Marianne P. McGrath

Compliance and Self-Assertion: Young Children's Responses to Mothers versus Fathers.

To provide data on the development of compliace and self-assertion toward mothers and fathers, 2-, 4-, and 6-year-old children were observed in their homes. Compared with younger children, older children were more compliant, more likely to use logical argument, and less likely to ignore or to show defiance. Two-year-olds showed more ignoring of their fathers, whereas 4-years-olds were more ignoring of their mothers and showed greater compliance to their fathers. Regardless of age, boys showed higher levels of compliance to their fathers, whereas girls did not respnd differentially to mothers or fathers

Motive, intention, and authority: Relating developmental research to sexual abuse education for preschoolers☆

Although sexual abuse education programs have proliferated in recent years, they are not without their critics. Criticisms have included worries that the programs are too developmentally sophisticated for young children. Unfortunately, no writers have systematically examined program content in light of the developmental level of preschool-aged children. This article explores important linkages between developmental theory as it relates to childrens understanding of motive, intention, and authority and two methods used to educate preschool-aged children about sexual abuse. Current developmental research offers clear possibilities for improving and evaluating these extant curricula. In addition, future topics for basic developmental research related to sexual abuse are proposed.

Developmental differences in prosocial motives and behavior in children from low-socioeconomic status families.

Developmental theories of prosocial reasoning and behavior posit a transition from concrete (e.g., give a toy to receive one) to abstract (e.g., spend time to make someone happy) forms and have been supported with research on middle-socioeconomic status (SES), White samples. The methodology that researchers have used to date has restricted the responses that children can offer. In the present study, 122 Grade 2 and Grade 4 children from low-SES families described different types of motives and behavior and whether a conflict existed between self- and other-serving behaviors. The authors found developmental differences for both abstract and tangible motives that focused on the benefactor of prosocial behavior. Grade 2 girls and Grade 4 boys were the most likely to spontaneously describe a conflict between self- and other-serving behaviors.

Gender and appearance accuracy: Women’s advantage over men is restricted to dress items

ABSTRACT Which aspects of people’s appearance do women remember better than men? Women were predicted to remember the dress-related items but not the physical characteristics of targets more accurately than men, given that the former might be a more female-relevant domain of interest among perceivers. Participants watched a videotaped target and then completed a surprise test of their memory for her/his appearance. Men were as accurate as women at remembering the target’s physical features but less accurate than woman at recalling what the target was wearing. Discussion focuses on the implications of these findings for eyewitness accuracy.