Two aspects of continuity, stability of individual differences and means, were examined in a longitudinal study from the middle elementary through the high school years. Two hypotheses regarding individualdifference stability were supported with structural equation modeling in both the general-verbal and math domains: (a) Academic intrinsic motivation is a stable construct throughout these years, and (b) with advancement in age, academic intrinsic motivation becomes increasingly stable. A third hypothesis, that the mean level of academic intrinsic motivation declines over these ages, also was supported, and significant linear trends were obtained, but it was also found to be modified by particular subject areas, with math showing the greatest decline and social studies showing no significant change. The combination of these 2 aspects of continuity places those with low motivation early in their schooling particularly at risk.

Attempted to examine the generalizability of environment/development relationships among 3 ethnic groups across the first 3 years of life. Social status did not show a consistent relationship to either quality of home environment or children's developmental status across the various groups. Results indicated a fairly consistent relationship between HOME scores and children's developmental status, although there were some ethnic and social status differences in the relationship. Measures of specific aspects of the child's home environment, such as parental responsivity and availability of stimulating play materials, were more strongly related to child developmental status than global measures of environmental quality such as SES. When the child's early developmental status and early home environment were both very low, the likelihood of poor developmental outcomes was markedly increased compared with cases when only one was low.

Some investigators have suggested that young infants show a preference for familiar stimuli, which is supplanted by a preference for novel stimuli as they get older and the act of recognition becomes commonplace. We have carried out two studies that fail to support this developmental view but suggest instead that shifts in preference reflect phases in information processing that occur within a given age; it is only the speed of processing that changes across ages. In the first study, infants aged 3'/2, 4 ! /a, and 6'/2 months were tested for visual recognition memory of shapes, using the paired comparison procedure. Each problem consisted of a familiarization period followed by a test during which the familiar and novel member of the pair were both presented. The 3'/4-month-olds showed a strong preference for the familiar; the 416-, and especially the 6'/£-month-olds, showed a preference for the novel. In the second study, however, these shifts were found to depend more on familiarization time than on age. Here, infants aged 3 l /2 months were allowed either 5, 10, 15, 20, or 30 sec of familiarization; those aged 6'/a months were allowed either 5, 10, or 15 sec. Infants of both ages showed a preference for the familiar stimulus after limited exposure to it (10 and 5 sec, respectively); this preference shifted to a preference for the novel stimulus after more extended exposure (30 and 15 sec, respectively). It would appear that, regardless of age, infants prefer to look at that which is familiar as they begin to process a stimulus; once processing becomes more advanced, their preference shifts to the novel.

and the families participating in the Fullerton Longitudinal Study for help in various aspects of this study. Thanks are also extended to the reviewers for their valuable suggestions.

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Research has established that academic intrinsic motivation, enjoyment of school learning without receipt of external rewards, significantly declines across childhood through adolescence. Math intrinsic motivation evidences the most severe decline compared with other subject areas. This study addresses this developmental decline in math intrinsic motivation, and also serves as a resource for applied researchers by providing exemplary illustrations of approaches to longitudinal modeling. Using a multivariate latent change model, the longitudinal relationship between academic intrinsic math motivation and math achievement among participants ( n = 114) aged 9—17 years was examined to explain this motivational decline. On average, both math motivation and achievement decreased over time. This study reveals that math achievement is a significant contributor to the developmental decline in intrinsic math motivation from childhood through adolescence. In addition, academic intrinsic math motivation was found to be related to initial and later levels of mathematics achievement. These findings enhance understanding of developmental processes whereby early motivation and achievement are related to subsequent declines in mathematics.

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Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2 (MMPI-2) norms based on 508 child custody litigants are presented. Defensive underreporting and self-favorability were often exhibited along with an elevation on the Over-Controlled Hostility (O-H) scale. Highest mean clinical scale scores were Hysteria, Paranoia, and Psychopathic Deviate. Differences were not found among mothers, fathers, and stepparents, indicating that a single set of norms is suitable. Findings highlight the importance of context specificity in personality assessment. Proper interpretation of personality inventories in child custody disputes needs to consider both the norms of the standardization sample and the litigants' reference norms. It was not possible to determine from the MMPI-2 per se whether a defensive approach overestimates mental health in a psychologically healthy population or conceals symptomatology in psychologically disturbed persons.An important development in the field of psychological assessment is the recognition that psychological test interpretation may be influenced by and contingent on person characteristics and contexts Graham, 1995;Pope, Butcher, & Seelen, 1993). Personality tests such as the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) have recently and purposively been revised and restandardized because of outdated verbiage and norms (