The relationship between nutritional status, measured by height for age, and cognition, measured by WISC full-scale IQ, was studied in a longitudinal sample of 459 urban Guatemalan children, aged 4-9 years, from a disadvantage community of the fringe of Guatemala City, examined annually over a 3 year period. Socioeconomic status (SES) was controlled by developing a composite index for each home. The mean IQ differed significantly from the lowest to the highest quartiles of stature, the difference between the two extreme quartiles being approximately 0.3 SD of IQ. There was a significant interaction between SES and stature in their effects on IQ. Whereas nutritional status and SES affected IQ in an additive fashion in the upper three SES quartiles, there was no difference in IQ attributible to stature among children from the most disadvantaged homes. This analysis indicates that the mild-to-moderate protein-energy malnutrition (defined by height for age) that is prevalent among children from disadvantaged environments in developing countries is significantly related to cognitive development. However, in the poorest homes, SES is seen as a more important determinant of cognitive development than stature.

Children's development of ethnic perspective-taking ability (EPTA) was evaluated across 2 samples. It was hypothesized that the EPTA construct would be related to ethnic cognitions (e.g., ethnic knowledge, ethnic self-identification) and nonethnic cognition (i.e., social cognition) and that there would be variance in the EPTA construct distinct from a closely related form of social perspective-taking ability (SPTA). In Sample 1, 2nd- and 6th-grade Latino children (i.e., children of Mexican descent in the United States) were administered interview measures of EPTA and SPTA and a questionnaire assessment of ethnic knowledge. The participants in Sample 2 were Guatemalan Ladinos, who are Spanish-speaking children generally of European descent and who represent a numerical minority (10%) in the region (Quiché) of Guatemala sampled but whose culture tends to be dominant politically, economically, and linguistically. Ladinos from Grades 2-6 were administered EPTA and SPTA interviews as well as prejudice and ethnic self-identification measures. Collectively, results from these 2 samples provide support for the potential usefulness of this construct: EPTA was significantly associated with SPTA across both samples, even after variance associated with developmental level was controlled, and EPTA uniquely predicted ethnic knowledge and ethnic self-identification scores in the U.S. and Guatemalan samples, respectively.

Emerging democracies such as Guatemala are beginning to experiment with active learning methodologies to improve learning and encourage democratic behavior among children. However, there exists little information on the effects of different classroom environments on children's behavior in developing countries. This study uses focused classroom observations to examine differences in the democratic behavior of children of different genders and ethnicity attending traditional rural schools and those attending rural schools with an experimental active learning program. Results show that children in the experimental program engage in signi cantly more democratic behaviors than their counterparts and these behaviors are related to participation in small group activities. Within the active learning program, greater democratic behavior and small group participation are also related to higher reading achievement at the classroom level.

It is important to identify stereotypes about indigenous people because those stereotypes influence prejudice and discrimination, both obstacles to social justice and universal human rights. The purpose of the current study was to document the stereotypes, as held by Guatemalan adolescents, of indigenous Maya people (e.g., Maya) and nonindigenous Ladinos in Guatemala (the 2 main ethnic groups in Guatemala). Guatemalan adolescents (N = 465; 38.3% female; Mage = 14.51 years; SDage = 1.81 years) provided drawings and written characteristics about indigenous Maya and nonindigenous Ladino people, which were then coded for patterns in the data. These patterns included negative stereotypes, such as the Maya being lazy and Ladina women being weak; and positive stereotypes, such as the Maya being caring and warm and Ladino men being successful. There were also interactions between the participants' own gender and ethnicity and how they depicted the target they were assigned. For example, male participants were unlikely to depict male targets of either ethnicity engaging in homemaking activities. Finally, there was evidence of in-group bias based both on gender and ethnicity. These findings suggest that perhaps because indigenous groups around the world share some common negative stereotypes, an understanding of these stereotypes will aid in decreasing prejudice and discrimination against indigenous people, could reduce intergroup conflict, and increase access to basic human rights. (PsycINFO Database Record

The purpose of this study was to examine the influence of Mayan education on the academic achievement of Indian and Ladino middle school students (N = 353) in Guatemala. This study also examined changes in ethnic identity achievement and the effects of changes in ethnic identity achievement on gains in self-esteem and other-group attitudes. Superior gains in academic skills for both Ladino and Indian students attending Mayan schools were found. The results also suggested that those students who increased their ethnic identity scores during their first year of middle school also increased their other-group attitudes. These results are discussed in terms of the benefits of Mayan education and ethnic identity achievement for both Indian and Ladino students.