Sixteen children each at 18, 24, 30, and 36 months of age participated in a four-choice delayed reaction task to assess memory for location of a hidden object. On one-third of the trials, only place cues were available; on another third, size cues were added; on the remaining third, color cues were added. All age groups benefited from added visual cues on the test trials, with size cues being particularly facilitating. At the end of the test trials, two additional trials were presented in which the size or color cues were surreptitiously switched so that they were no longer redundant with place cues. Only the oldest children were likely to respond directly to a visual cue when in conflict with place cues. The results support a developmental model suggesting a shift from reliance on place cues,to greater reliance on other associated visual cues, in memory for locating a hidden object.

The focus of the present study is on the ways in which storybooks communicate cultural ideals about achievement orientation, and in particular, the role of effort, perseverance, and hard work in fostering successful outcomes. Sixty preschool children's books from Indonesia, Japan, and the United States (20 from each country) were examined for the presence of achievement-oriented themes. These countries were chosen due to previously documented cultural differences in models of learning and individualist/collectivist tendencies that could have some bearing on achievement outcomes. Texts were assessed for (1) the frequency with which “challenge events” appeared in the narratives, (2) whether these events derived from sources internal or external to the main character, and (3) whether solutions relied on the main character individually or included the assistance of others. Results show that Japanese storybooks contained significantly more challenge events than Indonesian storybooks. Compared with Japanese storybooks, American storybooks tended to include a greater proportion of challenges derived from internal qualities of the main character as opposed to external factors. Compared with American storybooks, Japanese storybooks contained a significantly greater proportion of challenges that were solved with individual efforts as opposed to efforts involving the assistance of others. Findings from this study contribute to our understanding of how storybook contexts can provide a rich source of information for young children learning about culturally valued qualities and behaviors related to achievement.

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