This study explained how interaction formats are constructed and varied, and examined individual differences in the use of interaction formats. Data were drawn from a longitudinal study of picturebook reading interactions between a mother and her two children. The first-born child was observed between age 0;8 to 3;0 years, and the second-born from 1;0 to 3;0. The results were as follows. There were three phases in the acquisition of interaction formats, and cultural difference in who took the initiative in interaction formats. In addition, different formats were used in the two dyads. A question and answer format was common in the interaction between the mother and the first-born, and an information exchange format was found with the second-born. These differences were influenced by the mother's beliefs, the presence of the older child during the observations of the younger child, and the children's language acquisition styles.

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Chlldren look at pictures in storybooks before they begin to read from print. In the present study, one child's emergent reading attempts were recorded monthly for two years (from age 2; 0 to 4; 2 years). Analyses focused on the development of the child's storytelling style, and on the ways in which she related herself to storybook characters. The following were the four stages of the child's reading development. (1) The child started to narrate the storybook, but did not realize that she had to narrate it to her mother. (2) She narrated using colloquial expressions and announced the beginning and ending of the story. In these two stages, the child sometimes spoke to the characters, suggesting that she was not aware of her role as a reader. (3) She expressed her ideas about the story, suggesting awareness of her role as a reader. (4) Finally, she narrated the story using formal expressions as if she were reading from the print. This indicated that she thought of herself as a storyteller.

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This study examined how one child used gestures and vocal language in daily life in the second year of her life. Before she was 15.5 months old, the girl used both gestural and vocal language to name objects. But, after that time gestures were no longer used alone for naming. Instead she also indicated vocally the state of the object and the action on the object. At this same age, the girl appeared to use gestural language in different contexts than previously. This suggests a relationship between decontextualization and the transition from gestural to vocal language. Most of her two-or three-word utterances about states or actions occured at almost the same time as when she began to vocalize without gestures. This implies that as gestural language disappears, the structure of sentences becomes complex.

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The present study analyzed the associations among marital quality, parenting stress, and mother-child attachment relationships. Forty-eight mothers and their preschoolers participated. Mothers filled out 5 questionnaires, and researchers observed mother-child interactions at home for 2 hours. When mothers reported high levels of parenting stress and low levels of marital quality, their children's security of attachments were likely to be related insecurely. In addition, high levels of social support and adaptive levels of family functioning were also associated with positive aspects of family systems. Maternal psychological well-being as well as their children's security of attachments were related to mothers' relationships with their husbands. These findings have implications for the understanding of marital quality in the context of parenting.

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Type A behavior is recognized as a risk factor for coronary heart disease. This study was to investigated the following developmental model of Type A. It was hypothesized that the parents who are obsessed with their child's education tend to treat their child in interfering and overprotective manner. This rearing behavior contributes to the development of the child's type A. Participants were 276 students (children) and their parents. The parents answered the questionnaires concerned with the attitudes towards their child's education, and the child rearing behavior. The student's type A was assessed using the Japanese version Jenkins Activity Survey (Hshimoto, 1981) and Type A Behavior Pattern Assessment Scale (Yamazaki et al., 1994). Path analysis of the data generally supported the above hypothesis, but some differences were found between male and female subjects. This sex difference was discussed in terms of the sociocultural factors.

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This study explored developmental changes and differences in play strategies. It focused on the process of establishing self, partner and object through social interaction as the 3 components of the game play situation. Participants were 28 same sex/same age pairs of children of the following ages : (1) 3 years, 7 months to 5 years, 6 months; (2) 5 years, 7 months to 7 years, 6 months; and (3) 7 years, 7 months to 9 years, 6 months. Two 10-trial sessions of the "marble-pull game" were videotaped for behavioral analysis. Children in the first age group earned significantly more marbles than children in the second, and children in the third age group earned more marbles than chldren in the second, but only in the latter session. Regression analysis indicated that "taking-turns" had the most beneficial effect on earnings and "proposing rules" was related to effectiveness of "taking-turns" in the third age group The discussion concerned the integratuon of cognitive, social and emotional development into goal oriented social behavior. Three developmental levels of game play strategy were proposed as follows : (1) obedience; (2) individualism and competition orientation; and (3) mutual benefit orientation depending on the context.

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This study described and classified preschooler's strategies for acquiring toys. Three year old children were observed in free play situations where a total of 65 conflicts occured over possession. The results were as follows. First, children used both verbal strategies and non-verbal behavioral strategies such as distancing, grasping, and running with toys. Second, a higher proportion of children who held toys (holders) than that of children who attempted to take toys (takers) possessed toys after a conflict. The strategies of holders were different from those of takers. Finally, for takers, touching of toys played an important role in toy acquisition. Three year olds appear to adapt their strategies to the characteristics of toys and to the roles of holder and taker.

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