Child Development via MedWorm.com MedWorm.com provides a medical RSS filtering service. Over 6000 RSS medical sources are combined and output via different filters. This feed contains the latest items from the 'Child Development' source. Tue, 07 Feb 2012 01:56:53 +0100 Little Pitchers Use Their Big Ears: Preschoolers Solve Problems by Listening to Others Ask Questions http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5657524&cid=s_27187_144_f&fid=27187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdx.doi.org%2F10.1111%252Fj.1467-8624.2011.01725.x Children ask questions and learn from the responses they receive; however, little is known about how children learn from listening to others ask questions. Five experiments examined preschoolers’ (N = 179) ability to solve simple problems using information gathered from listening to question‐and‐answer exchanges between 2 parties present in the same room. Overall, the ability to efficiently use information gathered from overheard exchanges improved between ages 3 and 5. Critically, however, across ages children solved the majority of problems correctly, suggesting preschoolers are capable of learning from others’ questions. Moreover, children learned from others’ questions without explicit instruction and when engaged in another activity. Implications for the development of p... Child Development journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5657524 Fri, 03 Feb 2012 05:00:00 +0100 5657524 Early Action and Gesture “Vocabulary” and Its Relation With Word Comprehension and Production http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5657523&cid=s_27187_144_f&fid=27187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdx.doi.org%2F10.1111%252Fj.1467-8624.2011.01727.x Data from 492 Italian infants (8–18 months) were collected with the parental questionnaire MacArthur Bates Communicative Development Inventories to describe early actions and gestures (A‐G) “vocabulary” and its relation with spoken vocabulary in both comprehension and production. A‐G were more strongly correlated with word comprehension than word production. A clear developmental pattern for the different types of A‐G was found. These findings are similar to those of different Western languages, indicating a common biological and cultural basis. The analysis of individual A‐G and their relations with early words with a related meaning showed interesting similarities between the production of A‐G with and without object manipulation and the comprehension and production of ... Child Development journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5657523 Fri, 03 Feb 2012 05:00:00 +0100 5657523 The Mind Behind the Message: Advancing Theory‐of‐Mind Scales for Typically Developing Children, and Those With Deafness, Autism, or Asperger Syndrome http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5657522&cid=s_27187_144_f&fid=27187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdx.doi.org%2F10.1111%252Fj.1467-8624.2011.01728.x Children aged 3–12 years (n = 184) with typical development, deafness, autism, or Asperger syndrome took a series of theory‐of‐mind (ToM) tasks to confirm and extend previous developmental scaling evidence. A new sarcasm task, in the format of H. M. Wellman and D. Liu’s (2004) 5‐step ToM Scale, added a statistically reliable 6th step to the scale for all diagnostic groups. A key previous finding, divergence in task sequencing for children with autism, was confirmed. Comparisons among diagnostic groups, controlling age, and language ability, showed that typical developers mastered the 6 ToM steps ahead of each of the 3 disabled groups, with implications for ToM theories. The final (sarcasm) task challenged even nondisabled 9‐year‐olds, demonstrating the new scale’s sen... Child Development journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5657522 Fri, 03 Feb 2012 05:00:00 +0100 5657522 Attention‐Seeking During Caregiver Unavailability and Collaboration at Age 2 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5644719&cid=s_27187_144_f&fid=27187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdx.doi.org%2F10.1111%252Fj.1467-8624.2011.01716.x This study attempted to measure these expectations in 102 toddlers (M age = 26.4 months) through observations of attention‐seeking (A‐S) behaviors during caregiver’s restricted availability. Child collaboration was coded during skill‐learning tasks (imitation and block building), and parent responsiveness was observed during dyadic activities. Different A‐S styles emerged, supporting the existence of both positive and negative expectations of responsiveness. A‐S quality statistically mediated the link between parent responsiveness and child collaborative outcomes, even after controlling for temperament and mood. This is the first study to show that toddlers’ expectations are a plausible mechanism linking parent responsiveness to child collaboration. (Source: Child Devel... Child Development journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5644719 Mon, 30 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100 5644719 Adolescent Daily and General Maladjustment: Is There Reactivity to Daily Repeated Measures Methodologies? http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5644718&cid=s_27187_144_f&fid=27187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdx.doi.org%2F10.1111%252Fj.1467-8624.2011.01718.x The present study examined whether repeated exposure to daily surveys about negative social experiences predicts changes in adolescents’ daily and general maladjustment, and whether question content moderates these changes. Across a 2‐week period, 6th‐grade students (N = 215; mode age = 11) completed 5 daily reports tapping experienced or experienced and witnessed negative events, or they completed no daily reports. General maladjustment was measured in 2‐week intervals before, at the end of, and 2 weeks after the daily report study. Daily maladjustment either decreased or did not change across the 5 daily report exposures. General maladjustment decreased across the three 2‐week intervals. Combined, results indicate that short‐term daily report studies do not place yo... Child Development journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5644718 Mon, 30 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100 5644718 Age Differences in Online Processing of Video: An Eye Movement Study http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5644717&cid=s_27187_144_f&fid=27187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdx.doi.org%2F10.1111%252Fj.1467-8624.2011.01719.x Eye movements were recorded while sixty‐two 1‐year‐olds, 4‐year‐olds, and adults watched television. Of interest was the extent to which viewers looked at the same place at the same time as their peers because high similarity across viewers suggests systematic viewing driven by comprehension processes. Similarity of gaze location increased with age. This was particularly true immediately following a cut to a new scene, partly because older viewers (but not infants) tended to fixate the center of the screen following a cut. Conversely, infants appear to require several seconds to orient to a new scene. Results are interpreted in the context of developing attention skills. Findings have implications for the extent to which infants comprehend and learn from commercial video. (Source... Child Development journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5644717 Mon, 30 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100 5644717 Perceptual Narrowing of Linguistic Sign Occurs in the 1st Year of Life http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5636283&cid=s_27187_144_f&fid=27187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdx.doi.org%2F10.1111%252Fj.1467-8624.2011.01715.x Over their 1st year of life, infants’“universal” perception of the sounds of language narrows to encompass only those contrasts made in their native language (J. F. Werker & R. C. Tees, 1984). This research tested 40 infants in an eyetracking paradigm and showed that this pattern also holds for infants exposed to seen language—American Sign Language (ASL). Four‐month‐old, English‐only, hearing infants discriminated an ASL handshape distinction, while 14‐month‐old hearing infants did not. Fourteen‐month‐old ASL‐learning infants, however, did discriminate the handshape distinction, suggesting that, as in heard language, exposure to seen language is required for maintenance of visual language discrimination. Perceptual narrowing appears to be a ubiquitous learning ... Child Development journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5636283 Wed, 25 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100 5636283 A Behavior‐Genetic Study of the Legacy of Early Caregiving Experiences: Academic Skills, Social Competence, and Externalizing Behavior in Kindergarten http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5594495&cid=s_27187_144_f&fid=27187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdx.doi.org%2F10.1111%252Fj.1467-8624.2011.01709.x A critique of research examining whether early experiences with primary caregivers are reflected in adaptation is that relevant longitudinal studies have generally not employed genetically informed research designs capable of unconfounding shared genes and environments. Using the twin subsample (N = 485 pairs) of the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study‐Birth Cohort, the current study provides evidence that early parental support (derived from observations at 24 months and around age 4, in prekindergarten) is associated with academic skills (r = .32), social competence (r = .15), and externalizing behavior (r = −.11) in kindergarten. Crucially, the shared environment accounted for virtually all of the correlation between parenting and academic skills, roughly half of th... Child Development journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5594495 Thu, 12 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100 5594495 Enhancing Attachment Organization Among Maltreated Children: Results of a Randomized Clinical Trial http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5594494&cid=s_27187_144_f&fid=27187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdx.doi.org%2F10.1111%252Fj.1467-8624.2011.01712.x Young children who have experienced early adversity are at risk for developing disorganized attachments. The efficacy of Attachment and Biobehavioral Catch‐up (ABC), an intervention targeting nurturing care among parents identified as being at risk for neglecting their young children, was evaluated through a randomized clinical trial. Attachment quality was assessed in the Strange Situation for 120 children between 11.7 and 31.9 months of age (M = 19.1, SD = 5.5). Children in the ABC intervention showed significantly lower rates of disorganized attachment (32%) and higher rates of secure attachment (52%) relative to the control intervention (57% and 33%, respectively). These results support the efficacy of the ABC intervention in enhancing attachment quality among parents at hi... Child Development journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5594494 Thu, 12 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100 5594494 Do Lions Have Manes? For Children, Generics Are About Kinds Rather Than Quantities http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5594499&cid=s_27187_144_f&fid=27187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdx.doi.org%2F10.1111%252Fj.1467-8624.2011.01708.x This article examined whether young children also understand that generics do not depend purely on quantitative information. Five‐year‐olds (n = 36) evaluated pairs of questions expressing properties that were matched in prevalence but varied in whether adults accept them as generically true (e.g., “Do lions have manes?” [true] vs. “Are lions boys?” [false]). Results demonstrated that children evaluate generics based on more than just quantitative information. Data suggest that even young children recognize that generics make claims about kinds. (Source: Child Development) Child Development journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5594499 Wed, 11 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100 5594499 The Pace of Vocabulary Growth Helps Predict Later Vocabulary Skill http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5594498&cid=s_27187_144_f&fid=27187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdx.doi.org%2F10.1111%252Fj.1467-8624.2011.01710.x Children vary widely in the rate at which they acquire words—some start slow and speed up, others start fast and continue at a steady pace. Do early developmental variations of this sort help predict vocabulary skill just prior to kindergarten entry? This longitudinal study starts by examining important predictors (socioeconomic status [SES], parent input, child gesture) of vocabulary growth between 14 and 46 months (n = 62) and then uses growth estimates to predict children’s vocabulary at 54 months. Velocity and acceleration in vocabulary development at 30 months predicted later vocabulary, particularly for children from low‐SES backgrounds. Understanding the pace of early vocabulary growth thus improves our ability to predict school readiness and may help identify chil... Child Development journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5594498 Wed, 11 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100 5594498 The Significance of Insecure and Disorganized Attachment for Children’s Internalizing Symptoms: A Meta‐Analytic Study http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5594497&cid=s_27187_144_f&fid=27187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdx.doi.org%2F10.1111%252Fj.1467-8624.2011.01711.x Discussion focuses on the significance of attachment for the development of internalizing versus externalizing symptomatology. (Source: Child Development) Child Development journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5594497 Wed, 11 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100 5594497 Developmental Changes and Individual Differences in Young Children’s Moral Judgments http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5594496&cid=s_27187_144_f&fid=27187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdx.doi.org%2F10.1111%252Fj.1467-8624.2011.01714.x Developmental trajectories and individual differences in 70 American middle‐income 2½‐ to 4‐year olds’ moral judgments were examined 3 times across 1 year using latent growth modeling. At Wave 1, children distinguished hypothetical moral from conventional transgressions on all criteria, but only older preschoolers did so when rating deserved punishment. Children’s understanding of moral transgressions as wrong independent of authority grew over time. Greater surgency and effortful control were both associated with a better understanding of moral generalizability. Children higher in effortful control also grew more slowly in understanding that moral rules are not alterable and that moral transgressions are wrong independent of rules. Girls demonstrated sharper increases across ... Child Development journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5594496 Wed, 11 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100 5594496 Longitudinal Links Between Spanking and Children’s Externalizing Behaviors in a National Sample of White, Black, Hispanic, and Asian American Families http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5657521&cid=s_27187_144_f&fid=27187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdx.doi.org%2F10.1111%252Fj.1467-8624.2011.01732.x This study examined whether the longitudinal links between mothers’ use of spanking and children’s externalizing behaviors are moderated by family race/ethnicity, as would be predicted by cultural normativeness theory, once mean differences in frequency of use are controlled. A nationally representative sample of White, Black, Hispanic, and Asian American families (n = 11,044) was used to test a cross‐lagged path model from 5 to 8 years old. While race/ethnic differences were observed in the frequency of spanking, no differences were found in the associations of spanking and externalizing over time: Early spanking predicted increases in children’s externalizing while early child externalizing elicited more spanking over time across all race/ethnic groups. (Source: Child Devel... Child Development journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5657521 Sun, 01 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100 5657521 Intellectual Interest Mediates Gene × Socioeconomic Status Interaction on Adolescent Academic Achievement http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5644716&cid=s_27187_144_f&fid=27187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdx.doi.org%2F10.1111%252Fj.1467-8624.2011.01721.x Recent studies have demonstrated that genetic influences on cognitive ability and academic achievement are larger for children raised in higher socioeconomic status (SES) homes. However, little work has been done to document the psychosocial processes that underlie this Gene × Environment interaction. One process may involve the conversion of intellectual interest into academic achievement. Analyses of data from 777 pairs of 17‐year‐old twins indicated that Gene × SES effects on achievement scores can be accounted for by stronger influences of genes for intellectual interest on achievement at higher levels of SES. These findings are consistent with the hypothesis that higher SES affords greater opportunity for children to seek out and benefit from learning experiences that ar... Child Development journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5644716 Sun, 01 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100 5644716 Child Development in Developing Countries: Child Rights and Policy Implications http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5636291&cid=s_27187_144_f&fid=27187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdx.doi.org%2F10.1111%252Fj.1467-8624.2011.01672.x The Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey was used to provide information on feeding practices, caregiving, discipline and violence, and the home environment for young children across 28 countries. The findings from the series of studies in this Special Section are the first of their kind because they provide information on the most proximal context for development of the youngest children in the majority world using one of the only data sets to study these contexts across countries. Using the framework of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, in particular the Rights to Survival, Development and Protection, findings are explained with implications for international and national‐level social policies. Implications are also discussed, with respect to policy makers and the larger internat... Child Development journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5636291 Sun, 01 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100 5636291 Housing Quality and Access to Material and Learning Resources Within the Home Environment in Developing Countries http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5636290&cid=s_27187_144_f&fid=27187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdx.doi.org%2F10.1111%252Fj.1467-8624.2011.01674.x This study examined home environment conditions (housing quality, material resources, formal and informal learning materials) and their relations with the Human Development Index (HDI) in 28 developing countries. Home environment conditions in these countries varied widely. The quality of housing and availability of material resources at home were consistently tied to HDI; the availability of formal and informal learning materials a little less so. Gross domestic product (GDP) tended to show a stronger independent relation with housing quality and material resources than life expectancy and education. Formal learning resources were independently related to the GDP and education indices, and informal learning resources were not independently related to any constituent indices of the overall... Child Development journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5636290 Sun, 01 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100 5636290 Childrearing Discipline and Violence in Developing Countries http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5636289&cid=s_27187_144_f&fid=27187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdx.doi.org%2F10.1111%252Fj.1467-8624.2011.01676.x The present study examined the prevalence and country‐level correlates of 11 responses to children’s behavior, including nonviolent discipline, psychological aggression, and physical violence, as well as endorsement of the use of physical punishment, in 24 countries using data from 30,470 families with 2‐ to 4‐year‐old children that participated in UNICEF’s Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey. The prevalence of each response varied widely across countries, as did the amount of variance accounted for by country in relation to each response. Country‐level indicators of life expectancy, educational attainment, and economic well‐being were related to several responses to children’s behavior. Country‐level factors are widely related to parents’ methods of teaching children g... Child Development journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5636289 Sun, 01 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100 5636289 Cognitive and Socioemotional Caregiving in Developing Countries http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5636288&cid=s_27187_144_f&fid=27187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdx.doi.org%2F10.1111%252Fj.1467-8624.2011.01673.x This study examined 2 developmentally significant domains of positive caregiving—cognitive and socioemotional—in more than 127,000 families with under‐5 year children from 28 developing countries. Mothers varied widely in cognitive and socioemotional caregiving and engaged in more socioemotional than cognitive activities. More than half of mothers played with their children and took them outside, but only a third or fewer read books and told stories to their children. The GDP of countries related to caregiving after controlling for life expectancy and education. The majority of mothers report that they do not leave their under‐5s alone. Policy and intervention recommendations are elaborated. (Source: Child Development) Child Development journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5636288 Sun, 01 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100 5636288 Infant and Young Child Feeding in Developing Countries http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5636287&cid=s_27187_144_f&fid=27187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdx.doi.org%2F10.1111%252Fj.1467-8624.2011.01675.x Feeding practices are important determinants of growth and development of children. Using infant and young child feeding indicators and complementary feeding guidelines, 7 practices in 28 countries are described, showing substantial variation across countries. Only 25% of 0‐ to 5‐month‐olds were exclusively breastfed, and only half of 6‐ to 8‐month‐olds received complementary foods the previous day. Median duration of breastfeeding and increase of fluid intake during diarrhea were low among countries with a high Human Development Index (HDI). Living in high‐HDI countries may not translate to positive feeding practices. Across countries, there is a need for promotion, protection, and support of optimal breastfeeding and complementary feeding practices as well as better adheren... Child Development journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5636287 Sun, 01 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100 5636287 Child Development in Developing Countries: Introduction and Methods http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5636286&cid=s_27187_144_f&fid=27187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdx.doi.org%2F10.1111%252Fj.1467-8624.2011.01671.x The Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS) is a nationally representative, internationally comparable household survey implemented to examine protective and risk factors of child development in developing countries around the world. This introduction describes the conceptual framework, nature of the MICS3, and general analytic plan of articles in this Special Section. The articles that follow describe the situations of children with successive foci on nutrition, parenting, discipline and violence, and the home environment. They address 2 common questions: How do developing and underresearched countries in the world vary with respect to these central indicators of children’s development? How do key indicators of national development relate to child development in each of these substanti... Child Development journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5636286 Sun, 01 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100 5636286 Give Us This Day Our Daily Breadth http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5636285&cid=s_27187_144_f&fid=27187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdx.doi.org%2F10.1111%252Fj.1467-8624.2011.01679.x As with any discipline, the field of child development progresses by both deepening and broadening its conceptual and empirical perspective. The rewards to refinement are impressive, but there is little need for encouragement in this area, since existing disciplines, universities, and funding agencies reward depth. The current study makes the case for breadth: for combining insights from different disciplines and methods in synergistic ways. Examples include influences of family poverty on children, inequality and child development, and methods for assessing impacts of policies. Drawing together disparate ideas from different research traditions can be not only time consuming and frustrating but also deeply rewarding, both scientifically and personally. The study closes with thoughts about... Child Development journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5636285 Sun, 01 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100 5636285 In This Issue http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5636284&cid=s_27187_144_f&fid=27187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdx.doi.org%2F10.1111%252Fj.1467-8624.2011.01733.x (Source: Child Development) Child Development journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5636284 Sun, 01 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100 5636284 Observation and Initiation of Joint Action in Infants http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5636282&cid=s_27187_144_f&fid=27187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdx.doi.org%2F10.1111%252Fj.1467-8624.2011.01717.x Infants imitate others’ individual actions, but do they also replicate others’ joint activities? To examine whether observing joint action influences infants’ initiation of joint action, forty‐eight 18‐month‐old infants observed object demonstrations by 2 models acting together (joint action), 2 models acting individually (individual action), or 1 model acting alone (solitary action). Infants’ behavior was examined after they were given each object. Infants in the joint action condition attempted to initiate joint action more often than infants in the other conditions, yet they were equally likely to communicate for other reasons and to imitate the demonstrated object‐directed actions. The findings suggest that infants learn to replicate others’ joint activity through obs... Child Development journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5636282 Sun, 01 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100 5636282 School Attendance Problems and Youth Psychopathology: Structural Cross‐Lagged Regression Models in Three Longitudinal Data Sets http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5534714&cid=s_27187_144_f&fid=27187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdx.doi.org%2F10.1111%252Fj.1467-8624.2011.01677.x This study tests a model of reciprocal influences between absenteeism and youth psychopathology using 3 longitudinal datasets (Ns = 20,745, 2,311, and 671). Participants in 1st through 12th grades were interviewed annually or biannually. Measures of psychopathology include self‐, parent‐, and teacher‐report questionnaires. Structural cross‐lagged regression models were tested. In a nationally representative data set (Add Health), middle school students with relatively greater absenteeism at Study Year 1 tended toward increased depression and conduct problems in Study Year 2, over and above the effects of autoregressive associations and demographic covariates. The opposite direction of effects was found for both middle and high school students. Analyses with 2 regionally represe... Child Development journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5534714 Wed, 21 Dec 2011 05:00:00 +0100 5534714 Language, Cognitive Flexibility, and Explicit False Belief Understanding: Longitudinal Analysis in Typical Development and Specific Language Impairment http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5534713&cid=s_27187_144_f&fid=27187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdx.doi.org%2F10.1111%252Fj.1467-8624.2011.01681.x The hypothesis that language plays a role in theory‐of‐mind (ToM) development is supported by a number of lines of evidence (e.g., H. Lohmann & M. Tomasello, 2003). The current study sought to further investigate the relations between maternal language input, memory for false sentential complements, cognitive flexibility, and the development of explicit false belief understanding in 91 English‐speaking typically developing children (M age = 61.3 months) and 30 children with specific language impairment (M age = 63.0 months). Concurrent and longitudinal findings converge in supporting a model in which maternal language input predicts the child’s memory for false complements, which predicts cognitive flexibility, which in turn predicts explicit false belief understand... Child Development journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5534713 Wed, 21 Dec 2011 05:00:00 +0100 5534713 Predictors of Susceptibility to Peer Influence Regarding Substance Use in Adolescence http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5534712&cid=s_27187_144_f&fid=27187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdx.doi.org%2F10.1111%252Fj.1467-8624.2011.01682.x The extent to which peer influences on substance use in adolescence systematically vary in strength based on qualities of the adolescent and his or her close friend was assessed in a study of 157 adolescents (age: M = 13.35, SD = 0.64), their close friends, and their parents assessed longitudinally with a combination of observational, analogue, sociometric, and self‐report measures from early to mid adolescence. The degree to which adolescents changed their levels of substance use in accord with their peers’ baseline levels of use was predicted by a range of theoretically salient factors including: observed teen lack of autonomy and social support in prior interactions with mothers, low teen refusal skills, and the level of social acceptance of their close friend. Findings sugg... Child Development journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5534712 Wed, 21 Dec 2011 05:00:00 +0100 5534712 Children Are Not Like Older Adults: A Diffusion Model Analysis of Developmental Changes in Speeded Responses http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5534711&cid=s_27187_144_f&fid=27187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdx.doi.org%2F10.1111%252Fj.1467-8624.2011.01683.x Children (n = 130; Mage = 8.51–15.68 years) and college‐aged adults (n = 72; Mage = 20.50 years) completed numerosity discrimination and lexical decision tasks. Children produced longer response times (RTs) than adults. R. Ratcliff’s (1978) diffusion model, which divides processing into components (e.g., quality of evidence, decision criteria settings, nondecision time), was fit to the accuracy and RT distribution data. Differences in all components were responsible for slowing in children in these tasks. Children extract lower quality evidence than college‐aged adults, unlike older adults who extract a similar quality of evidence as college‐aged adults. Thus, processing components responsible for changes in RTs at the beginning of the life span are somewhat d... Child Development journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5534711 Wed, 21 Dec 2011 05:00:00 +0100 5534711 Magic Memories: Young Children’s Verbal Recall After a 6‐Year Delay http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5534710&cid=s_27187_144_f&fid=27187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdx.doi.org%2F10.1111%252Fj.1467-8624.2011.01699.x This report describes the first prospective study specifically designed to assess children’s verbal memory for a unique event 6 years after it occurred. Forty‐six 27‐ to 51‐month‐old children took part in a unique event and were interviewed about it twice, after 24‐hr and 6‐year delays. During the 6‐year interview, 9 children verbally recalled the event, including 2 who were under 3 years old when the event occurred. This may be the most convincing evidence to date that such early experiences can be verbally recalled after long delays. These data have important implications for current theories of memory development and childhood amnesia and underscore some of the problems associated with evaluating the veracity of early memories under less controlled conditions. (Sourc... Child Development journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5534710 Wed, 21 Dec 2011 05:00:00 +0100 5534710 Caseworker–Recipient Interaction: Welfare Office Differences, Economic Trajectories, and Child Outcomes http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5521344&cid=s_27187_144_f&fid=27187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdx.doi.org%2F10.1111%252Fj.1467-8624.2011.01697.x Drawing on developmental and policy research, this study examined whether 3 dimensions of caseworker–recipient interaction in welfare offices functioned as critical ecological contexts for recipient families. The sample consisted of 1,098 families from 10 welfare offices in National Evaluation of Welfare to Work Strategies (NEWWS). In multilevel analyses, caseworker support, caseload size, and emphasis on employment predicted 5‐year quarterly trajectories of earnings, income, and welfare receipt. Recipients in offices characterized by high support had steeper increases in earnings and income; those in offices with high caseload size had steeper decreases in income and welfare receipt; and those in offices with high emphasis on employment had steeper decreases in welfare receipt. These ... Child Development journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5521344 Mon, 19 Dec 2011 05:00:00 +0100 5521344 Child Development in Rural China: Children Left Behind by Their Migrant Parents and Children of Nonmigrant Families http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5521343&cid=s_27187_144_f&fid=27187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdx.doi.org%2F10.1111%252Fj.1467-8624.2011.01698.x Using recent cross‐sectional data of rural children aged from 8 to 18 in Hunan Province of China, this article examines psychological, behavioral, and educational outcomes and the psychosocial contexts of these outcomes among children left behind by one or both of their rural‐to‐urban migrant parents compared to those living in nonmigrant families. The results showed that left‐behind children were disadvantaged in health behavior and school engagement but not in perceived satisfaction. The child’s psychosocial environment, captured by family socioeconomic status, socializing processes, peer and school support, and psychological traits, were associated with, to varying extent, child developmental outcomes in rural China. These influences largely remain constant for the sampled chi... Child Development journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5521343 Mon, 19 Dec 2011 05:00:00 +0100 5521343 Development in Children’s Interpretation of Pitch Cues to Emotions http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5521342&cid=s_27187_144_f&fid=27187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdx.doi.org%2F10.1111%252Fj.1467-8624.2011.01700.x This article explores this surprising phenomenon, testing one hundred eighteen 2‐ to 5‐year‐olds’ use of isolated pitch cues to emotions in interactive tasks. Only 4‐ to 5‐year‐olds consistently interpreted exaggerated, stereotypically happy or sad pitch contours as evidence that a puppet had succeeded or failed to find his toy (Experiment 1) or was happy or sad (Experiments 2, 3). Two‐ and 3‐year‐olds exploited facial and body‐language cues in the same task. The authors discuss the implications of this late‐developing use of pitch cues to emotions, relating them to other functions of pitch. (Source: Child Development) Child Development journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5521342 Mon, 19 Dec 2011 05:00:00 +0100 5521342 Forbidden Friends as Forbidden Fruit: Parental Supervision of Friendships, Contact With Deviant Peers, and Adolescent Delinquency http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5521341&cid=s_27187_144_f&fid=27187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdx.doi.org%2F10.1111%252Fj.1467-8624.2011.01701.x Spending leisure time with deviant peers may have strong influences on adolescents’ delinquency. The current 3‐wave multi‐informant study examined how parental control and parental prohibition of friendships relate to these undesirable peer influences. To this end, annual questionnaires were administered to 497 Dutch youths (283 boys, mean age = 13 years at baseline), their best friends, and both parents. Cross‐lagged panel analyses revealed strong longitudinal links from contacts with deviant peers to adolescent delinquency, but not vice versa. Parent‐reported prohibition of friendships positively predicted contacts with deviant peers and indirectly predicted higher adolescent delinquency. Similar indirect effects were not found for parental control. The results suggest that... Child Development journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5521341 Mon, 19 Dec 2011 05:00:00 +0100 5521341 Infants Make Quantity Discriminations for Substances http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5521340&cid=s_27187_144_f&fid=27187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdx.doi.org%2F10.1111%252Fj.1467-8624.2011.01703.x Infants can track small groups of solid objects, and infants can respond when these quantities change. But earlier work is equivocal about whether infants can track continuous substances, such as piles of sand. Experiment 1 (N = 88) used a habituation paradigm to show infants can register changes in the size of piles of sand that they see poured from a container when there is a 1‐to‐4 ratio. Experiment 2 (N = 82) tested whether infants could discriminate a 1‐to‐2 ratio. The results demonstrate that females could discriminate the difference but males could not. These findings constitute the youngest evidence of successful quantity discriminations for a noncohesive substance and begin to characterize the nature of the representation for noncohesive entities. (Source: Child De... Child Development journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5521340 Mon, 19 Dec 2011 05:00:00 +0100 5521340 The Development of Communicative and Narrative Skills Among Preschoolers: Lessons From Forensic Interviews About Child Abuse http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5521339&cid=s_27187_144_f&fid=27187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdx.doi.org%2F10.1111%252Fj.1467-8624.2011.01704.x This study examined age differences in 299 preschoolers’ responses to investigative interviewers’ questions exploring the suspected occurrence of child abuse. Analyses focused on the children’s tendencies to respond (a) at all, (b) appropriately to the issue raised by the investigator, and (c) informatively, providing previously undisclosed information. Linear developmental trends characterized all types of responding. When the types of prompts were considered, 3‐ to 4‐year‐olds responded slightly more informatively to specific (directive) recall prompts than to open‐ended prompts whereas children aged 5 and older were more responsive to open‐ended recall prompts. The findings suggest that even 3‐year‐olds can provide information about experienced events when recall pro... Child Development journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5521339 Mon, 19 Dec 2011 05:00:00 +0100 5521339 Social Judgments and Emotion Attributions About Exclusion in Switzerland http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5521338&cid=s_27187_144_f&fid=27187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdx.doi.org%2F10.1111%252Fj.1467-8624.2011.01705.x Adolescents’ social judgments and emotion attributions about exclusion in three contexts, nationality, gender, and personality, were measured in a sample of 12‐ and 15‐year‐old Swiss and non‐Swiss adolescents (N = 247). Overall, adolescents judged exclusion based on nationality as less acceptable than exclusion based on gender or personality. Non‐Swiss participants, however, who reflected newly immigrated children to Switzerland, viewed exclusion based on nationality as more wrong than did Swiss participants and attributed more positive emotions to the excluder than did Swiss participants. Girls viewed exclusion in nationality and personality contexts as less legitimate than did boys, and they attributed less positive emotions to excluder target in the nationality context t... Child Development journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5521338 Mon, 19 Dec 2011 05:00:00 +0100 5521338 Exploring Explanation: Explaining Inconsistent Evidence Informs Exploratory, Hypothesis‐Testing Behavior in Young Children http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5513325&cid=s_27187_144_f&fid=27187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdx.doi.org%2F10.1111%252Fj.1467-8624.2011.01691.x Explaining inconsistency may serve as an important mechanism for driving the process of causal learning. But how might this process generate amended beliefs? One way that explaining inconsistency may promote discovery is by guiding exploratory, hypothesis‐testing behavior. In order to investigate this, a study with young children ranging in age from 2 to 6 years (N = 80) examined the relation between explanation and exploratory behavior following consistent versus inconsistent outcomes. Results indicated that for inconsistent outcomes only, the kind of explanation children provided informed the kind of exploratory behavior they engaged in and the extent to which children modified and generated new hypotheses. In sum, the data provide insight into a mechanism by which explaining inc... Child Development journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5513325 Fri, 16 Dec 2011 05:00:00 +0100 5513325 Individual Differences in Lexical Processing at 18 Months Predict Vocabulary Growth in Typically Developing and Late‐Talking Toddlers http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5513324&cid=s_27187_144_f&fid=27187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdx.doi.org%2F10.1111%252Fj.1467-8624.2011.01692.x Using online measures of familiar word recognition in the looking‐while‐listening procedure, this prospective longitudinal study revealed robust links between processing efficiency and vocabulary growth from 18 to 30 months in children classified as typically developing (n = 46) and as “late talkers” (n = 36) at 18 months. Those late talkers who were more efficient in word recognition at 18 months were also more likely to “bloom,” showing more accelerated vocabulary growth over the following year, compared with late talkers less efficient in early speech processing. Such findings support the emerging view that early differences in processing efficiency evident in infancy have cascading consequences for later learning and may be continuous with individual differenc... Child Development journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5513324 Fri, 16 Dec 2011 05:00:00 +0100 5513324 Value Differentiation in Adolescence: The Role of Age and Cultural Complexity http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5513323&cid=s_27187_144_f&fid=27187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdx.doi.org%2F10.1111%252Fj.1467-8624.2011.01694.x Living in complex social worlds, individuals encounter discordant values across life contexts, potentially resulting in different importance of values across contexts. Value differentiation is defined here as the degree to which values receive different importance depending on the context in which they are considered. Early and mid‐adolescents (N = 3,497; M = 11.45 years, SD = 0.87 and M = 16.10 years, SD = 0.84, respectively) from 4 cultural groups (majority and former Soviet Union immigrants in Israel and Germany) rated their values in 3 contexts (family, school, and country). Value differentiation varied across individuals. Early adolescents showed lower value differentiation than mid‐adolescents. Immigrant (especially first generation) adolescents, showed hi... Child Development journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5513323 Fri, 16 Dec 2011 05:00:00 +0100 5513323 Children’s Developing Commitments to Joint Goals http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5513322&cid=s_27187_144_f&fid=27187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdx.doi.org%2F10.1111%252Fj.1467-8624.2011.01695.x This study investigated young children’s commitment to a joint goal by assessing whether peers in collaborative activities continue to collaborate until all received their rewards. Forty‐eight 2.5‐ and 3.5‐year‐old children worked on an apparatus dyadically. One child got access to her reward early. For the partner to benefit as well, this child had to continue to collaborate even though there was no further reward available to her. The study found that 3.5‐year‐olds, but not 2.5‐year‐olds, eagerly assisted their unlucky partner. They did this less readily in a noncollaborative control condition. A second study confirmed that 2.5‐year‐old children understood the task structure. These results suggest that children begin to appreciate the normative dimensions of collabo... Child Development journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5513322 Fri, 16 Dec 2011 05:00:00 +0100 5513322 Patterns of School Readiness Forecast Achievement and Socioemotional Development at the End of Elementary School http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5438169&cid=s_27187_144_f&fid=27187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdx.doi.org%2F10.1111%252Fj.1467-8624.2011.01678.x A person‐oriented approach examined patterns of functioning in social and executive function domains at 54 months and in turn forecasted 5th‐grade socioemotional and achievement outcomes for 944 children. Six distinct profiles of 54‐month school readiness patterns predicted outcomes in 5th grade with indications of cross‐domain association between 54‐month performance and later functioning. A group of children at 54 months characterized by low working memory exhibited elevated levels of socioemotional problems and low achievement in 5th grade. Patterns in which high social competence or high working memory were prominent predicted high 5th‐grade achievement. Unexpectedly, a group distinguished by attention problems performed well on later achievement outcomes. After control... Child Development journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5438169 Tue, 22 Nov 2011 05:00:00 +0100 5438169 Sources of Continuity and Change in Activity Level in Early Childhood http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5438168&cid=s_27187_144_f&fid=27187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdx.doi.org%2F10.1111%252Fj.1467-8624.2011.01680.x Actigraphs and parent and observer ratings were used to explore genetic influences on continuity and change in activity level (AL) in early childhood. Over 300 pairs of twins wore actigraphs for a 48‐hr period in the home and laboratory at ages 2 and 3. AL was genetically influenced at both ages with little evidence of differential heritability across age. For all measures, genetic influences contributed to phenotypic continuity. With the exception of the actigraph measure of AL in the home, new genetic effects emerged at age 3 indicating that genetic factors influence both continuity and change in AL in early childhood. Nonshared environmental influences were also a source of change in AL across the transition from infancy to early childhood. (Source: Child Development) Child Development journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5438168 Tue, 22 Nov 2011 05:00:00 +0100 5438168 A Psychobiological Perspective on Working Memory Performance at 8 Months of Age http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5438167&cid=s_27187_144_f&fid=27187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdx.doi.org%2F10.1111%252Fj.1467-8624.2011.01684.x Fifty 8‐month‐old infants participated in a study of the interrelations among cognition, temperament, and electrophysiology. Better performance on a working memory task (assessed using a looking version of the A‐not‐B task) was associated with increases in frontal–parietal EEG coherence from baseline to task, as well as elevated levels of frontal–occipital coherence during both baseline and task. Enhanced performance was also associated with decreased heart period (increased heart rate) from baseline to task. Infants with better working memory performance had parents who rated them high on activity level and distress to limitations. When considered collectively, EEG coherence and heart period contributed unique variance in the prediction of high and low performance groups. Impl... Child Development journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5438167 Tue, 22 Nov 2011 05:00:00 +0100 5438167 The Influence of Speaker Reliability on First Versus Second Label Learning http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5594493&cid=s_27187_144_f&fid=27187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdx.doi.org%2F10.1111%252Fj.1467-8624.2011.01713.x Children’s confidence in their own knowledge may influence their willingness to learn novel information from others. Twenty‐four‐month‐old children’s (N = 160) willingness to learn novel labels for either familiar or novel objects from an adult speaker was tested in 1 of 5 conditions: accurate, inaccurate, knowledgeable, ignorant, or uninformative. Children were willing to learn a second label for an object from a reliable informant in the accurate, knowledgeable, and uninformative conditions; children were less willing to apply a novel label to a familiar object if the speaker previously was inaccurate or had expressed ignorance. However, when the objects were novel, children were willing to learn the label regardless of the speaker’s knowledge level. (Source: Child Develo... Child Development journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5594493 Tue, 01 Nov 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5594493 Infants’ Developing Understanding of Social Gaze http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5570140&cid=s_27187_144_f&fid=27187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdx.doi.org%2F10.1111%252Fj.1467-8624.2011.01702.x Young infants are sensitive to self‐directed social actions, but do they appreciate the intentional, target‐directed nature of such behaviors? The authors addressed this question by investigating infants’ understanding of social gaze in third‐party interactions (N = 104). Ten‐month‐old infants discriminated between 2 people in mutual versus averted gaze, and expected a person to look at her social partner during conversation. In contrast, 9‐month‐old infants showed neither ability, even when provided with information that highlighted the gazer’s social goals. These results indicate considerable improvement in infants’ abilities to analyze the social gaze of others toward the end of their 1st year, which may relate to their appreciation of gaze as both a social and g... Child Development journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5570140 Tue, 01 Nov 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5570140 Looking on the Bright Side: Children’s Knowledge About the Benefits of Positive Versus Negative Thinking http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5534709&cid=s_27187_144_f&fid=27187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdx.doi.org%2F10.1111%252Fj.1467-8624.2011.01706.x Five‐ to 10‐year‐olds (N = 90) listened to 6 illustrated scenarios featuring 2 characters that jointly experience the same positive event (and feel good), negative event (and feel bad), or ambiguous event (and feel okay). Afterward, one character thinks a positive thought and the other thinks a negative thought. Children predicted and explained each character’s emotions. Results showed significant development between 5 and 10 years in children’s understanding that thinking positively improves emotions and thinking negatively makes one feel worse, with earliest knowledge demonstrated when reasoning about ambiguous and positive events. Individual differences in child and parental optimism and hope predicted children’s knowledge about thought–emotion connections on some me... Child Development journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5534709 Tue, 01 Nov 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5534709 Graphic Symbols as “The Mind on Paper”: Links Between Children’s Interpretive Theory of Mind and Symbol Understanding http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5521337&cid=s_27187_144_f&fid=27187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdx.doi.org%2F10.1111%252Fj.1467-8624.2011.01693.x Children gradually develop interpretive theory of mind (iToM)—the understanding that different people may interpret identical events or stimuli differently. The present study tested whether more advanced iToM underlies children’s recognition that map symbols’ meanings must be communicated to others when symbols are iconic (resemble their referents). Children (6–9 years; N = 80) made maps using either iconic or abstract symbols. After accounting for age, intelligence, vocabulary, and memory, iToM predicted children’s success in communicating symbols’ meaning to a naïve map‐user when mapping tasks involved iconic (but not abstract) symbols. Findings suggest children’s growing appreciation of alternative representations and of the intentional assignment of meaning, and ... Child Development journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5521337 Tue, 01 Nov 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5521337 Jimmy’s Baby Doll and Jenny’s Truck: Young Children’s Reasoning About Gender Norms http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5513321&cid=s_27187_144_f&fid=27187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdx.doi.org%2F10.1111%252Fj.1467-8624.2011.01696.x To assess the flexibility of reasoning about gender, children ages 4, 6, and 8 years (N = 72) were interviewed about gender norms when different domains were highlighted. The majority of participants at all ages judged a reversal of gender norms in a different cultural context to be acceptable. They also judged gender norms as a matter of personal choice and they negatively evaluated a rule enforcing gender norms in schools. Older children were more likely to show flexibility than younger children. Justifications obtained from 6‐ and 8‐year‐olds showed that they considered adherence to gender norms a matter of personal choice and they viewed the rule enforcing gender norms as unfair. (Source: Child Development) Child Development journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5513321 Tue, 01 Nov 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5513321 When Friends Disappoint: Boys’ and Girls’ Responses to Transgressions of Friendship Expectations http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5438166&cid=s_27187_144_f&fid=27187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdx.doi.org%2F10.1111%252Fj.1467-8624.2011.01685.x In this study, the prevailing view that girls are pervasively more skilled in their friendships than boys was challenged by examining whether girls respond more negatively than boys when a friend violates core friendship expectations. Fourth‐ and fifth‐grade children (n = 267) responded to vignettes depicting transgressions involving a friend’s betrayal, unreliability, or failure to provide support or help. Results indicated that girls were more troubled by the transgressions, more strongly endorsed various types of negative relationship interpretations of the friend’s actions, and reported more anger and sadness than did boys. Girls also endorsed revenge goals and aggressive strategies just as much as boys. These findings lead to a more complex view of boys’ and girls’ fri... Child Development journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5438166 Tue, 01 Nov 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5438166 Bilingualism and Academic Achievement http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5428854&cid=s_27187_144_f&fid=27187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdx.doi.org%2F10.1111%252Fj.1467-8624.2011.01686.x Using the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, Kindergarten Cohort, this study examines the role that bilingualism plays in children’s academic developmental trajectories during their early school years, with particular attention on the school environment (N = 16,380). Growth‐curve results showed that despite starting with lower math scores in kindergarten, Mixed Bilingual children fully closed the math gap with their White English Monolingual peers by fifth grade. However, because non‐English‐Dominant Bilinguals and non‐English Monolinguals started kindergarten with significantly lower reading and math scores compared to their English Monolingual peers, by fifth grade the former groups still had significantly lower scores. School‐level factors explained about one third of t... Child Development journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5428854 Tue, 01 Nov 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5428854 Index to Volume 82 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5418977&cid=s_27187_144_f&fid=27187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdx.doi.org%2F10.1111%252Fj.1467-8624.2011.01690.x (Source: Child Development) Child Development journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5418977 Tue, 01 Nov 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5418977 Editorial Acknowledgments http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5418976&cid=s_27187_144_f&fid=27187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdx.doi.org%2F10.1111%252Fj.1467-8624.2011.01689.x (Source: Child Development) Child Development journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5418976 Tue, 01 Nov 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5418976 Manuscripts Accepted for Publication http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5418975&cid=s_27187_144_f&fid=27187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdx.doi.org%2F10.1111%252Fj.1467-8624.2011.01688.x (Source: Child Development) Child Development journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5418975 Tue, 01 Nov 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5418975 In This Issue http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5418974&cid=s_27187_144_f&fid=27187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdx.doi.org%2F10.1111%252Fj.1467-8624.2011.01687.x (Source: Child Development) Child Development journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5418974 Tue, 01 Nov 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5418974 Influence of Mother, Father, and Child Risk on Parenting and Children’s Cognitive and Social Behaviors http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5356416&cid=s_27187_144_f&fid=27187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdx.doi.org%2F10.1111%252Fj.1467-8624.2011.01667.x The association among mothers’, fathers’, and infants’ risk and cognitive and social behaviors at 24 months was examined using structual equation modeling and data on 4,200 on toddlers and their parents from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, Birth Cohort. There were 3 main findings. First, for cognitive outcomes, maternal risk was directly and indirectly linked to it through maternal sensitivity whereas paternal risk was only indirectly related through maternal sensitivity. Second, for social behaviors, maternal and paternal risks were indirectly linked through maternal sensitivity and father engagement. Third, maternal and paternal levels of risk were linked to maternal supportiveness whereas mothers’ and children’s risk were linked to paternal cognitive stimulation. Imp... Child Development journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5356416 Tue, 25 Oct 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5356416 Salivary Cortisol Mediates Effects of Poverty and Parenting on Executive Functions in Early Childhood http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5356415&cid=s_27187_144_f&fid=27187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdx.doi.org%2F10.1111%252Fj.1467-8624.2011.01643.x In a predominantly low‐income population‐based longitudinal sample of 1,292 children followed from birth, higher level of salivary cortisol assessed at ages 7, 15, and 24 months was uniquely associated with lower executive function ability and to a lesser extent IQ at age 3 years. Measures of positive and negative aspects of parenting and household risk were also uniquely related to both executive functions and IQ. The effect of positive parenting on executive functions was partially mediated through cortisol. Typical or resting level of cortisol was increased in African American relative to White participants. In combination with positive and negative parenting and household risk, cortisol mediated effects of income‐to‐need, maternal education, and African American ethnicity o... Child Development journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5356415 Tue, 25 Oct 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5356415 Gene–Environment Processes Linking Aggression, Peer Victimization, and the Teacher–Child Relationship http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5356414&cid=s_27187_144_f&fid=27187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdx.doi.org%2F10.1111%252Fj.1467-8624.2011.01644.x Aggressive behavior in middle childhood is at least partly explained by genetic factors. Nevertheless, estimations of simple effects ignore possible gene–environment interactions (G × E) or gene–environment correlations (rGE) in the etiology of aggression. The present study aimed to simultaneously test for G × E and rGE processes between aggression, on the one hand, and peer victimization and the teacher–child relationship in school, on the other hand. The sample comprised 124 MZ pairs and 93 DZ pairs assessed in Grade 1 (mean age = 84.7 months). Consistent with rGE, children with a presumed genetic disposition for aggression were at an increased risk of peer victimization, whereas in line with G × E, a positive relationship with the teacher mitigated the genetic... Child Development journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5356414 Tue, 25 Oct 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5356414 Peer Rejection and HPA Activity in Middle Childhood: Friendship Makes a Difference http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5356413&cid=s_27187_144_f&fid=27187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdx.doi.org%2F10.1111%252Fj.1467-8624.2011.01647.x Exclusion and victimization by classmates were related to levels and diurnal change in cortisol in 97 fourth graders (53% boys, M = 9.3 years). Number and quality of friendships were considered as moderators. Salivary cortisol was collected 5 times daily on 2 school days. Excluded children had elevated cortisol levels at school and a flattened diurnal cortisol curve, suggesting hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenocortical (HPA) axis dysregulation. This effect was weaker for children with more friends or better friendships. Victimization was not associated with cortisol level or change. The results demonstrate the role of HPA activity in peer group processes and indicate that group and dyadic factors interact in predicting stress in the peer group. (Source: Child Development) Child Development journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5356413 Tue, 25 Oct 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5356413 Parenting and Infant Difficulty: Testing a Mutual Exacerbation Hypothesis to Predict Early Onset Conduct Problems http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5356412&cid=s_27187_144_f&fid=27187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdx.doi.org%2F10.1111%252Fj.1467-8624.2011.01652.x The prediction of conduct problems (CPs) from infant difficulty and parenting measured in the first 6 months of life was studied in a sample of 267 high‐risk mother–child dyads. Stable, cross‐situational CPs at school entry (5–6 years) were predicted by negative infancy parenting, mediated by mutually angry and hostile mother–toddler interactions at 24–42 months. Mother–child interactions late in toddlerhood were especially relevant for CPs. Contrary to predictions, difficult child behavior in the first 6 months of life was not consistently associated with CPs, either independently or in interaction with negative infancy parenting. The findings most strongly highlight the role of negative mothering in early infancy, and of changes in mother–toddler interaction, in e... Child Development journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5356412 Tue, 25 Oct 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5356412 Associations Between Reading Achievement and Independent Reading in Early Elementary School: A Genetically Informative Cross‐Lagged Study http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5356411&cid=s_27187_144_f&fid=27187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdx.doi.org%2F10.1111%252Fj.1467-8624.2011.01658.x This study used a cross‐lagged twin design to examine reading achievement and independent reading from 10 to 11 years (n = 436 twin pairs). Reading achievement at age 10 significantly predicted independent reading at age 11. The alternative path, from independent reading at age 10 to reading achievement at age 11, was not significant. Individual differences in reading achievement and independent reading at both ages were primarily due to genetic influences. Furthermore, individual differences in independent reading at age 11 partly reflected genetic influences on reading achievement at age 10. These findings suggest that genetic influences that contribute to individual differences in children’s reading abilities also influence the extent to which children actively seek out and cr... Child Development journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5356411 Tue, 25 Oct 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5356411 A Punitive Environment Fosters Children’s Dishonesty: A Natural Experiment http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5344456&cid=s_27187_144_f&fid=27187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdx.doi.org%2F10.1111%252Fj.1467-8624.2011.01663.x The present study compared the lie‐telling behavior of 3‐ and 4‐year‐old West African children (N = 84) from either a punitive or a nonpunitive school. Children were told not to peek at a toy when left alone in a room. Most children could not resist the temptation and peeked at the toy. When the experimenter asked them if they had peeked, the majority of the punitive school peekers lied about peeking at the toy while significantly fewer nonpunitive school children did so. The punitive school children were better able to maintain their deception than nonpunitive school children when answering follow‐up questions. Thus, a punitive environment not only fosters increased dishonesty but also children’s abilities to lie to conceal their transgressions. (Source: Child Development) Child Development journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5344456 Mon, 24 Oct 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5344456 Head‐Mounted Eye Tracking: A New Method to Describe Infant Looking http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5344455&cid=s_27187_144_f&fid=27187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdx.doi.org%2F10.1111%252Fj.1467-8624.2011.01670.x Despite hundreds of studies describing infants’ visual exploration of experimental stimuli, researchers know little about where infants look during everyday interactions. The current study describes the first method for studying visual behavior during natural interactions in mobile infants. Six 14‐month‐old infants wore a head‐mounted eye‐tracker that recorded gaze during free play with mothers. Results revealed that infants’ visual exploration is opportunistic and depends on the availability of information and the constraints of infants’ own bodies. Looks to mothers’ faces were rare following infant‐directed utterances but more likely if mothers were sitting at infants’ eye level. Gaze toward the destination of infants’ hand movements was common during manual actions... Child Development journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5344455 Mon, 24 Oct 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5344455 Development of Ethnic, Racial, and National Prejudice in Childhood and Adolescence: A Multinational Meta‐Analysis of Age Differences http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5344454&cid=s_27187_144_f&fid=27187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdx.doi.org%2F10.1111%252Fj.1467-8624.2011.01668.x This meta‐analysis summarizes 113 research reports worldwide (121 cross‐sectional and 7 longitudinal studies) on age differences in ethnic, racial, or national prejudice among children and adolescents. Overall, results indicated a peak in prejudice in middle childhood (5–7 years) followed by a slight decrease until late childhood (8–10 years). In addition to differences for the various operationalizations of prejudice, detailed findings revealed different age‐related changes in prejudice toward higher versus lower status out‐groups and positive effects of contact opportunities with the out‐group on prejudice development. Results confirm that prejudice changes systematically with age during childhood but that no developmental trend is found in adolescence, indicating the s... Child Development journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5344454 Mon, 24 Oct 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5344454 Beyond Situational Ambiguity in Peer Conflict: Unique and Combined Effects of Cues From an Antagonist and a Best Friend http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5344453&cid=s_27187_144_f&fid=27187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdx.doi.org%2F10.1111%252Fj.1467-8624.2011.01664.x In accord with increasing recognition of the situation specificity of childhood social behaviors, individual and contextual differences in children’s responses to potential peer conflict were examined (hostile attribution, behavioral strategies, and affective reactions; N = 367, 9–12 years, 197 girls). Situational cues from 2 sources, the antagonist and a witnessing best friend, were designed to suggest the antagonist’s intentions. Multilevel modeling indicated that children’s responses generally varied more according to cues from the antagonist than friend, but the latter also affected responses, especially when conflicting with other situational information. Cognitive and affective responses were also influenced by gender, social goals, friendship quality, and self‐effica... Child Development journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5344453 Mon, 24 Oct 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5344453 Peer Relations and the Understanding of Faux Pas: Longitudinal Evidence for Bidirectional Associations http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5344452&cid=s_27187_144_f&fid=27187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdx.doi.org%2F10.1111%252Fj.1467-8624.2011.01669.x Research connecting children’s understanding of mental states to their peer relations at school remains scarce. Previous work by the authors demonstrated that children’s understanding of mental states in the context of a faux pas—a social blunder involving unintentional insult—is associated with concurrent peer rejection. The present report describes a longitudinal follow‐up investigation of 210 children from the original sample, aged 5–6 or 8–9 years at Time 1. The results support a bidirectional model suggesting that peer rejection may impair the acquisition of faux pas understanding, and also that, among older children, difficulties in understanding faux pas predict increased peer rejection. These findings highlight the important and complex associations between social u... Child Development journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5344452 Mon, 24 Oct 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5344452 Vision for Action in Toddlers: The Posting Task http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5332149&cid=s_27187_144_f&fid=27187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdx.doi.org%2F10.1111%252Fj.1467-8624.2011.01655.x Three experiments examine 18‐ to 24‐month‐old (N = 78) toddlers’ ability to spatially orient objects by their major axes for insertion into a slot. This is a simplified version of the posting task that is commonly used to measure dorsal stream functioning. The experiments identify marked developmental changes in children’s ability to preorient objects for insertion, with 18‐month‐olds failing completely and 24‐month‐olds succeeding easily. In marked contrast, 18‐month‐olds preorient their empty hands for insertion into the same slots. This developmental dissociation between aligning hands and aligning objects to slots suggests that the key developmental change is in action with the goal of object‐to‐object alignment versus action on an object. (Source: Child D... Child Development journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5332149 Mon, 17 Oct 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5332149 Developmental Change in the ERP Responses to Familiar Faces in Toddlers With Autism Spectrum Disorders Versus Typical Development http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5332148&cid=s_27187_144_f&fid=27187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdx.doi.org%2F10.1111%252Fj.1467-8624.2011.01656.x Individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) show differences in face processing abilities from early in development. To examine whether these differences reflect an atypical versus delayed developmental trajectory, neural responses to familiar and unfamiliar faces in twenty‐four 18‐ to 47‐month‐old children with ASD were compared with responses of thirty‐two 12‐ to 30‐month‐old typically developing children. Results of 2 experiments revealed that neural responses to faces in children with ASD resembled those observed in younger typically developing children, suggesting delayed development. Electrophysiological responses to faces were also related to parent report of adaptive social behaviors for both children with ASD and typical development. Slower development of the f... Child Development journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5332148 Mon, 17 Oct 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5332148 Understanding Conceptual Development Along the Implicit–Explicit Dimension: Looking Through the Lens of the Representational Redescription Model http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5332147&cid=s_27187_144_f&fid=27187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdx.doi.org%2F10.1111%252Fj.1467-8624.2011.01657.x This study examined conceptual changes in children in the dimension of explicitness through the lens of the representational redescription model (A. Karmiloff‐Smith, 1986, 1992). The 4‐ to 9‐year‐old participants (N = 24) had to balance blocks on a narrow support in one task and predict whether the blocks could be balanced in another task. In addition to the application of a microgenetic approach, various new methods were introduced to capture fine‐grained changes in explicitness. Explicit understanding and behavioral performance were assessed separately with different measures. By using an adapted prediction task in a new way, evidence supporting the existence of an intermediate level of explicitness (Level E1) was found. The results also supported the existence of implicit... Child Development journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5332147 Mon, 17 Oct 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5332147 Does the Quality of Stimulation and Support in the Home Environment Moderate the Effect of Early Education Programs? http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5332146&cid=s_27187_144_f&fid=27187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdx.doi.org%2F10.1111%252Fj.1467-8624.2011.01659.x The current study was designed to investigate how the quality of stimulation and support available to children in the home interacts with participation in Early Head Start to determine children’s development. Data were obtained as part of the national evaluation of Early Head Start (EHSRE), a randomized trial involving 3,001 children and families from 17 program sites. Hierarchical linear regression analyses were used to examine the interaction of EHS with (a) early maternal emotional warmth and (b) provision of a stimulating home environment on children’s development at ages 3 and 5. Findings showed EHS sometimes differentially benefited children who came from households where the levels of warmth and stimulation were lowest. However, there was evidence of other forms of moderation as... Child Development journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5332146 Mon, 17 Oct 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5332146 Properties of Dual Language Exposure That Influence 2‐Year‐Olds’ Bilingual Proficiency http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5332145&cid=s_27187_144_f&fid=27187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdx.doi.org%2F10.1111%252Fj.1467-8624.2011.01660.x The mothers of 29 Spanish English bilingual 25‐month‐olds kept diary records of their children’s dual language exposure and provided information on their children’s English and Spanish language development using the MacArthur–Bates inventories. Relative amount of exposure predicted language outcomes in English and Spanish. In addition, the number of different speakers from whom the children heard English and the percent of their English input that was provided by native speakers were unique sources of variance in children’s English skills. These properties of children’s dual language exposure and their bilingual proficiency varied as a function of whether the children’s mother, father, or both parents were native Spanish speakers. Practical and theoretical implications are ... Child Development journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5332145 Mon, 17 Oct 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5332145 The Nature of Preschoolers’ Concept of Living and Artificial Objects http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5332144&cid=s_27187_144_f&fid=27187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdx.doi.org%2F10.1111%252Fj.1467-8624.2011.01661.x This study investigated preschoolers’ living kinds conceptualization by employing an extensive stimulus set and alternate indices of understanding. Thirty‐four 3‐ to 5‐year‐olds and 36 adult undergraduates completed 3 testing phases involving 4 object classes: plants, animals, mobile, and immobile artifacts. The phases involved inquiries participants generated, what biological properties they attributed and their assignment of “alive” to the 4 classes. The study also focused on preschoolers’ conceptual coherence by examining their responding across indices. Results revealed both competence and confusion in preschoolers’ living kinds conceptualization relative to adults’. In addition, demonstrations of coherence across testing situations suggest that the beginnings of an... Child Development journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5332144 Mon, 17 Oct 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5332144 Social‐Emotional Effects of Early Childhood Education Programs in Tulsa http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5270070&cid=s_27187_144_f&fid=27187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdx.doi.org%2F10.1111%252Fj.1467-8624.2011.01648.x This article assesses the effects of Tulsa, Oklahoma’s early childhood education programs on social‐emotional outcomes, examining teacher ratings of children’s behavior from the Adjustment Scales for Preschool Intervention and a measure of attentiveness using fixed effects regressions with propensity score matching. The sample includes 2,832 kindergarten students in 2006, of whom 1,318 participated in the Tulsa Public Schools (TPS) pre‐K program and 363 participated in the CAP of Tulsa County Head Start program the previous year. Program participation was associated with lower timidity and higher attentiveness for TPS pre‐K alumni and a marginally significant reduction in timidity for Head Start alumni. Results were similar for the free lunch‐eligible subsample. We conclude tha... Child Development journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5270070 Wed, 28 Sep 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5270070 The Development of Uncertainty Monitoring in Early Childhood http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5270069&cid=s_27187_144_f&fid=27187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdx.doi.org%2F10.1111%252Fj.1467-8624.2011.01649.x This study examined the development of uncertainty monitoring in early childhood. Specifically, this study tested the prediction that preschoolers can reflect on their sense of certainty about the likely accuracy of their decisions, and it examined whether this ability differs across domains. Three‐, 4‐, and 5‐year‐olds (N = 74) completed a perceptual identification and a lexical identification task in which they reported whether they were certain or uncertain about their answers. Results showed that even 3‐year‐olds provided confidence judgments that discriminated accurate from inaccurate responses, but this discrimination increased with age. Furthermore, results suggest that 3‐year‐olds primarily rely on response latency to assess certainty, whereas older preschoolers... Child Development journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5270069 Wed, 28 Sep 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5270069 Critical Consciousness Development and Political Participation Among Marginalized Youth http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5270068&cid=s_27187_144_f&fid=27187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdx.doi.org%2F10.1111%252Fj.1467-8624.2011.01650.x Given associations between critical consciousness and positive developmental outcomes, and given racial, socioeconomic, and generational disparities in political participation, this article examined contextual antecedents of critical consciousness (composed of sociopolitical control and social action) and its consequences for 665 marginalized youth’s (ages 15–25) voting behavior. A multiple indicator and multiple causes (MIMIC) model examined racial, ethnic, and age differences in the measurement and means of latent constructs. The structural model suggested that parental and peer sociopolitical support predicts sociopolitical control and social action, which in turn predicts voting behavior, while controlling for civic and political knowledge, race/ethnicity, and age. This illuminates... Child Development journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5270068 Wed, 28 Sep 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5270068 Development of Subjective Recollection: Understanding of and Introspection on Memory States http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5234633&cid=s_27187_144_f&fid=27187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdx.doi.org%2F10.1111%252Fj.1467-8624.2011.01645.x The development of subjective recollection was investigated in participants aged 6–18 years. In Experiment 1 (N = 90), age‐related improvements were found in understanding of the subjective experience of recollection, although robust levels of understanding were observed even in the youngest group. In Experiment 2 (N = 100), age‐related differences were found in subjective recollection during a memory task, suggesting development not only in the ability to reflect on memory states, but also in the informational basis of subjective recollection. Lower understanding of memory states was associated with increased propensity to claim recollection. These results indicate that subjective recollection develops considerably during childhood and suggest that the development of metam... Child Development journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5234633 Thu, 15 Sep 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5234633 Peer Effects in Preschool Classrooms: Is Children’s Language Growth Associated With Their Classmates’ Skills? http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5356410&cid=s_27187_144_f&fid=27187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdx.doi.org%2F10.1111%252Fj.1467-8624.2011.01665.x With an increasing number of young children participating in preschool education, this study determined whether peer effects are present in this earliest sector of schooling. Specifically, this work examined whether peer effects were influential to preschoolers’ growth in language skills over an academic year and whether peer effects manifest differently based on children’s status in reference to their peers. Peer effects were assessed for 338 children in 49 classrooms. A significant interaction between the language skills of children’s classmates and children’s fall language skills indicated that peer effects were strongest for children with low language skills who were in classrooms that served children with relatively low skill levels, on average. Findings further showed that re... Child Development journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5356410 Thu, 01 Sep 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5356410 Conformity to Peer Pressure in Preschool Children http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5344451&cid=s_27187_144_f&fid=27187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdx.doi.org%2F10.1111%252Fj.1467-8624.2011.01666.x Both adults and adolescents often conform their behavior and opinions to peer groups, even when they themselves know better. The current study investigated this phenomenon in 24 groups of 4 children between 4;2 and 4;9 years of age. Children often made their judgments conform to those of 3 peers, who had made obviously erroneous but unanimous public judgments right before them. A follow‐up study with 18 groups of 4 children between 4;0 and 4;6 years of age revealed that children did not change their “real” judgment of the situation, but only their public expression of it. Preschool children are subject to peer pressure, indicating sensitivity to peers as a primary social reference group already during the preschool years. (Source: Child Development) Child Development journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5344451 Thu, 01 Sep 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5344451 Epistemic States and Traits: Preschoolers Appreciate the Differential Informativeness of Situation‐Specific and Person‐Specific Cues to Knowledge http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5332143&cid=s_27187_144_f&fid=27187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdx.doi.org%2F10.1111%252Fj.1467-8624.2011.01662.x Previous research has demonstrated that preschoolers can use situation‐specific (e.g., visual access) and person‐specific (e.g., prior accuracy) cues to infer what others know. The present studies investigated whether 4‐ and 5‐year‐olds appreciate the differential informativeness of these types of cues. In Experiment 1 (N = 50), children used others’ prior labeling accuracy as a cue when learning labels for, but not the visual identity of, hidden objects. In Experiment 2 (N = 64), with both cues present, children attended more to visual access than prior accuracy when learning the visual identity of, but not labels for, hidden objects. These findings demonstrate that children appreciate the difference between situation‐ and person‐specific cues and flexibly evaluate... Child Development journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5332143 Thu, 01 Sep 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5332143 The Moderating Capacity of Racial Identity Between Perceived Discrimination and Psychological Well‐Being Over Time Among African American Youth http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5270067&cid=s_27187_144_f&fid=27187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdx.doi.org%2F10.1111%252Fj.1467-8624.2011.01651.x This study examined the influence of racial identity in the longitudinal relation between perceptions of racial discrimination and psychological well‐being for approximately 560 African American youth. Latent curve modeling (LCM) and parallel process multiple‐indicator LCMs with latent moderators were used to assess whether perceptions of racial discrimination predicted the intercept (initial levels) and the slope (rate of change) of psychological well‐being over time, and whether racial identity moderates these relations. The results indicated that African American adolescents who reported higher psychological responses to discrimination frequency levels at the first time point had lower initial levels of well‐being. Regressing the slope factor for psychological well‐being on th... Child Development journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5270067 Thu, 01 Sep 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5270067 Mechanism‐Based Causal Reasoning in Young Children http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5234632&cid=s_27187_144_f&fid=27187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdx.doi.org%2F10.1111%252Fj.1467-8624.2011.01646.x The hypothesis that children develop an understanding of causal mechanisms was tested across 3 experiments. In Experiment 1 (N = 48), preschoolers had to choose as efficacious either a cause that had worked in the past, but was now disconnected from its effect, or a cause that had failed to work previously, but was now connected. Four‐year‐olds chose the now‐connected cause more often than 3‐year‐olds. Experiment 2 (N = 16) showed 4‐year‐olds responded appropriately to an irrelevant modification in the same causal system. Experiment 3 (N = 24) demonstrated when the mechanism was batteries rather than connection, 3‐year‐olds could properly distinguish between relevant and irrelevant modifications. Together, these data suggest that understanding of specific caus... Child Development journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5234632 Thu, 01 Sep 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5234632 Manuscripts Accepted for Publication http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5205236&cid=s_27187_144_f&fid=27187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdx.doi.org%2F10.1111%252Fj.1467-8624.2011.01654.x (Source: Child Development) Child Development journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5205236 Thu, 01 Sep 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5205236 In This Issue http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5205235&cid=s_27187_144_f&fid=27187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdx.doi.org%2F10.1111%252Fj.1467-8624.2011.01653.x (Source: Child Development) Child Development journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5205235 Thu, 01 Sep 2011 04:00:00 +0100 5205235 Developmental Continuity in Theory of Mind: Speed and Accuracy of Belief–Desire Reasoning in Children and Adults http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5174282&cid=s_27187_144_f&fid=27187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdx.doi.org%2F10.1111%252Fj.1467-8624.2011.01635.x On belief–desire reasoning tasks, children first pass tasks involving true belief before those involving false belief, and tasks involving positive desire before those involving negative desire. The current study examined belief–desire reasoning in participants old enough to pass all such tasks. Eighty‐three 6‐ to 11‐year‐olds and 20 adult participants completed simple, computer‐based tests of belief–desire reasoning, which recorded response times as well as error rates. Both measures suggested that, like young children, older children and adults find it more difficult to reason about false belief and negative desires than true beliefs and positive desires. It is argued that this developmental continuity is most consistent with either executive competence or executive perfo... Child Development journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5174282 Sun, 28 Aug 2011 23:00:00 +0100 5174282 The Effect of Narrative Cues on Infants’ Imitation From Television and Picture Books http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5174281&cid=s_27187_144_f&fid=27187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdx.doi.org%2F10.1111%252Fj.1467-8624.2011.01636.x Infants can imitate a novel action sequence from television and picture books, yet there has been no direct comparison of infants’ imitation from the 2 types of media. Varying the narrative cues available during the demonstration and test, the current experiments measured 18‐ and 24‐month‐olds’ imitation from television and picture books. Infants imitated from both media types when full narrative cues (Experiment 1; N = 76) or empty, meaningless narration (Experiment 2; N = 135) accompanied the demonstrations, but they imitated more from television than books. In Experiment 3 (N = 27), infants imitated from a book based on narration alone, without the presence of pictures. These results are discussed in relation to age‐related changes in cognitive flexibility and in... Child Development journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5174281 Sun, 28 Aug 2011 23:00:00 +0100 5174281 Social Groups and Children’s Intergroup Attitudes: Can School Norms Moderate the Effects of Social Group Norms? http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5174280&cid=s_27187_144_f&fid=27187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdx.doi.org%2F10.1111%252Fj.1467-8624.2011.01637.x The effects of social group norms (inclusion vs. exclusion vs. exclusion‐plus‐relational aggression) and school norms (inclusion vs. no norm) on 7‐ and 10‐year‐old children’s intergroup attitudes were examined. Children (n = 383) were randomly assigned to a group with an inclusion or exclusion norm, and to 1 of the school norm conditions. Findings indicated that children’s out‐group attitudes reflected their group’s norm but, with increasing age, they liked their in‐group less, and the out‐group more, if the group had an exclusion norm. The school inclusion norm instigated more positive attitudes toward out‐group members, but it did not moderate or extinguish contrary group norms. The use of school norms to counteract the effects of children’s social group nor... Child Development journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5174280 Sun, 28 Aug 2011 23:00:00 +0100 5174280 Newborn Irritability Moderates the Association Between Infant Attachment Security and Toddler Exploration and Sociability http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5174279&cid=s_27187_144_f&fid=27187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdx.doi.org%2F10.1111%252Fj.1467-8624.2011.01638.x This longitudinal investigation of 84 infants examined whether the effect of 12‐month attachment on 18‐ and 24‐month exploration and sociability with unfamiliar adults varied as a function of newborn irritability. As expected, results revealed an interaction between attachment (secure vs. insecure) and irritability (highly irritable vs. moderately irritable) in predicting both exploration and sociability with unfamiliar adults. For exploration, results supported a dual‐risk model; that is, toddlers who had been both highly irritable and insecurely attached were less exploratory than other toddlers. For sociability, results supported the differential‐susceptibility hypothesis; that is, highly irritable infants, compared to moderately irritable infants, were both less sociable as t... Child Development journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5174279 Sun, 28 Aug 2011 23:00:00 +0100 5174279 Trajectories of Parenting and Child Negative Emotionality During Infancy and Toddlerhood: A Longitudinal Analysis http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5174278&cid=s_27187_144_f&fid=27187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdx.doi.org%2F10.1111%252Fj.1467-8624.2011.01639.x The current longitudinal study examined trajectories of child negative emotionality, parenting efficacy, and overreactive parenting among 382 adoptive families during infancy and toddlerhood. Data were collected from adoptive parents when the children were 9‐, 18‐, and 27‐month‐old. Latent growth curve modeling indicated age‐related increases in child negative emotionality and overreactive parenting for adoptive fathers and adoptive mothers (AM), and decreases in parent efficacy among AM. Increases in child negative emotionality were also associated with increases in parent overreactivity and decreases in maternal efficacy. Mothers’ and fathers’ developmental patterns were linked within but not across parenting domains. Limitations and directions for future research are discu... Child Development journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5174278 Sun, 28 Aug 2011 23:00:00 +0100 5174278 Differential Susceptibility to Adolescent Externalizing Trajectories: Examining the Interplay Between CHRM2 and Peer Group Antisocial Behavior http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5174277&cid=s_27187_144_f&fid=27187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdx.doi.org%2F10.1111%252Fj.1467-8624.2011.01640.x The present study characterized prototypical patterns of development in self‐reported externalizing behavior, between 12 and 22 years of age, within a community sample of 452 genotyped individuals. A Caucasian subset (n = 378) was then examined to determine whether their probabilities of displaying discrete trajectories were differentially associated with CHRM2, a gene implicated in self‐regulatory processes across a range of externalizing behaviors, and if affiliating with antisocial peers moderated these associations. Findings indicate that relative to a normative “lower risk” externalizing trajectory, likelihood of membership in two “higher risk” trajectories increased with each additional copy of the minor allelic variant at CHRM2, and that this association was exacer... Child Development journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5174277 Sun, 28 Aug 2011 23:00:00 +0100 5174277 Developmental Changes in Item and Source Memory: Evidence From an ERP Recognition Memory Study With Children, Adolescents, and Adults http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5174276&cid=s_27187_144_f&fid=27187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdx.doi.org%2F10.1111%252Fj.1467-8624.2011.01642.x Event‐related potential (ERP) correlates of item and source memory were assessed in 18 children (7–8 years), 20 adolescents (13–14 years), and 20 adults (20–29 years) performing a continuous recognition memory task with object and nonobject stimuli. Memory performance increased with age and was particularly low for source memory in children. The ERP difference between first presentations of objects and nonobjects, reflecting generic novelty processing, showed only small developmental changes. Regarding item memory, adults showed the putative ERP correlates of familiarity and recollection, whereas ERP effects in children and adolescents suggested a strong reliance on recollection. ERP correlates of source memory refined with age, suggesting maturation of strategic recollection... Child Development journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5174276 Sun, 28 Aug 2011 23:00:00 +0100 5174276 Ethnic Stigma, Academic Anxiety, and Intrinsic Motivation in Middle Childhood http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5174275&cid=s_27187_144_f&fid=27187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdx.doi.org%2F10.1111%252Fj.1467-8624.2011.01621.x Previous research addressing the dynamics of stigma and academics has focused on African American adolescents and adults. The present study examined stigma awareness, academic anxiety, and intrinsic motivation among 451 young (ages 6–11) and diverse (African American, Chinese, Dominican, Russian, and European American) students. Results indicated that ethnic‐minority children reported higher stigma awareness than European American children. For all children, stigma awareness was associated with higher academic anxiety and lower intrinsic motivation. Despite these associations, ethnic‐minority children reported higher levels of intrinsic motivation than their European American peers. A significant portion of the higher intrinsic motivation among Dominican students was associated with ... Child Development journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5174275 Sun, 28 Aug 2011 23:00:00 +0100 5174275 Antecedents and Outcomes of Joint Trajectories of Mother–Son Conflict and Warmth During Middle Childhood and Adolescence http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5174274&cid=s_27187_144_f&fid=27187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdx.doi.org%2F10.1111%252Fj.1467-8624.2011.01626.x This study investigated the development of mother–son relationship quality from ages 5 to 15 in a sample of 265 low‐income families. Nonparametric random effects modeling was utilized to uncover distinct and homogeneous developmental trajectories of conflict and warmth; antecedents and outcomes of the trajectory groups also were examined. Four conflict trajectory groups and 3 warmth trajectory groups were identified. Difficult temperament in early childhood discriminated both conflict and warmth trajectory group membership (TGM), and adult relationship quality in early childhood was related to warmth trajectories. In addition, conflict TGM differentiated youth antisocial behavior during adolescence, and warmth trajectories predicted adolescent peer relationship quality and youth moral ... Child Development journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5174274 Sun, 28 Aug 2011 23:00:00 +0100 5174274 Developing Relationships, Being Cool, and Not Looking Like a Loser: Social Goal Orientation Predicts Children’s Responses to Peer Aggression http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5174273&cid=s_27187_144_f&fid=27187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdx.doi.org%2F10.1111%252Fj.1467-8624.2011.01631.x This study contributes to theoretical understanding of the process of peer aggression and interventions to promote optimal social health. (Source: Child Development) Child Development journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5174273 Sun, 28 Aug 2011 23:00:00 +0100 5174273 The Gap Between Spanish Speakers’ Word Reading and Word Knowledge: A Longitudinal Study http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5138213&cid=s_27187_144_f&fid=27187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdx.doi.org%2F10.1111%252Fj.1467-8624.2011.01633.x This longitudinal study modeled growth rates, from ages 4.5 to 11, in English and Spanish oral language and word reading skills among 173 Spanish‐speaking children from low‐income households. Individual growth modeling was employed using scores from standardized measures of word reading, expressive vocabulary, and verbal short‐term language memory. The trajectories demonstrate that students’ rates of growth and overall ability in word reading were on par with national norms. In contrast, students’ oral language skills started out below national norms and their rates of growth, although surpassing the national rates, were not sufficient to reach age‐appropriate levels. The results underscore the need for increased and sustained attention to promoting this population’s language... Child Development journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5138213 Mon, 15 Aug 2011 23:00:00 +0100 5138213 The Development of Distrust http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5118083&cid=s_27187_144_f&fid=27187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdx.doi.org%2F10.1111%252Fj.1467-8624.2011.01629.x Preschool‐age children’s reasoning about the reliability of deceptive sources was investigated. Ninety 3‐ to 5‐year‐olds watched several trials in which an informant gave advice about the location of a hidden sticker. Informants were either helpers who were happy to give correct advice, or trickers who were happy to give incorrect advice. Three‐year‐olds tended to accept all advice from both helpers and trickers. Four‐year‐olds were more skeptical but showed no preference for advice from helpers over trickers, even though they differentiated between helpers and trickers on metacognitive measures. Five‐year‐olds systematically preferred advice from helpers. Selective trust was associated with children’s ability to make mental state inferences. (Source: Child Developm... Child Development journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5118083 Sun, 07 Aug 2011 23:00:00 +0100 5118083 Benefits of Practicing 4 = 2 + 2: Nontraditional Problem Formats Facilitate Children’s Understanding of Mathematical Equivalence http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5068946&cid=s_27187_144_f&fid=27187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdx.doi.org%2F10.1111%252Fj.1467-8624.2011.01622.x This study examined whether practice with arithmetic problems presented in a nontraditional problem format improves understanding of mathematical equivalence. Children (M age = 8;0; N = 90) were randomly assigned to practice addition in one of three conditions: (a) traditional, in which problems were presented in the traditional “operations on left side” format (e.g., 9 + 8 = 17); (b) nontraditional, in which problems were presented in a nontraditional format (e.g., 17 = 9 + 8); or (c) no extra practice. Children developed a better understanding of mathematical equivalence after receiving nontraditional practice than after receiving traditional practice or no extra practice. Results suggest that minor differences in early input can yield substantial differences ... Child Development journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5068946 Tue, 26 Jul 2011 23:00:00 +0100 5068946 A Longitudinal Examination of African American Adolescents’ Attributions About Achievement Outcomes http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5068945&cid=s_27187_144_f&fid=27187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdx.doi.org%2F10.1111%252Fj.1467-8624.2011.01623.x Developmental, gender, and academic domain differences in causal attributions and the influence of attributions on classroom engagement were explored longitudinally in 115 African American adolescents. In Grades 8 and 11, adolescents reported attributions for success and failure in math, English and writing, and science. In Grade 11, English and mathematics teachers rated students’ classroom engagement. Boys were more likely than girls to attribute math successes to high ability and to attribute English failures to low ability. Both genders’ ability attributions for math became more negative from eighth to eleventh grades. Grade 8 attributions of math failure to lack of ability were negatively related to Grade 11 math classroom engagement. Results illustrate the gendered nature of moti... Child Development journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5068945 Tue, 26 Jul 2011 23:00:00 +0100 5068945 Children’s Judgments of Emotion From Conflicting Cues in Speech: Why 6‐Year‐Olds Are So Inflexible http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5068944&cid=s_27187_144_f&fid=27187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdx.doi.org%2F10.1111%252Fj.1467-8624.2011.01624.x Six‐year‐old children can judge a speaker's feelings either from content or paralanguage but have difficulty switching the basis of their judgments when these cues conflict. This inflexibility may relate to a lexical bias in 6‐year‐olds' judgments. Two experiments tested this claim. In Experiment 1, 6‐year‐olds (n = 40) were as inflexible when switching from paralanguage to content as when switching from content to paralanguage. In Experiment 2, 6‐year‐olds (n = 32) and adults (n = 32) had more difficulty when switching between conflicting emotion cues than conflicting nonemotional cues. Thus, 6‐year‐olds' inflexibility appears to be tied to the presence of conflicting emotion cues in speech rather than a bias to judge a speaker's feelings from content. (Sou... Child Development journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5068944 Tue, 26 Jul 2011 23:00:00 +0100 5068944 Preschoolers’ Use of Morphosyntactic Cues to Identify Generic Sentences: Indefinite Singular Noun Phrases, Tense, and Aspect http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5061774&cid=s_27187_144_f&fid=27187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdx.doi.org%2F10.1111%252Fj.1467-8624.2011.01615.x Generic sentences (e.g., “Birds lay eggs”) convey generalizations about entire categories and may thus be an important source of knowledge for children. However, these sentences cannot be identified by a simple rule, requiring instead the integration of multiple cues. The present studies focused on 3‐ to 5‐year‐olds’ (N = 91) use of morphosyntactic cues—in particular, on whether children can (a) interpret indefinite singular noun phrases (e.g., “a strawberry”) as generic and (b) use a verb’s tense and aspect (e.g., “A bat sleeps/slept/is sleeping upside down”) to determine whether its subject noun phrase is generic. Children demonstrated sensitivity to both cues. Thus, solving the in‐principle problem of identifying generics may not be beyond the reach of youn... Child Development journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5061774 Sun, 24 Jul 2011 23:00:00 +0100 5061774 Wherein Lies Children’s Intergroup Bias? Egocentrism, Social Understanding, and Social Projection http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5061773&cid=s_27187_144_f&fid=27187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdx.doi.org%2F10.1111%252Fj.1467-8624.2011.01617.x Does children’s bias toward their own groups reflect egocentrism or social understanding? After being categorized as belonging to 1 of 2 fictitious groups, 157 six‐ to ten‐year‐olds evaluated group members and expressed preferences among neutral items. Children who expected the in‐group to share their item preferences (egocentric social projection) showed intergroup bias. However, most bias was expressed by children who expected their in‐group to share, but the out‐group to oppose, their own evaluations of members. These oppositional expectations were associated with better social perspective taking, and better understanding that groups expect loyalty from their members. Consistent with the developmental model of subjective group dynamics (D. Abrams, A. Rutland, J. Pelletier,... Child Development journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5061773 Sun, 24 Jul 2011 23:00:00 +0100 5061773 Characterizing Children’s Expectations About Expertise and Incompetence: Halo or Pitchfork Effects? http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5061772&cid=s_27187_144_f&fid=27187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdx.doi.org%2F10.1111%252Fj.1467-8624.2011.01618.x Do children expect an expert in one domain to also be an expert in an unrelated domain? In Study 1, 32 three‐ and four‐year‐olds learned that one informant was an expert about dogs relative to another informant. When presented with pictures of new dogs or of artifacts, children who could remember which informant was the dog expert preferred her over the novice as an informant about the names of dogs, but they had no preference when the informants presented artifact labels. In Study 2, 32 children learned that one informant was incompetent about dogs whereas another was neutral. In this case, children preferred the neutral speaker over the incompetent one about both dogs and artifacts. Taken together, these results suggest that for children, expertise is not subject to a “halo effec... Child Development journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5061772 Sun, 24 Jul 2011 23:00:00 +0100 5061772 Can Children With Autism Spectrum Disorders “Hear” a Speaking Face? http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5061771&cid=s_27187_144_f&fid=27187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdx.doi.org%2F10.1111%252Fj.1467-8624.2011.01619.x This study used eye‐tracking methodology to assess audiovisual speech perception in 26 children ranging in age from 5 to 15 years, half with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and half with typical development. Given the characteristic reduction in gaze to the faces of others in children with ASD, it was hypothesized that they would show reduced influence of visual information on heard speech. Responses were compared on a set of auditory, visual, and audiovisual speech perception tasks. Even when fixated on the face of the speaker, children with ASD were less visually influenced than typical development controls. This indicates fundamental differences in the processing of audiovisual speech in children with ASD, which may contribute to their language and communication impairments. (Source... Child Development journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5061771 Sun, 24 Jul 2011 23:00:00 +0100 5061771 Examining the Black–White Achievement Gap Among Low‐Income Children Using the NICHD Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5061770&cid=s_27187_144_f&fid=27187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdx.doi.org%2F10.1111%252Fj.1467-8624.2011.01620.x The Black–White achievement gap in children’s reading and mathematics school performance from 4½ years of age through fifth grade was examined in a sample of 314 lower income American youth followed from birth. Differences in family, child care, and schooling experiences largely explained Black–White differences in achievement, and instructional quality was a stronger predictor for Black than White children. In addition, the achievement gap was detected as young as 3 years of age. Taken together, the findings suggest that reducing the Black–White achievement gap may require early intervention to reduce race gaps in home and school experiences during the infant and toddler years as well as during the preschool and school years. (Source: Child Development) Child Development journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5061770 Sun, 24 Jul 2011 23:00:00 +0100 5061770 Epigenetic Vestiges of Early Developmental Adversity: Childhood Stress Exposure and DNA Methylation in Adolescence http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5191848&cid=s_27187_144_f&fid=27187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdx.doi.org%2F10.1111%252Fj.1467-8624.2011.01641.x Fifteen‐year‐old adolescents (N = 109) in a longitudinal study of child development were recruited to examine differences in DNA methylation in relation to parent reports of adversity during the adolescents’ infancy and preschool periods. Microarray technology applied to 28,000 cytosine–guanine dinucleotide sites within DNA derived from buccal epithelial cells showed differential methylation among adolescents whose parents reported high levels of stress during their children’s early lives. Maternal stressors in infancy and paternal stressors in the preschool years were most strongly predictive of differential methylation, and the patterning of such epigenetic marks varied by children’s gender. To the authors’ knowledge, this is the first report of prospective associations... Child Development journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5191848 Thu, 30 Jun 2011 23:00:00 +0100 5191848 Characterizing and Comparing the Friendships of Anxious‐Solitary and Unsociable Preadolescents http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5174272&cid=s_27187_144_f&fid=27187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdx.doi.org%2F10.1111%252Fj.1467-8624.2011.01632.x Friendships matter for withdrawn youth because the consequences of peer isolation are severe. From a normative sample of 2,437 fifth graders (1,245 females; M age = 10.25), a subset (n = 1,364; 638 female) was classified into 3 groups (anxious‐solitary, unsociable, comparison) and followed across a school year. Findings indicated that it was more common for unsociable than anxious‐solitary children to have friends, be stably friended, and participate in multiple friendships. For withdrawn as well as nonwithdrawn children, peer rejection predicted friendlessness, but this relation was strongest for anxious‐solitary children. The friends of unsociable youth were more accepted by peers than those of anxious‐solitary youth. The premise that friendship inhibits peer victimizatio... Child Development journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5174272 Thu, 30 Jun 2011 23:00:00 +0100 5174272 African American and European American Children in Diverse Elementary Classrooms: Social Integration, Social Status, and Social Behavior http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5138211&cid=s_27187_144_f&fid=27187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdx.doi.org%2F10.1111%252Fj.1467-8624.2011.01634.x With a sample of African American and European American 3rd‐ and 4th‐grade children (N = 486, ages 8–11 years), this study examined classroom ethnic composition, peer social status (i.e., social preference and perceived popularity as nominated by same‐ and cross‐ethnicity peers), and patterns of ethnic segregation (i.e., friendship, peer group, and cross‐ethnicity dislike). African American—but not European American—children had more segregated relationships and were more disliked by cross‐ethnicity peers when they had fewer same‐ethnicity classmates. African American children’s segregation was positively associated with same‐ethnicity social preference and perceived popularity and with cross‐ethnicity perceived popularity. European American children’s seg... Child Development journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5138211 Thu, 30 Jun 2011 23:00:00 +0100 5138211 Nonlinear Growth Curves in Developmental Research http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5118082&cid=s_27187_144_f&fid=27187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdx.doi.org%2F10.1111%252Fj.1467-8624.2011.01630.x Developmentalists are often interested in understanding change processes, and growth models are the most common analytic tool for examining such processes. Nonlinear growth curves are especially valuable to developmentalists because the defining characteristics of the growth process such as initial levels, rates of change during growth spurts, and asymptotic levels can be estimated. A variety of growth models are described beginning with the linear growth model and moving to nonlinear models of varying complexity. A detailed discussion of nonlinear models is provided, highlighting the added insights into complex developmental processes associated with their use. A collection of growth models are fit to repeated measures of height from participants of the Berkeley Growth and Guidance Studie... Child Development journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5118082 Thu, 30 Jun 2011 23:00:00 +0100 5118082 Reciprocal Associations Between Family and Peer Conflict in Adolescents’ Daily Lives http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5068943&cid=s_27187_144_f&fid=27187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdx.doi.org%2F10.1111%252Fj.1467-8624.2011.01625.x Using a daily diary method, this study assessed daily episodes of family and peer conflict among 578 adolescents in the 9th grade to examine potential bidirectional associations between the family and peer domains. Adolescents completed a daily diary checklist at the end of each day over a 14‐day period to report events of conflict and their emotional states for a given day. Overall, the within‐person models provided evidence for the bidirectional nature of family peer linkages across gender and ethnicity. Adolescents experienced more peer conflict on days in which they argued with parents or other family members, and vice versa. Effect of family conflict further spilled over into peer relationships the next day and 2 days later, whereas peer conflict predicted only the following day... Child Development journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5068943 Thu, 30 Jun 2011 23:00:00 +0100 5068943 Shyness‐Sensitivity and Unsociability in Rural Chinese Children: Relations With Social, School, and Psychological Adjustment http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5061769&cid=s_27187_144_f&fid=27187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdx.doi.org%2F10.1111%252Fj.1467-8624.2011.01616.x The purpose of this study was to examine how shyness‐sensitivity and unsociability were associated with social, school, and psychological adjustment in rural Chinese children. Participants were third‐ to fifth‐grade students (N = 820; M age = 10 years) in rural schools in P. R. China. Data on shyness‐sensitivity, unsociability, and adjustment were obtained from multiple sources including peer assessments, sociometric nominations, teacher ratings, self‐reports, and school records. It was found that unsociability was associated with social, school, and psychological problems, whereas shyness was generally associated with indexes of adjustment such as social status, teacher‐rated competence, and academic achievement. The results indicate that rural Chinese context may play a... Child Development journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5061769 Thu, 30 Jun 2011 23:00:00 +0100 5061769 Manuscripts Accepted for Publication http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5018735&cid=s_27187_144_f&fid=27187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdx.doi.org%2F10.1111%252Fj.1467-8624.2011.01628.x (Source: Child Development) Child Development journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5018735 Thu, 30 Jun 2011 23:00:00 +0100 5018735 In This Issue http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5018734&cid=s_27187_144_f&fid=27187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdx.doi.org%2F10.1111%252Fj.1467-8624.2011.01627.x (Source: Child Development) Child Development journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5018734 Thu, 30 Jun 2011 23:00:00 +0100 5018734 Does Felt Gender Compatibility Mediate Influences of Self‐Perceived Gender Nonconformity on Early Adolescents’ Psychosocial Adjustment? http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4944565&cid=s_27187_144_f&fid=27187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdx.doi.org%2F10.1111%252Fj.1467-8624.2011.01601.x This study evaluated the hypothesis that self‐perceived gender nonconformity is distressing to children because it undermines a confident sense of gender compatibility. Participants were 357 early adolescents (180 boys, M age = 12.68 years) in England who responded to questionnaires measuring friendship styles (preoccupied, avoidant), gender compatibility (typicality, contentedness), and adjustment (self‐esteem, peer social competence, depression, narcissism). Sex differences in friendship styles indicated that preoccupied and avoidant styles were typical for girls and boys, respectively. Gender‐atypical friendship styles predicted poor adjustment, and their impact on adjustment was partially mediated by felt gender compatibility. Results suggest that perceiving gender‐atypic... Child Development journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4944565 Wed, 15 Jun 2011 23:00:00 +0100 4944565 Theory of Mind and Social Interest in Zero‐Acquaintance Play Situations http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4944564&cid=s_27187_144_f&fid=27187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdx.doi.org%2F10.1111%252Fj.1467-8624.2011.01602.x Many studies have examined associations between children’s theory of mind and social behavior with familiar peers, but to date none have examined how theory of mind might relate to behavior toward unfamiliar peers in a play setting. Forty‐four 4‐year‐olds (21 girls, 23 boys) participated in standard theory‐of‐mind tasks and in a play session with 3 or 4 other children who were unfamiliar. Children were also tested on general vocabulary ability. No relations were found between theory of mind and social engagement. However, positive associations were found between theory of mind and time spent observing, but not interacting with, other children. Possible explanations of the links between theory of mind, temperament, and social interest are considered. (Source: Child Development) Child Development journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4944564 Wed, 15 Jun 2011 23:00:00 +0100 4944564 Preschoolers’ Quarantining of Fantasy Stories http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4944563&cid=s_27187_144_f&fid=27187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdx.doi.org%2F10.1111%252Fj.1467-8624.2011.01603.x We examined children’s transfer from fantastical and real stories. Over the course of 2 studies, 3½‐ to 5½‐year‐old children were less likely to transfer problem solutions from stories about fantasy characters than stories about real people. A combined analysis of the participants in the 2 studies revealed that the factors predicting transfer differed for the fantasy and real stories. These findings are discussed within the context of their implications for preschoolers’ developing boundaries between fantasy and real worlds. (Source: Child Development) Child Development journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4944563 Wed, 15 Jun 2011 23:00:00 +0100 4944563 Impaired Acuity of the Approximate Number System Underlies Mathematical Learning Disability (Dyscalculia) http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4944562&cid=s_27187_144_f&fid=27187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdx.doi.org%2F10.1111%252Fj.1467-8624.2011.01608.x In this study of 71 ninth graders, it is shown that students with MLD have significantly poorer ANS precision than students in all other mathematics achievement groups (low, typically, and high achieving), as measured by psychophysical assessments of ANS acuity (w) and of the mappings between ANS representations and number words (cv). This relation persists even when controlling for domain‐general abilities. Furthermore, this ANS precision does not differentiate low‐achieving from typically achieving students, suggesting an ANS deficit that is specific to MLD. (Source: Child Development) Child Development journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4944562 Wed, 15 Jun 2011 23:00:00 +0100 4944562 Effect of Foster Care on Young Children’s Language Learning http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4944561&cid=s_27187_144_f&fid=27187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdx.doi.org%2F10.1111%252Fj.1467-8624.2011.01604.x This report examines 174 young children’s language outcomes in the Bucharest Early Intervention Project, the first randomized trial of foster placement after institutional care. Age of foster placement was highly correlated with language outcomes. Placement by 15 months led to similar expressive and receptive language test scores as typical age peers at 30 and 42 months. Placement from 15 to 24 months also led to dramatic language improvement. In contrast, children placed after 24 months had the same severe language delays as children in institutional care. Language samples at 42 months confirmed that placement after 24 months led to lower expressive skill. (Source: Child Development) Child Development journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4944561 Wed, 15 Jun 2011 23:00:00 +0100 4944561 Imitation in Infancy: Rational or Motor Resonance? http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4944560&cid=s_27187_144_f&fid=27187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdx.doi.org%2F10.1111%252Fj.1467-8624.2011.01610.x This study tested 14‐month‐old infants (n = 95) in 5 conditions and manipulated the extent to which the observed actions could be matched onto the infants’ own motor repertoire as well as whether the observed behavior appeared to be efficient. The results suggest that motor resonance plays a more central role in imitation in infancy than does a rational evaluation of the observed action. (Source: Child Development) Child Development journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4944560 Wed, 15 Jun 2011 23:00:00 +0100 4944560 Effects of Nonmaternal Care in the First 3 Years on Children’s Academic Skills and Behavioral Functioning in Childhood and Early Adolescence: A Sibling Comparison Study http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4944559&cid=s_27187_144_f&fid=27187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdx.doi.org%2F10.1111%252Fj.1467-8624.2011.01611.x Nonmaternal care of infant children is increasingly common, but there is disagreement as to whether it is harmful for children. Using data from 9,185 children (5 years and older) who participated in the Children of the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth, the current study compared 2 groups: those for whom nonmaternal care was initiated in the first 3 years and those for whom it was not. Between‐family comparisons showed that early nonmaternal care was associated with higher achievement and lower behavior problem scores in childhood and adolescence. However, within‐family comparisons failed to detect differences between siblings who had different early nonmaternal care experiences. The study concludes that the timing of entry to nonmaternal care in the first 3 years has neither... Child Development journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4944559 Wed, 15 Jun 2011 23:00:00 +0100 4944559 Age Differences in Strategic Planning as Indexed by the Tower of London http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4944558&cid=s_27187_144_f&fid=27187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdx.doi.org%2F10.1111%252Fj.1467-8624.2011.01613.x The present study examined age differences in performance on the Tower of London, a measure of strategic planning, in a diverse sample of 890 individuals between the ages of 10 and 30. Although mature performance was attained by age 17 on relatively easy problems, performance on the hardest problems showed improvements into the early 20s. Furthermore, whereas age‐related performance gains by children and adolescents (ages 10–17) on the hardest problems were partially mediated by maturational improvements in both working memory and impulse control, improved performance in adulthood (ages 18+) was fully mediated by late gains in impulse control. Findings support an emerging picture of late adolescence as a time of continuing improvement in planned, goal‐directed behavior. (Source: Chil... Child Development journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4944558 Wed, 15 Jun 2011 23:00:00 +0100 4944558 Trajectories of the Home Learning Environment Across the First 5 Years: Associations With Children’s Vocabulary and Literacy Skills at Prekindergarten http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4944557&cid=s_27187_144_f&fid=27187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdx.doi.org%2F10.1111%252Fj.1467-8624.2011.01614.x Children’s home learning environments were examined in a low‐income sample of 1,852 children and families when children were 15, 25, 37, and 63 months. During home visits, children’s participation in literacy activities, the quality of mothers’ engagements with their children, and the availability of learning materials were assessed, yielding a total learning environment score at each age. At 63 months, children’s vocabulary and literacy skills were assessed. Six learning environment trajectories were identified, including environments that were consistently low, environments that were consistently high, and environments characterized by varying patterns of change. The skills of children at the extremes of learning environment trajectories differed by more than 1 SD and the t... Child Development journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4944557 Wed, 15 Jun 2011 23:00:00 +0100 4944557 A Longitudinal Study of Religious Identity and Participation During Adolescence http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4944556&cid=s_27187_144_f&fid=27187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdx.doi.org%2F10.1111%252Fj.1467-8624.2011.01609.x To examine the development of religious identity during the teenage years, adolescents (N = 477) from Latin American, Asian, and European backgrounds completed questionnaires in the 10th, 11th, and 12th grades (10th grade age: M = 15.81, SD = 0.36). Results indicated that religious identity remained stable across high school whereas religious participation declined. Even after controlling for ethnic differences in religious affiliation, socioeconomic background, and generational status, adolescents from Latin American and Asian backgrounds reported higher levels of religious identity and adolescents from Latin American backgrounds reported higher rates of religious participation. Within individual adolescents, changes in religious identity were associated with changes in ethnic... Child Development journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4944556 Wed, 15 Jun 2011 23:00:00 +0100 4944556 Why Don’t Smart Teens Have Sex? A Behavioral Genetic Approach http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4944555&cid=s_27187_144_f&fid=27187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdx.doi.org%2F10.1111%252Fj.1467-8624.2011.01607.x Academic achievement and cognitive ability have been shown to predict later age at first sexual intercourse. Using a sample of 536 same‐sex twin pairs who were followed longitudinally from adolescence to early adulthood, this study tested whether relations between intelligence, academic achievement, and age at first sex were due to unmeasured genetic and environmental differences between families. Twins who differed in their intelligence or their academic achievement did not differ in their age at first sex. Rather, the association between intelligence and age at first sex could be attributed entirely to unmeasured environmental differences between families, whereas the association between academic achievement and age at first sex could be attributed entirely to genetic factors. (Source:... Child Development journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4944555 Wed, 15 Jun 2011 23:00:00 +0100 4944555 Longitudinal Associations Between Marital Instability and Child Sleep Problems Across Infancy and Toddlerhood in Adoptive Families http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4812582&cid=s_27187_144_f&fid=27187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdx.doi.org%2F10.1111%252Fj.1467-8624.2011.01594.x This study examined the longitudinal association between marital instability and child sleep problems at ages 9 and 18 months in 357 families with a genetically unrelated infant adopted at birth. This design eliminates shared genes as an explanation for similarities between parent and child. Structural equation modeling indicated that T1 marital instability predicted T2 child sleep problems, but T1 child sleep problems did not predict T2 marital instability. This result was replicated when models were estimated separately for mothers and fathers. Thus, even after controlling for stability in sleep problems and marital instability and eliminating shared genetic influences on associations using a longitudinal adoption design, marital instability prospectively predicts early childhood sleep... Child Development journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4812582 Tue, 10 May 2011 23:00:00 +0100 4812582 Infantile Amnesia Across the Years: A 2‐Year Follow‐up of Children’s Earliest Memories http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4812581&cid=s_27187_144_f&fid=27187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdx.doi.org%2F10.1111%252Fj.1467-8624.2011.01597.x This study was a 2‐year follow‐up and extension of an earlier study. Children (4–13 years old) were asked initially and 2 years later for their earliest 3 memories. At follow‐up, their age at the time of these memories shifted to several months later, with younger children unlikely to provide the same memories. Moreover, when given cues about memories recalled 2 years previously, many were still not recalled. In contrast, older children were more likely to recall the same memories, and cues to former memories were successful. Thus, older children were becoming consistent in terms of recalling very early memories. (Source: Child Development) Child Development journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4812581 Tue, 10 May 2011 23:00:00 +0100 4812581 The Genetic and Environmental Covariation Among Psychopathic Personality Traits, and Reactive and Proactive Aggression in Childhood http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4812580&cid=s_27187_144_f&fid=27187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdx.doi.org%2F10.1111%252Fj.1467-8624.2011.01598.x The present study investigated the genetic and environmental covariance between psychopathic personality traits with reactive and proactive aggression in 9‐ to 10‐year‐old twins (N = 1,219). Psychopathic personality traits were assessed with the Child Psychopathy Scale (D. R. Lynam, 1997), while aggressive behaviors were assessed using the Reactive Proactive Questionnaire (A. Raine et al., 2006). Significant common genetic influences were found to be shared by psychopathic personality traits and aggressive behaviors using both caregiver (mainly mother) and child self‐reports. Significant genetic and nonshared environmental influences specific to psychopathic personality traits and reactive and proactive aggression were also found, suggesting etiological independence among thes... Child Development journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4812580 Tue, 10 May 2011 23:00:00 +0100 4812580 Structure Mapping and Relational Language Support Children’s Learning of Relational Categories http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4812579&cid=s_27187_144_f&fid=27187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdx.doi.org%2F10.1111%252Fj.1467-8624.2011.01599.x Learning relational categories—whose membership is defined not by intrinsic properties but by extrinsic relations with other entities—poses a challenge to young children. The current work showed 3‐, 4‐ to 5‐, and 6‐year‐olds pairs of cards exemplifying familiar relations (e.g., a nest and a bird exemplifying home for) and then tested whether they could extend the relational concept to another category (e.g., choose the barn as a home for a horse). It found that children benefited from (a) hearing a (novel) category name in a relational construction and (b) comparing category members. The youngest group—3‐year‐olds—learned the category only when given a combination of relational language and a series of comparisons in a progressive alignment sequence. (Source: Child De... Child Development journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4812579 Tue, 10 May 2011 23:00:00 +0100 4812579 Transition From Crawling to Walking and Infants’ Actions With Objects and People http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4788709&cid=s_27187_144_f&fid=27187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdx.doi.org%2F10.1111%252Fj.1467-8624.2011.01595.x Associations between infants’ transition to walking and object activities were examined. Fifty infants were observed longitudinally during home observations. At 11 months, all infants were crawlers; at 13 months, half became walkers. Over age, infants increased their total time with objects and frequency of sharing objects with mothers. Bidirectional influences between locomotion and object actions were found. Walking was associated with new forms of object behaviors: Walkers accessed distant objects, carried objects, and approached mothers to share objects; crawlers preferred objects close at hand and shared objects while remaining stationary. Earlier object activities predicted walking status: Crawlers who accessed distant objects, carried objects, and shared objects over distances... Child Development journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4788709 Wed, 04 May 2011 23:00:00 +0100 4788709 Two‐ to Eight‐Month‐Old Infants’ Perception of Dynamic Auditory–Visual Spatial Colocation http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4788708&cid=s_27187_144_f&fid=27187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdx.doi.org%2F10.1111%252Fj.1467-8624.2011.01593.x From birth, infants detect associations between the locations of static visual objects and sounds they emit, but there is limited evidence regarding their sensitivity to the dynamic equivalent when a sound‐emitting object moves. In 4 experiments involving thirty‐six 2‐month‐olds, forty‐eight 5‐month‐olds, and forty‐eight 8‐month‐olds, we investigated infants’ ability to process this form of spatial colocation. Whereas there was no evidence of spontaneous sensitivity, all age groups detected a dynamic colocation during habituation and looked longer at test trials in which sound and sight were dislocated. Only 2‐month‐olds showed clear sensitivity to the dislocation relation, although 8‐month‐olds did so following additional habituation. These results are discus... Child Development journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4788708 Wed, 04 May 2011 23:00:00 +0100 4788708 Young Children’s Learning and Transfer of Biological Information From Picture Books to Real Animals http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4944554&cid=s_27187_144_f&fid=27187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdx.doi.org%2F10.1111%252Fj.1467-8624.2011.01612.x Preschool children (N = 104) read a book that described and illustrated color camouflage in animals (frogs and lizards). Children were then asked to indicate and explain which of 2 novel animals would be more likely to fall prey to a predatory bird. In Experiment 1, 3‐ and 4‐year‐olds were tested with pictures depicting animals in camouflage and noncamouflage settings; in Experiment 2, 4‐year‐olds were tested with real animals. The results show that by 4 years of age, children can learn new biological facts from a picture book. Of particular importance, transfer from books to real animals was found. These findings point to the importance that early book exposure can play in framing and increasing children’s knowledge about the world. (Source: Child Development) Child Development journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4944554 Sat, 30 Apr 2011 23:00:00 +0100 4944554 Narrative Elaboration and Participation: Two Dimensions of Maternal Elicitation Style http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4812578&cid=s_27187_144_f&fid=27187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdx.doi.org%2F10.1111%252Fj.1467-8624.2011.01600.x This study investigated the narrative scaffolding styles of Spanish‐speaking and English‐speaking mothers as they engaged their preschool‐aged children in family reminiscing and book sharing interactions. Specifically, the study examined the dimensions of narrative elaboration and participation in mothers’ scaffolding styles across the 2 narrative tasks. Cluster analyses identified 2 styles of maternal scaffolding for each context, differing in the degree to which mothers elaborated, the manner in which they did so, and the extent to which they encouraged child participation. Findings highlight the importance of both narrative elaboration and narrative participation as defining dimensions of maternal scaffolding styles. Results are discussed in relation to variations in socializati... Child Development journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4812578 Sat, 30 Apr 2011 23:00:00 +0100 4812578 Manuscripts Accepted for Publication http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4788711&cid=s_27187_144_f&fid=27187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdx.doi.org%2F10.1111%252Fj.1467-8624.2011.01606.x (Source: Child Development) Child Development journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4788711 Sat, 30 Apr 2011 23:00:00 +0100 4788711 In This Issue http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4788710&cid=s_27187_144_f&fid=27187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdx.doi.org%2F10.1111%252Fj.1467-8624.2011.01605.x (Source: Child Development) Child Development journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4788710 Sat, 30 Apr 2011 23:00:00 +0100 4788710 Hemoglobin, Growth, and Attention of Infants in Southern Ethiopia http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4788707&cid=s_27187_144_f&fid=27187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdx.doi.org%2F10.1111%252Fj.1467-8624.2011.01596.x Male and female infants from rural Ethiopia were tested to investigate relations among hemoglobin (Hb), anthropometry, and attention. A longitudinal design was used to examine differences in attention performance from 6 (M = 24.9 weeks, n = 89) to 9 months of age (M = 40.6 weeks, n = 85), differences hypothesized to be related to changes in iron status and growth delays. Stunting (length‐for‐age z scores < −2.0) and attention performance, t(30) = −2.42, p = .022, worsened over time. Growth and Hb predicted attention at 9 months, R2 = .15, p < .05, but not at 6. The study contributes to the knowledge base concerning the relations among Hb, early growth, and attention. (Source: Child Development) Child Development journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4788707 Sat, 30 Apr 2011 23:00:00 +0100 4788707 Desire for Increased Autonomy and Adolescents’ Perceptions of Peer Autonomy: “Everyone Else Can; Why Can’t I?” http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4683653&cid=s_27187_144_f&fid=27187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdx.doi.org%2F10.1111%252Fj.1467-8624.2011.01587.x Two studies examined adolescents’ personal autonomy beliefs and their perceptions of peer autonomy. Study 1 sampled 527 adolescents (M = 15.40 years) and found that adolescents desired increased autonomy most over personal and multifaceted issues and least over moral and conventional issues. Younger adolescents and girls desired increased autonomy more than did older adolescents and boys, respectively. Overestimation of peer autonomy was moderate but stable. Finally, results indicated that adolescents who perceived their friends as having more autonomy than they did were more likely to desire increased autonomy over multifaceted and prudential issues. Study 2 sampled 170 early adolescents (M = 13.39 years) and used a longitudinal design to further support the conclusion that ... Child Development journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4683653 Mon, 04 Apr 2011 23:00:00 +0100 4683653 Changes in Early Adolescents’ Sense of Responsibility to Their Parents in the United States and China: Implications for Academic Functioning http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4683652&cid=s_27187_144_f&fid=27187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdx.doi.org%2F10.1111%252Fj.1467-8624.2011.01588.x This research examined American and Chinese children’s sense of responsibility to their parents during early adolescence, with a focus on its implications for children’s academic functioning. Four times over the seventh and eighth grades, 825 children (mean age = 12.73 years) in the United States and China reported on their sense of responsibility to their parents. Information on children’s academic functioning was also collected from children as well as school records. Although children’s sense of responsibility to their parents declined over the seventh and eighth grades in the United States, this was not the case in China. In both countries, children’s sense of responsibility was predictive of enhanced academic functioning among children over time. (Source: Child Develop... Child Development journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4683652 Mon, 04 Apr 2011 23:00:00 +0100 4683652 Does God Make It Real? Children’s Belief in Religious Stories From the Judeo‐Christian Tradition http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4683651&cid=s_27187_144_f&fid=27187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdx.doi.org%2F10.1111%252Fj.1467-8624.2011.01589.x Four‐ to 6‐year‐old children (N = 131) heard religious or nonreligious stories and were questioned about their belief in the reality of the story characters and events. Children had low to moderate levels of belief in the characters and events. Children in the religious story condition had higher levels of belief in the reality of the characters and events than did children in the nonreligious condition; this relation strengthened with age. Children who used God as an explanation for the events showed higher levels of belief in the factuality of those events. Story familiarity and family religiosity also affected children’s responses. The authors conclude that God’s involvement in a story influences children’s belief in the reality of the characters and events in that story... Child Development journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4683651 Mon, 04 Apr 2011 23:00:00 +0100 4683651 Sequential Progressions in a Theory‐of‐Mind Scale: Longitudinal Perspectives http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4626543&cid=s_27187_144_f&fid=27187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdx.doi.org%2F10.1111%252Fj.1467-8624.2011.01583.x Consecutive retestings of 92 U.S. preschoolers (n = 30), Chinese preschoolers (n = 31), and deaf children (n = 31) examined whether the sequences of development apparent in cross‐sectional results with a theory‐of‐mind scale also appeared in longitudinal assessment. Longitudinal data confirmed that theory‐of‐mind progressions apparent in cross‐sectional scaling data also characterized longitudinal sequences of understanding for individual children. The match between cross‐sectional and longitudinal sequences appeared for children who exhibit different progressions across cultures (United States vs. China) and for children with substantial delays (deaf children of hearing parents). Moreover, greater scale distances reflected larger longitudinal age differences. (So... Child Development journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4626543 Wed, 23 Mar 2011 00:00:00 +0100 4626543 Imagining a Way Out of the Gravity Bias: Preschoolers Can Visualize the Solution to a Spatial Problem http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4626542&cid=s_27187_144_f&fid=27187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdx.doi.org%2F10.1111%252Fj.1467-8624.2011.01584.x Can young children visualize the solution to a difficult spatial problem? Forty‐eight 3‐year‐olds were tested in a spatial reasoning paradigm in which they were asked to predict the path of a ball moving through 1 of 3 intertwined tubes. One group of children was asked to visualize the ball rolling down the tube before they made their predictions, a second group was given identical instructions without being asked to use visual imagery, and a third group was given no instructions. Children in the visualization condition performed significantly better than those in the other conditions, suggesting that encouraging young children to use visual imagery may help them to reason through difficult problems. (Source: Child Development) Child Development journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4626542 Wed, 23 Mar 2011 00:00:00 +0100 4626542 Can Maltreated Children Inhibit True and False Memories for Emotional Information? http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4626541&cid=s_27187_144_f&fid=27187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdx.doi.org%2F10.1111%252Fj.1467-8624.2011.01585.x The authors examined 284 maltreated and nonmaltreated children’s (6‐ to 12‐year‐olds) ability to inhibit true and false memories for neutral and emotional information using the Deese/Roediger‐McDermott (DRM) paradigm. Children studied either emotional or neutral DRM lists in a control condition or were given directed‐remembering or directed‐forgetting instructions. The findings indicated that children, regardless of age and maltreatment status, could inhibit the output of true and false emotional information, although they did so less effectively than when they were inhibiting the output of neutral material. Verbal IQ was related to memory, but dissociative symptoms were not related to children’s recollective ability. These findings add to the growing literature that shows ... Child Development journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4626541 Wed, 23 Mar 2011 00:00:00 +0100 4626541 Third‐Party Social Interaction and Word Learning From Video http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4610574&cid=s_27187_144_f&fid=27187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdx.doi.org%2F10.1111%252Fj.1467-8624.2011.01579.x In previous studies, very young children have learned words while “overhearing” a conversation, yet they have had trouble learning words from a person on video. In Study 1, 64 toddlers (mean age = 29.8 months) viewed an object‐labeling demonstration in 1 of 4 conditions. In 2, the speaker (present or on video) directly addressed the child, and in 2, the speaker addressed another adult who was present or was with her on video. Study 2 involved 2 follow‐up conditions with 32 toddlers (mean age = 30.4 months). Across the 2 studies, the results indicated that toddlers learned words best when participating in or observing a reciprocal social interaction with a speaker who was present or on video. (Source: Child Development) Child Development journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4610574 Fri, 18 Mar 2011 00:00:00 +0100 4610574 Computer‐Assisted Remedial Reading Intervention for School Beginners at Risk for Reading Disability http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4610573&cid=s_27187_144_f&fid=27187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdx.doi.org%2F10.1111%252Fj.1467-8624.2011.01580.x The aim of the longitudinal study was to investigate whether a computer application designed for remedial reading training can enhance letter knowledge, reading accuracy, fluency, and spelling of at‐risk children. The participants, 7‐year‐old Finnish school beginners (N = 166), were assigned to 1 of 3 groups: (a) regular remedial reading intervention (n = 25), (b) computer‐assessed reading intervention (n = 25), and (c) mainstream reading instruction (n = 116). Based on the results, computer‐assisted remedial reading intervention was highly beneficial, whereas regular type of intervention was less successful. The results indicated that at‐risk children require computer‐based letter–name and letter–sound training to acquire adequate decoding and spelling sk... Child Development journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4610573 Fri, 18 Mar 2011 00:00:00 +0100 4610573 Four Children and One Toy: Chinese and Canadian Children Faced With Potential Conflict Over a Limited Resource http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4610572&cid=s_27187_144_f&fid=27187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdx.doi.org%2F10.1111%252Fj.1467-8624.2011.01581.x Quartets of Chinese (n = 125) and Canadian (n = 133) 7‐year‐old children were observed as they played with a single attractive toy. Chinese children exhibited more assertive and general rule bids, engaged in more spontaneous giving, and reacted more positively to assertions of others whereas Canadian children more frequently referred to norms of sharing. Evidence of cultural scripts for dealing with potential conflict, that is, sharing for Canadian children and hierarchical organization for Chinese children, emerged. Passive and reticent behaviors in Chinese children and assertion and object control by Canadian children were associated with group acceptance, results suggesting the meaning of these patterns of social behavior may differ in these two countries. (Source: Child Dev... Child Development journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4610572 Fri, 18 Mar 2011 00:00:00 +0100 4610572 Emotion Regulation Profiles, Temperament, and Adjustment Problems in Preadolescents http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4605554&cid=s_27187_144_f&fid=27187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdx.doi.org%2F10.1111%252Fj.1467-8624.2011.01575.x The longitudinal relations of emotion regulation profiles to temperament and adjustment in a community sample of preadolescents (N = 196, 8–11 years at Time 1) were investigated using person‐oriented latent profile analysis (LPA). Temperament, emotion regulation, and adjustment were measured at 3 different time points, with each time point occurring 1 year apart. LPA identified 5 frustration and 4 anxiety regulation profiles based on children’s physiological, behavioral, and self‐reported reactions to emotion‐eliciting tasks. The relation of effortful control to conduct problems was mediated by frustration regulation profiles, as was the relation of effortful control to depression. Anxiety regulation profiles did not mediate relations between temperament and adjustment. (... Child Development journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4605554 Thu, 17 Mar 2011 00:00:00 +0100 4605554 Relation Between Language Experiences in Preschool Classrooms and Children’s Kindergarten and Fourth‐Grade Language and Reading Abilities http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4605553&cid=s_27187_144_f&fid=27187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdx.doi.org%2F10.1111%252Fj.1467-8624.2011.01576.x Indirect effects of preschool classroom indexes of teacher talk were tested on fourth‐grade outcomes for 57 students from low‐income families in a longitudinal study of classroom and home influences on reading. Detailed observations and audiotaped teacher and child language data were coded to measure content and quantity of verbal interactions in preschool classrooms. Preschool teachers’ use of sophisticated vocabulary during free play predicted fourth‐grade reading comprehension and word recognition (mean age = 9; 7), with effects mediated by kindergarten child language measures (mean age = 5; 6). In large group preschool settings, teachers’ attention‐getting utterances were directly related to later comprehension. Preschool teachers’ correcting utterances and analyt... Child Development journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4605553 Thu, 17 Mar 2011 00:00:00 +0100 4605553 Consequences of “Minimal” Group Affiliations in Children http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4605552&cid=s_27187_144_f&fid=27187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdx.doi.org%2F10.1111%252Fj.1467-8624.2011.01577.x Three experiments (total N = 140) tested the hypothesis that 5‐year‐old children’s membership in randomly assigned “minimal” groups would be sufficient to induce intergroup bias. Children were randomly assigned to groups and engaged in tasks involving judgments of unfamiliar in‐group or out‐group children. Despite an absence of information regarding the relative status of groups or any competitive context, in‐group preferences were observed on explicit and implicit measures of attitude and resource allocation (Experiment 1), behavioral attribution, and expectations of reciprocity, with preferences persisting when groups were not described via a noun label (Experiment 2). In addition, children systematically distorted incoming information by preferentially encoding posit... Child Development journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4605552 Thu, 17 Mar 2011 00:00:00 +0100 4605552 Two‐Year Impacts of a Universal School‐Based Social‐Emotional and Literacy Intervention: An Experiment in Translational Developmental Research http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4574846&cid=s_27187_144_f&fid=27187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdx.doi.org%2F10.1111%252Fj.1467-8624.2010.01560.x This study contributes to ongoing scholarship at the nexus of translational research, education reform, and the developmental and prevention sciences. It reports 2‐year experimental impacts of a universal, integrated school‐based intervention in social‐emotional learning and literacy development on children’s social‐emotional, behavioral, and academic functioning. The study employed a school‐randomized, experimental design with 1,184 children in 18 elementary schools. Children in the intervention schools showed improvements across several domains: self‐reports of hostile attributional bias, aggressive interpersonal negotiation strategies, and depression, and teacher reports of attention skills, and aggressive and socially competent behavior. In addition, there were effects of... Child Development journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4574846 Thu, 10 Mar 2011 00:00:00 +0100 4574846 Gender Differences in Adolescents’ Daily Interpersonal Events and Well‐Being http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4565671&cid=s_27187_144_f&fid=27187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdx.doi.org%2F10.1111%252Fj.1467-8624.2010.01521.x This study examined daily interpersonal events with parents and friends and daily well‐being among 589 ninth‐grade students (mean age = 14.9 years) from Mexican, Chinese, and European backgrounds. Associations were examined using a daily diary methodology whereby adolescents reported on positive and negative interpersonal experiences and mood each day for 2 weeks. Analyses using hierarchical linear modeling revealed bidirectional associations between adolescents’ daily social interactions and mood. Findings indicated gender differences in adolescents’ reactivity to daily interpersonal events as well as in the strength of daily mood as a predictor of interpersonal events. Furthermore, the ratio of positive to negative events experienced daily was consequential for adolescent... Child Development journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4565671 Wed, 09 Mar 2011 00:00:00 +0100 4565671 Domain General Constraints on Statistical Learning http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4565670&cid=s_27187_144_f&fid=27187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdx.doi.org%2F10.1111%252Fj.1467-8624.2010.01522.x All theories of language development suggest that learning is constrained. However, theories differ on whether these constraints arise from language‐specific processes or have domain‐general origins such as the characteristics of human perception and information processing. The current experiments explored constraints on statistical learning of patterns, such as the phonotactic patterns of an infants’ native language. Infants in these experiments were presented with a visual analog of a phonotactic learning task used by J. R. Saffran and E. D. Thiessen (2003). Saffran and Thiessen found that infants’ phonotactic learning was constrained such that some patterns were learned more easily than other patterns. The current results indicate that infants’ learning of visual patterns show... Child Development journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4565670 Wed, 09 Mar 2011 00:00:00 +0100 4565670 Reciprocal Relations Between Parenting and Adjustment in a Sample of Juvenile Offenders http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4565669&cid=s_27187_144_f&fid=27187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdx.doi.org%2F10.1111%252Fj.1467-8624.2010.01523.x The over‐time reciprocal links between parenting and adolescent adjustment were examined in a sample of 1,354 serious adolescent offenders followed for 3 years (16 years of age at baseline, SD = 1.14). Parallel processing growth curve models provided independent estimates of the impact of parenting on adolescent functioning as well as the impact of adolescent functioning on parenting. Positive adolescent development was facilitated by high parental warmth and low parental hostility. Parental monitoring predicted less problematic behavior, but less positive functioning as well. Predictably, parents became warmer and less hostile in response to positive adolescent development, and less warm in response to problematic adolescent functioning. Parental monitoring declined when adolesc... Child Development journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4565669 Wed, 09 Mar 2011 00:00:00 +0100 4565669 Latino Adolescents’ Experiences of Discrimination Across the First 2 Years of High School: Correlates and Influences on Educational Outcomes http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4565668&cid=s_27187_144_f&fid=27187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdx.doi.org%2F10.1111%252Fj.1467-8624.2010.01524.x Changes in perceptions of discrimination were examined with 668 Latino students (62% Mexican American; 56% female; Mage = 14.6 years). Adolescents’ reports of discrimination increased across the first 2 years of high school. Perceptions of discrimination were higher for boys and for primary language brokers, as well as for adolescents in schools with more ethnically diverse student bodies but a less diverse teaching staff. Path analysis revealed that higher levels of discrimination and increases in discrimination across time influenced Latino adolescents’ academic outcomes (i.e., grades, absences) indirectly via their influences on perceptions of school climate. Findings highlight previously understudied individual and school contextual factors that shape experiences of discrim... Child Development journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4565668 Wed, 09 Mar 2011 00:00:00 +0100 4565668 Conditional Reasoning With False Premises Facilitates the Transition Between Familiar and Abstract Reasoning http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4565667&cid=s_27187_144_f&fid=27187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdx.doi.org%2F10.1111%252Fj.1467-8624.2010.01526.x Abstract reasoning is critical for science and mathematics, but is very difficult. In 3 studies, the hypothesis that alternatives generation required for conditional reasoning with false premises facilitates abstract reasoning is examined. Study 1 (n = 372) found that reasoning with false premises improved abstract reasoning in 12‐ to 15‐year‐olds. Study 2 (n = 366) found a positive effect of simply generating alternatives, but only in 19‐year‐olds. Study 3 (n = 92) found that 9‐ to 11‐year‐olds were able to respond logically with false premises, whereas no such ability was observed in 6‐ to 7‐year‐olds. Reasoning with false premises was found to improve reasoning with semiabstract premises in the older children. These results support the idea that alterna... Child Development journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4565667 Wed, 09 Mar 2011 00:00:00 +0100 4565667