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Self‐conscious emotions arise from evaluating the self through the eyes of others. Given that children with autistic traits may experience difficulties with understanding others' minds, they might show less attuned self‐conscious emotions. Two‐to‐five‐year‐old children's (N = 98, Mage = 48.54 months, 50% girls, 92% White) self‐conscious emotions (guilt, embarrassment, and shame‐like avoidance) were observed after children "broke" the experimenter's favorite toy. Data were collected from March 2018 till June 2019. Children with more autistic traits showed less theory of mind (ToM), and more shame‐like avoidance, but associations were not mediated by ToM. This provides initial evidence that children with more autistic traits may show disturbances in some but not all self‐conscious emotions, which could hinder their social functioning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is debate about the abstractness of young children's self-concepts-specifically, whether they include representations of (a) general traits and abilities and (b) the global self. Four studies (N = 176 children aged 4-7) suggested these representations are indeed part of early self-concepts. Studies 1 and 2 reexamined prior evidence that young children cannot represent traits and abilities. The results suggested that children's seemingly immature judgments in previous studies were due to peculiarities of the task context not the inadequacy of children's self-concepts. Similarly, Studies 3 and 4 revealed that, contrary to claims of immaturity in reasoning about the global self, young children update their global self-evaluations in flexible, context-sensitive ways. This evidence suggests continuity in the structure of self-concepts across childhood. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Four studies examined whether Israeli 5-year-olds ( N=88) and adults ( N=48) drew inferences about psychological properties based on a character's social category, personality trait, or physical appearance trait. Study 1 revealed that while children drew inferences mostly by social category, adults did it by personality trait. Study 2 showed that the children's pattern was not due to how the categorical information was conveyed. Studies 3 and 4 demonstrated that for kindergarteners, labels, not appearances, are determinant of the inductive potential of social categories. Studies indicated that “Jew” and “Arab” were the most inductively powerful social categories for both children and adults. The results carry implications for the roles of language, appearances, and culture in the conceptualization of “human kinds.” [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The primary objectives of this investigation were to examine the attributions, emotional reactions, and coping strategies of shy/withdrawn and aggressive girls and boys and to examine whether such social cognitions differ within the relationship context of friendship. Drawn from a sample of fifth and sixth graders (M age = 10.79 years; SD = .77), 78 shy/withdrawn, 76 aggressive, and 85 control children were presented with hypothetical social situations that first involved unfamiliar peers, and then a mutual good friend. Results revealed group and gender differences and similarities, depending on the relationship context. From our findings emerges a central message: friends' involvement during interpersonal challenges or stressors mitigates children's attributions, emotions, and coping responses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This investigation examines the predictive significance of peer reputation in elementary school for the quality of adaptation in adolescence. A normative sample (N = 207) of third to sixth graders was administered the Revised Class Play (RCP). Each received 3 scores (Sociability-Leadership, Aggression-Disruption, and Sensitivity-Isolation). 7 years later, 88% of these children and their parents participated in a questionnaire follow-up study utilizing a broad range of adolescent outcome measures (e.g., social and athletic competence, academic performance, behavioral symptoms, well-being). The 3 RCP scores were significantly related to both adolescent competence and psychopathology, supporting the predictive validity of the RCP as well as the continuity of general adaptation. Each dimension of peer reputation had a different pattern of prediction depending on the outcome criteria under consideration, suggesting the importance of a multidimensional approach to peer reputation. Positive peer reputation proved to be an important predictor of later adjustment. Sex differences were examined; results suggested somewhat different patterns of prediction for boys and girls, especially for the sensitive-isolated dimension. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Determines the dimensionality, continuity and stability of personality from repeated teacher ratings of middle-class children during two years of nursery school. Continuity of Aggression-Dominance, Dependency and Autonomy; Discontinuity in the bipolar counterpart of autonomy; Personality change in non-autonomous boys; Transformations of traits that become established early in life.

In order to test the hypotheses that (1) there are more emotionally disturbed adopted children with behavioral symptoms of aggression and delinquency than are found in a comparable group of non-adopted children, and (2) that children adopted before the age of 6 months are less likely to show this type of symptomatology than are children adopted after this age, 51 adopted children were compared with a control group of 51 non-adopted children. The two groups were matched with respect to sex, race, age, occupational classification of supporting adult, annual family income, and number of siblings. It was found that of the nine aggressive-type symptoms, two were approximately the same in both groups (temper tantrums and sadism), four were more frequent in the adopted group, but not significantly so (fire-setting, impulsiveness, legal difficulties and, sexual acting out), and three were significantly more frequent in the adopted group (hyperactivity, hostility, arid negativism) Similarly, there were more adopted children diagnosed as having sociopathic, antisocial or dyssocial personality (four in the adopted group compared to one in the control group) and significantly more adopted children diagnosed as having passive-aggressive personality (p < .006). No significant differences were found in the non-aggressive-type symptoms It was concluded that of the children evaluated at Children's Psychiatric Hospital there were more adopted children with aggressive symptomatology than there were in a comparable group of non-adopted children, but that these types of symptoms and syndromes were not more characteristic of children adopted after 6 months than of those adopted before this age. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Determines the impact of social reinforces on motor response of children. Correlation between base operant performance and behavior during operant conditioning period; Increase in responsiveness of older child to social agents; Determinants of personality traits.

Explores the dimensions of personality in delinquent boys as inferred from the factor analysis of case history data. Degree of covariance present in a set of variables in the data; Attempts in the statistical discovery of clusters of traits relating to behavior problem; Factors included in the syndromes of behavioral problems.

Deals with a study which analyzed the effects of the use of power by the parent on the personality of the child. Background to the study; Theoretical framework; Results and discussion.

Examines the influence of parental attitudes on child adjustment and personality. Appraisal of children behavior; Comparison between the role of father and mother in the formation of personality tendencies in children; Derivation of social behavior influences from the social experience of the mother.

Explores the effect of motor handicap on a child's personality. Role of motor apparatus in a child's development; Identification of the special problems faced by a child with motor handicap; Comparison between the goals of handicapped and non-handicapped child.