low social competence, with an ordered increase in the number of risk factors from normal to nonpervasive to pervasive groups. Harshness of parenting style (i.e., slapping, hitting, yelling) significantly distinguished between the three groups for low social competence and conduct problems. Positive affect, praise, and physical warmth from mothers were positively related to social competence but unrelated to conduct problems.     

Effects of social setting on the friendship formation of young children differing in developmental status

This study examined the effects of social setting on the friendship formation of preschool-aged children differing in developmental status. Normally developing children (ND), children with communication disorders (CD), and children with developmental (cognitive) delays (DD) participated in a series of short-term play groups. Each of the 21 play groups consisted of children similar in developmental status (ND, CD, or DD play groups; specialized social settings) or contained primarily ND children with a small number of either CD or DD children (mainstreamed social settings). All children initially were unacquainted with one another and were carefully matched on a variety of family demographic and child characteristic measures. Results revealed that high proportions of unilateral friendships were established for all developmental status groups, but proportions were smaller when employing an index of reciprocal friendships. The proportions of unilateral and reciprocal friendships varied in accordance with a child's developmental status, but were not affected by social setting. In mainstreamed settings, the friendship choices of ND children were affected by peers' developmental status. Moreover, children with reciprocal friends were more socially interactive overall than children without reciprocal friends. The implications of these results for arranging social settings that support friendship formation for children with and without disabilities are discussed.     

Creativity in Early and Established Career: Insights into Multi‐Level Drivers from Nobel Prize Winners

The freedom to try new things plays a vital role for employees engaging in creative endeavors. This freedom can be influenced by one's relationship with her supervisor, relationship with her team, and various work pressures. One of the first steps to reaching creative output is to have a playful attitude toward work where there is encouragement and processes that allow individuals to take risks and try new things. However, we argue that what allows someone to try new things earlier in their career and when they are more established might be different. Noteworthy progress has been made in conceptualizing the multi‐level factors that are important for creativity. In the current study, we identified variables associated with a willingness to try new things, part of the exploration phase of creativity, and divided them by the early and established careers of 59 Nobel Prize winners. Using a historiometric approach, we rated individual and team‐level variables to identify what makes someone try new things either earlier or later in her career. Findings indicate that willingness to try new things is related to autonomy, the relationship with one's mentor, team climate, and team network, but not to personal initiative.     

Investigating the effects of age and gender on cowitness suggestibility during blame attribution

Despite a large body of research investigating the effects of age and gender on eyewitness suggestibility, the majority of studies has focussed on the impressionability of participants when attempting to recall the presence of items from an event. Very little research has attempted to investigate the effects of age and gender on the suggestibility of eyewitnesses when attempting to attribute blame. Participants (N = 268) viewed and discussed a crime (video) with cowitnesses before giving individual statements. Confederates were used to expose the participants to misinformation during the discussion, suggesting that the wrong bystander was responsible for the offence. Findings indicated that participants who encountered the misinformation were more likely to make a false blame attribution and were more confident in their erroneous judgements. The results found no significant age‐ or gender‐related differences in blame conformity rates; however, male eyewitnesses showed greater levels of overconfidence in their false responses than female participants, after encountering cowitness misinformation.     

The distribution of hand preference is discrete: A taxometric examination

The dominant genetic models of human handedness ( Annett, 1985 ; McManus, 1985a ) have contrasting views on its nature. Whereas Annett's model proposes that handedness is distributed continuously (following the distribution of performance asymmetries of the hands), McManus's model proposes that handedness is distributed dichotomously. The aim of this study was to investigate the nature of the underlying distribution. The taxonomy of hand preference was analysed by two independent taxometric procedures, ‘mean‐above–mean‐below‐a‐cut’ and ‘maximum‐eigenvalue’, separately in two geographically, demographically, and culturally distinct samples; one of Australian adults (N=787), and the other of Serbian high school students (N=1,224). The analyses revealed a latent categorical structure in both samples, with estimated mean base‐rates of a right‐handed taxon of 0.80 and 0.94 from the two analyses of the adult sample and of 0.79 and 0.93 from the two analyses of the high school sample. Subsequent analyses showed that the initial right‐handed class could be subdivided into consistent and inconsistent right‐handed subclasses in both samples. A supplementary analysis, including a measure of hand proficiency in a subset of the sample of Australian adults (N=596), also revealed a latent categorical structure, showing evidence for a categorical latent structure from a continuous measure of hand performance. We conclude that the distribution of hand preferences in humans is discrete and not continuous.     

Toward an Experimental Timing Standards Lab: Benchmarking precision in the real world

Much discussion has taken place over the relative merits of various platforms and operating systems for real-time data collection. Most would agree that, provided great care is taken, many are capable of millisecond timing precision. However, to date, much of this work has focused on the theoretical aspects of raw performance. It is our belief that researchers would be better informed if they could place confidence limits on their own specific paradigms in situ and without modification. To this end, we have developed a millisecond precision test rig that can control and time experiments on a second presentation machine. In this paper, we report on the specialisthardware and software used. We elucidate the importance of the approach in relation to real-world experimentation.     

Post-conventional moral reasoning and reputation

Kohlberg’s theory of moral development conceives conventional and post-conventional moral reasoning as consecutive levels in a developmental sequence. This claim was examined in terms of the relationship between preference for these two styles of reasoning on the one hand and moral identity as perceived by others (reputation) and as self-perceived and on the other. Participants (n = 172), in groups of four mutual acquaintances, provided ratings of one another’s standing, and estimates of their own standing and reputation, on four trait dimensions (moral responsibility, consideration for others, respect for authority, and political orientation). Post-conventional moral reasoning, assessed using the Defining Issues Test, was not significantly related either to reputation or to self-rating on any dimension except political orientation. Conventional reasoning was related to politics though in the opposite direction, but additionally to both self- and other-ratings of moral responsibility and to the corresponding ratings of respect for authority. Findings do not support the view that the conventional/post-conventional distinction in moral reasoning is a developmental difference. An alternative proposed is that these are independent domains of moral thought, related to quite different aspects of social behaviour and political attitudes.     

The Friendships of Young Children with Developmental Delays: A Longitudinal Analysis

This longitudinal study examined the social interactions of children with mild developmental (cognitive) delays with friends across the early childhood and early elementary years. Results revealed increases in many forms of social exchange with effect sizes in the moderate range, but no changes in sustained interactive play. Social interaction patterns, difficulties in identifying friends to participate in the study, and concerns evident in children's peer and friendship networks suggest the general absence of reciprocal friendships. These findings are consistent with the hypothesis that children's limited peer-related social competence constrains all aspects of their development of friendships. Despite these problems, the potential benefits of interventions designed to support relationships at this stage of friendship development for children with delays were noted.