ADULT READING HABITS AND PATTERNS

This study was designed to examine the reading habits and patterns of White and Asian American adults. It presents an analysis of 115 adult responses to a questionnaire about their reading habits and patterns. Specifically, it was hypothesized that when grouped by demographic variables, participants' responses about their reading habits and patterns would not differ. The t test and chi-square analyses were used to test significance of differences between subjects. Differences were found between the groups for reading habits and for reading patterns. Pearson r values were calculated to determine relationships between participants' reading habits and patterns. Both positive and negative relationships were found. Additionally, through multiple regression analyses, it was determined that gender, race, and education were predictors for participants' reading habits; education and race were predictors for reading patterns.     

Early lexical development of children raised in institutional care in Russia

Children abandoned to institutions display a host of developmental delays, including those involving general cognition and language. The majority of published studies focus on children over 3 years of age; little is known about whether these delays may be detected earlier when children undergo rapid lexical development. To investigate the early language development of children raised in institutional settings in the Russian Federation, we compared a group of children in institutional care (n = 36; 8–35 months) to their age-matched peers raised in biological families, who have never been institutionalized (n = 72) using the Russian version of the CDI. The results suggest that institutionalization is associated with pronounced delays in children's early language development with large and robust effect sizes. Among children with a history of institutionalization, these delays are also associated with difficulties in Daily Living skills, communication, and socialization.     

Developmental Changes in Self-Perceptions of Intelligence and Self-Confidence

Sex differences in self-perceptions of intelligence and self-confidence were examined among third through eighth graders. In third grade, differences between the sexes were small and, in the case of perceptions of intelligence, favored the females. By fifth grade, males were more likely to describe themselves as smart and self-confident than were females. These differences persisted into the eighth grade. Further analyses indicated that the sex differences could not be adequately explained by the process of internalizing sex-stereotypes.