MetaTOC stay on top of your field, easily

Child Development Perspectives

Impact factor: 2.12 5-Year impact factor: 2.322 Print ISSN: 1750-8592 Online ISSN: 1750-8606 Publisher: Wiley Blackwell (Blackwell Publishing)

Subject: Developmental Psychology

Most recent papers:

  • Early Relational Experience: A Foundation for the Unfolding Dynamics of Parent–Child Socialization.
    Grazyna Kochanska, Lea J. Boldt, Kathryn C. Goffin.
    Child Development Perspectives. October 24, 2018
    --- - |2 Abstract Psychologists have long tried to understand why trajectories of socialization in individual parent–child dyads can be distinct, leading to adaptive or maladaptive developmental outcomes. In this article, we elucidate origins of those differences by examining the subtle yet enduring implications of early parent–child relationships in longitudinal studies of low‐ and high‐risk families, using correlational and experimental designs, and multiple measures. Those relationships are key for socialization because they can alter cascades from children's biologically based difficult temperament to parents' negative control to negative children's outcomes, as demonstrated by social‐learning theories. We suggest that those cascades unfold only in parent–child dyads whose early relationships lack positive mutuality and security. Such relationships set the tone for adversarial cascades. In contrast, early mutually positive, secure relationships initiate cooperative, effective socialization and defuse risks of negative cascades. Parents' and children's internal representations of each other may explain how such divergent sequelae unfold. - Child Development Perspectives, EarlyView.
    October 24, 2018   doi: 10.1111/cdep.12308   open full text
  • From Interest to Obligation: The Gradual Development of Human Altruism.
    Audun Dahl, Markus Paulus.
    Child Development Perspectives. October 23, 2018
    --- - |2 Abstract Altruism is a central feature of human morality. Recent research sheds light on the development of altruism in early childhood. In this article, we propose a theoretical framework that systematizes research on how altruism develops from infancy to childhood. The framework includes four phases in the development of human altruism: (a) interest in social interactions, (b) preference for others’ goal completion, (c) concern with others’ well‐being, and (d) a normative stance toward altruistic actions. We point to needs for additional research, especially on developmental processes by which children develop from one phase to another, eventually leading children to acquire forms of altruism that play important roles in human societies. - Child Development Perspectives, EarlyView.
    October 23, 2018   doi: 10.1111/cdep.12298   open full text
  • Inhibition and Mathematical Performance: Poorly Correlated, Poorly Measured, or Poorly Matched?
    Kerry Lee, Hon Wah Lee.
    Child Development Perspectives. October 23, 2018
    --- - |2 Abstract Inhibition is an important aspect of executive functioning (EF) that refers to a cognitive mechanism that blocks or suppresses irrelevant stimuli, memory, habitual responses, or automatized processes from interrupting the desired response. Researchers have found weak and inconsistent relations between inhibitory abilities and mathematics performance (Bull & Lee, 2014). Given anecdotal evidence of the effects of external distraction or intruding thoughts on the ability to stay on task, it is surprising that inhibitory abilities do not have a more prominent role. In this article, we argue that this lower‐than‐expected association is due to (a) age‐related changes in EF, (b) the sensitivity of inhibitory tasks commonly used in studies, (c) a mismatch in how susceptibility to interference and mathematical performance are measured, and (d) the choice of criterion measures, with some mathematical tasks imposing less inhibitory demands than others. - Child Development Perspectives, EarlyView.
    October 23, 2018   doi: 10.1111/cdep.12304   open full text
  • Discrepancies Between Adolescent and Parent Reports About Family Relationships.
    Andres De Los Reyes, Christine M. Ohannessian, Sarah J. Racz.
    Child Development Perspectives. October 15, 2018
    --- - |2 Abstract Family relationships play an essential role in adolescent development. When studying relationship domains (e.g., quality, conflict, communication), researchers typically rely on adolescents and their parents as informants. However, across research teams, domains, and methods of measurement, researchers commonly observe discrepant estimates of family relationships between informants’ reports. In this article, we review theoretical models for understanding these discrepant reports, summarize research on how the degree of discrepancy between reports informs our understanding of adolescent development, and highlight directions for research. - Child Development Perspectives, EarlyView.
    October 15, 2018   doi: 10.1111/cdep.12306   open full text
  • Socioeconomic Inequality and the Developing Brain: Spotlight on Language and Executive Function.
    Emily C. Merz, Cynthia A. Wiltshire, Kimberly G. Noble.
    Child Development Perspectives. October 15, 2018
    --- - |2 Abstract Robust evidence of the deleterious effects of poverty on children's academic achievement has generated considerable interest in the neural mechanisms underlying these associations. In studies of specific neurocognitive skills, researchers have found pronounced socioeconomic disparities in children's language and executive function (EF) skills. In this article, we review research linking socioeconomic factors (e.g., family income, parental education) with children's brain structure and function, focusing on the neural systems involved in language and EF. Then, we cover the potential mediators of these associations, developmental timing, and strategies for prevention and intervention. To complement research at the behavioral level, we conclude with recommendations for integrating measures of the developing brain into this ongoing work. - Child Development Perspectives, EarlyView.
    October 15, 2018   doi: 10.1111/cdep.12305   open full text
  • Trauma and Long‐Term Memory for Childhood Events: Impact Matters.
    Gail S. Goodman, Jodi A. Quas, Deborah Goldfarb, Lauren Gonzalves, Alejandra Gonzalez.
    Child Development Perspectives. October 15, 2018
    --- - |2 Abstract In recent years, society has been stunned by high‐profile cases in which adults allege they were sexually victimized in childhood. A crucial issue in these cases is how accurately adults remember the traumatic childhood experiences. In this article, we examine the predictors of the accuracy of adults’ long‐term memory for maltreatment and events related to the maltreatment experienced in childhood. First, we discuss memory for negative or threatening information and how child maltreatment may affect memory. Second, we highlight methodological challenges inherent in this scientific inquiry. Third, we describe the findings from our longitudinal research on the accuracy of adults’ memory for child abuse and for subsequent involvement in the legal system. We conclude that, overall, the greater the traumatic impact experienced, the more accurate the later memory, although factors related to development, individual differences, and interviews moderate the effects of childhood trauma on the accuracy of adults’ memory. - Child Development Perspectives, EarlyView.
    October 15, 2018   doi: 10.1111/cdep.12307   open full text
  • Issue Information ‐ Editorial Board.

    Child Development Perspectives. August 04, 2018
    --- - - Child Development Perspectives, Volume 12, Issue 3, Page 139-139, September 2018.
    August 04, 2018   doi: 10.1111/cdep.12258   open full text
  • Erratum.

    Child Development Perspectives. July 12, 2018
    --- - - Child Development Perspectives, EarlyView.
    July 12, 2018   doi: 10.1111/cdep.12303   open full text
  • The Social Glue of Cumulative Culture and Ritual Behavior.
    Mark Nielsen.
    Child Development Perspectives. June 12, 2018
    --- - |2 Abstract Cumulative culture, where innovations are incorporated progressively into a population's stock of skills and knowledge, generating more sophisticated repertoires, is a core aspect of human cognition underpinning the technological advances that characterize our species. Cumulative culture relies on our proclivity for high‐fidelity imitation, a characteristic that emerged phylogenetically early in our evolutionary history and emerges ontogenetically early in our development. Commensurate with this proclivity to copy others comes a tradeoff that behaviors that are functionally irrelevant will be easily maintained and transmitted. Rituals are an expression of this. In this article, I argue that the core cognitive architecture responsible for cumulative culture and technological progress also supports the propagation of rituals: our socially motivated propensity for engaging in high‐fidelity imitation. - Child Development Perspectives, EarlyView.
    June 12, 2018   doi: 10.1111/cdep.12297   open full text
  • Neighborhood Context and Children's Development: When Do Neighborhoods Matter Most?
    Tama Leventhal.
    Child Development Perspectives. June 08, 2018
    --- - |2 Abstract In this article, I examine when neighborhoods matter for children's development. I review conceptual and empirical work on developmental timing, highlighting the dynamic interactions between neighborhood context and children's development in the first two decades of life, and incorporating the issue of residential mobility (children moving across or within neighborhoods). This research suggests that childhood may be a time when individuals’ achievement is sensitive to neighborhoods’ socioeconomic conditions, while moving in middle childhood or early adolescence may be most consequential for children's development, both in terms of achievement and socioemotional functioning. In both cases, cumulative exposure to neighborhood socioeconomic conditions or residential mobility in the first two decades of life may be more important for children's development than exposure during either childhood or adolescence, but it likely depends on their co‐occurrence and the outcome. I conclude by addressing methodological considerations for further study. - Child Development Perspectives, EarlyView.
    June 08, 2018   doi: 10.1111/cdep.12296   open full text
  • When and How Do Interactive Digital Media Help Children Connect What They See On and Off the Screen?
    Heather L. Kirkorian.
    Child Development Perspectives. May 22, 2018
    --- - |2 Abstract Understanding screen media—even television—can be a challenging task that requires substantial cognitive effort, especially for young children with relatively limited cognitive resources. Toddlers are less likely to transfer information across contexts (e.g., from video images to actual objects) than within the same context. Interactivity, such as that afforded by video chat and touchscreen mobile applications, may promote this transfer. However, some types of interactivity may be more beneficial than others, and the optimal conditions for learning differ across children. In this article, I describe what we know and what we need to understand more fully about children's transfer in the context of interactive digital media. I emphasize the extent to which cognitive constraints and the complexity of tasks likely moderate the effects of digital media on early learning and development. - Child Development Perspectives, Volume 12, Issue 3, Page 210-214, September 2018.
    May 22, 2018   doi: 10.1111/cdep.12290   open full text
  • What Factors Facilitate Resilience in Developmental Dyslexia? Examining Protective and Compensatory Mechanisms Across the Neurodevelopmental Trajectory.
    Xi Yu, Jennifer Zuk, Nadine Gaab.
    Child Development Perspectives. May 04, 2018
    --- - |2 Abstract Developmental dyslexia is a specific learning disability characterized by deficits reading single words. Dyslexia is heritable and has been associated with neural alterations in regions of the left hemisphere in the brain. Cognitive and neural atypicalities have been observed before children with familial risk for dyslexia begin reading, yet children who are at risk subsequently develop reading abilities on a continuum from good to poor. Of those children who develop good reading skills, what factors are associated with more successful outcomes? In this article, we review findings describing genetic, cognitive, neurobiological, and environmental factors that facilitate reading development and propose a model of neural pathways to support successful reading development in at‐risk children. This research can inform educational and clinical strategies to support at‐risk children. Investigating factors that contribute to the variance in behavioral outcomes among at‐risk children may help us understand developmental disorders and associated etiological, compensatory, and protective factors. - Child Development Perspectives, EarlyView.
    May 04, 2018   doi: 10.1111/cdep.12293   open full text
  • Children's Belief in Counterintuitive and Counterperceptual Messages.
    Jonathan D. Lane.
    Child Development Perspectives. May 04, 2018
    --- - |2 Abstract Children's cognition is shaped, in part, by the messages provided by parents, educators, and peers. Some of these messages defy children's own knowledge or perceptions—these claims may be confronted regularly in science classes and museums (e.g., when learning about invisible gases or species categorization) and in religious settings (e.g., when learning about all‐powerful deities, souls, or qi). How are children's beliefs influenced by these countermessages? Using a constructivist framework, I review research to chart a developmental account for how children adjust their beliefs in response to counterintuitive and counterperceptual messages. I focus on how and why children's receptivity to such claims shifts across development, and I discuss cognitive and contextual factors that influence these developments. - Child Development Perspectives, EarlyView.
    May 04, 2018   doi: 10.1111/cdep.12294   open full text
  • Why Do Children Learn the Words They Do?
    Nivedita Mani, Lena Ackermann.
    Child Development Perspectives. May 04, 2018
    --- - |2 Abstract Most children can produce a few words by the end of their first year and rapidly acquire almost 30 times as many words in the following year. Although this general pattern remains the same for children learning different languages, the words individual children know are considerably different. In this article, we consider the possibility that children are an important source of variability in early vocabulary acquisition in the context of curiosity‐driven approaches to language learning. In particular, we review research that supports two interrelated claims: that what children know and what children are interested in interact in shaping what children learn. We suggest that this, as well as the possibility that children are motivated intrinsically to learn language, sets the stage for early vocabulary learning. - Child Development Perspectives, EarlyView.
    May 04, 2018   doi: 10.1111/cdep.12295   open full text
  • Teaching and Learning Spelling.
    Rebecca Treiman.
    Child Development Perspectives. April 27, 2018
    --- - |2 Abstract Learning to spell is important for writing and reading, but how spelling should be taught is a controversial topic. Although children learn about spelling to some extent as they encounter words while reading, this is not usually enough to make them good spellers. Children need systematic spelling instruction to learn how the writing system works and not just memorize how words are spelled. Phonics instruction is more effective than some other instructional approaches, but teaching phonics presents a simplified and in some ways inaccurate picture of English and some other writing systems. Studying words and the patterns they follow is more effective. To use such methods well, teachers need more opportunities to learn about writing systems and the development of spelling. - Child Development Perspectives, EarlyView.
    April 27, 2018   doi: 10.1111/cdep.12292   open full text
  • Loneliness in Adolescence: Insights From Cacioppo's Evolutionary Model.
    Luc Goossens.
    Child Development Perspectives. April 27, 2018
    --- - |2 Abstract Adolescents are often thought to be lonely because they distance themselves from their parents and are not fully integrated into the social world of their peers. Cacioppo's evolutionary model of loneliness, which has been applied primarily to adults, offers a complementary perspective. This model explains not only how feelings of loneliness emerge, but also how they are maintained. It also explains how loneliness can affect physiological functioning and health, and can spur changes in how people process information in the brain, as well as how genetic factors can affect loneliness. In this article, I use recent research to illustrate how the model sheds new light on loneliness in adolescence. I also suggest a comprehensive model of adolescent loneliness that combines key aspects of Cacioppo's evolutionary model with elements of other models. - Child Development Perspectives, EarlyView.
    April 27, 2018   doi: 10.1111/cdep.12291   open full text
  • An Introduction to the Approximate Number System.
    Darko Odic, Ariel Starr.
    Child Development Perspectives. April 10, 2018
    --- - |2 Abstract What are young children's first intuitions about numbers and what role do these play in their later understanding of mathematics? Traditionally, number has been viewed as a culturally derived breakthrough occurring relatively recently in human history that requires years of education to master. Contrary to this view, research in cognitive development indicates that our minds come equipped with a rich and flexible sense of number—the approximate number system (ANS). Recently, several major challenges have been mounted to the existence of the ANS and its value as a domain‐specific system for representing number. In this article, we review five questions related to the ANS (what, who, why, where, and how) to argue that the ANS is defined by key behavioral and neural signatures, operates independently from nonnumeric dimensions such as time and space, and is used for a variety of functions (including formal mathematics) throughout life. We identify research questions that help elucidate the nature of the ANS and the role it plays in shaping children's earliest understanding of the world around them. - Child Development Perspectives, EarlyView.
    April 10, 2018   doi: 10.1111/cdep.12288   open full text
  • Preventing Unintentional Injuries to Young Children in the Home: Understanding and Influencing Parents’ Safety Practices.
    Barbara A. Morrongiello.
    Child Development Perspectives. April 02, 2018
    --- - |2 Abstract Unintentional injuries are the leading cause of preventable deaths for children in most industrialized countries. In this article, I consider research on how parents prevent home injuries to children under 6 years and discuss an intervention aimed at improving parents’ home‐safety practices. Parents of young children use three types of home‐safety practices: teaching about safety, modifying the environment, and supervising. Relying predominantly on teaching increases young children's risk of injury, whereas modifying the environment and supervising protect children and predict fewer injuries. Drawing on evidence about factors that motivate parents’ safety practices, an intervention was developed to improve supervision: The Supervising for Home Safety program positively changed parents’ appraisals about injury and supervision practices. Developing evidence‐based injury‐prevention programs is an effective way to address this national public‐health issue. - Child Development Perspectives, EarlyView.
    April 02, 2018   doi: 10.1111/cdep.12287   open full text
  • Corrigendum.

    Child Development Perspectives. March 31, 2018
    --- - - Child Development Perspectives, EarlyView.
    March 31, 2018   doi: 10.1111/cdep.12289   open full text
  • Perception of Face Race by Infants: Five Developmental Changes.
    Paul C. Quinn, Kang Lee, Olivier Pascalis.
    Child Development Perspectives. March 26, 2018
    --- - |2 Abstract Over the last 15 years, researchers have examined how infants respond to the social categories of faces. In the case of race, infants encounter more faces of their own race than faces of other races. This asymmetry in experience has been associated with five developmental changes in face processing during the first year of life. In this article, we describe these changes in recognition, spontaneous preference, visual scanning, category formation, and association with valence, and discuss their interrelationships. Certain individual changes correspond with one or another of the classic models of perceptual development (i.e., maintenance, attunement). But considered together, the changes suggest that a framework linking perceptual with social‐emotional processing may provide a broader way of thinking about the overall pattern of how infants develop differential responses to faces of their own race that they experience frequently versus faces of other races that they experience infrequently. - Child Development Perspectives, Volume 12, Issue 3, Page 204-209, September 2018.
    March 26, 2018   doi: 10.1111/cdep.12286   open full text
  • The Developmental Origins of the Perception and Production of Musical Rhythm.
    Erin E. Hannon, Jessica E. Nave‐Blodgett, Karli M. Nave.
    Child Development Perspectives. February 26, 2018
    --- - |2 Abstract In recent years, interest has grown in potential links between abilities in musical rhythm and the development of language and reading, as well as in using music lessons as an intervention or diagnostic tool for individuals at risk for language and reading delays. Nevertheless, the development of abilities in musical rhythm is a relatively new area of study. In this article, we review knowledge about the development of musical rhythm, highlighting key musical structures of rhythm, beat, and meter, and suggesting areas of inquiry. Further research is needed to understand how children acquire the perceptual and cognitive underpinnings of universal musical behaviors such as dancing, clapping, and singing in time with music. - Child Development Perspectives, Volume 12, Issue 3, Page 194-198, September 2018.
    February 26, 2018   doi: 10.1111/cdep.12285   open full text
  • Why Effort Praise Can Backfire in Adolescence.
    Jamie Amemiya, Ming‐Te Wang.
    Child Development Perspectives. February 26, 2018
    --- - |2 Abstract Praise for process, which includes praising students’ level of effort and effective strategies, has shown promise in improving students’ motivation to learn. However, parents and teachers may interpret this to mean that solely praising students’ effort level is sufficient. Although praise for effort is effective in some respects in early childhood, it often stops working and even backfires by adolescence. In this article, we explain these findings developmentally. We suggest that effort praise can communicate that effort is a path to improving ability, but can also imply that the student needs to work hard because of low innate ability. We propose that adolescents are at greater risk for interpreting the praise in the second way because secondary schools often value innate ability more than effort and adolescents are conscious of ability stereotypes. We conclude with implications for theory and research. - Child Development Perspectives, Volume 12, Issue 3, Page 199-203, September 2018.
    February 26, 2018   doi: 10.1111/cdep.12284   open full text
  • From Babies to Robots: The Contribution of Developmental Robotics to Developmental Psychology.
    Angelo Cangelosi, Matthew Schlesinger.
    Child Development Perspectives. February 20, 2018
    --- - |2 Abstract The latest developments in artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning, and the parallel advances in robotics, have contributed recently to a shift in the scientific approach to modeling human intelligence. These innovations, accompanied by the new emphasis on embodied and grounded cognition in AI and psychology, have led to the establishment of the field of developmental robotics. This field features an interdisciplinary approach, built on collaboration between cognitive robotics and child psychology, to the autonomous design of behavioral and cognitive capabilities in artificial cognitive agents, such as robots, which is inspired by developmental principles and mechanisms observed in children. In this article, we illustrate the benefits of this approach by presenting a case study of a baby robot with a focus on the role of embodiment during early word learning, as well as an overview of several developmental robotics model of perceptual, social, and language development. - Child Development Perspectives, Volume 12, Issue 3, Page 183-188, September 2018.
    February 20, 2018   doi: 10.1111/cdep.12282   open full text
  • Infants' Understanding of Distributive Fairness as a Test Case for Identifying the Extents and Limits of Infants' Sociomoral Cognition and Behavior.
    Jessica A. Sommerville.
    Child Development Perspectives. February 19, 2018
    --- - |2 Abstract In this article, I use infants' sensitivity to distributive fairness as a test case to identify the extents and limits of infants' sociomoral cognition and behavior. Infants' sensitivity to distributive fairness is in some ways commensurate with this understanding in older children and adults; infants expect fair distributions of resources and evaluate others based on their adherence to or violation of fairness norms. Yet these sensitivities also differ in important ways, including that infants do not spontaneously punish unfair individuals. I address questions about the role of experience in infants' development of sociomoral cognition and behavior, and whether infants' moral cognition and behavior are differentiated appropriately (from their social knowledge and behavior) and integrated (across subaspects of morality). I suggest two approaches to move the field forward: investigating processes that contribute to developing sociomoral cognition and behavior, and considering infants' successes and failures in this domain. - Child Development Perspectives, Volume 12, Issue 3, Page 141-145, September 2018.
    February 19, 2018   doi: 10.1111/cdep.12283   open full text
  • Great Apes and Human Development: A Personal History.
    Michael Tomasello.
    Child Development Perspectives. February 10, 2018
    --- - |2 Abstract In this article, I recount my history of research with great apes. From the beginning, the idea was to compare apes to human children, with an eye to discovering facts relevant to describing and explaining processes of human development. The research went through three more or less distinct stages, focusing on communication and social learning, social cognition and theory of mind, and cooperation and shared intentionality. I conclude by identifying problems and prospects for comparative research in developmental psychology. - Child Development Perspectives, Volume 12, Issue 3, Page 189-193, September 2018.
    February 10, 2018   doi: 10.1111/cdep.12281   open full text
  • The Development of Self and Identity in Adolescence: Neural Evidence and Implications for a Value‐Based Choice Perspective on Motivated Behavior.
    Jennifer H. Pfeifer, Elliot T. Berkman.
    Child Development Perspectives. February 08, 2018
    --- - |2 Abstract Following a key developmental task of childhood—building a foundation of self‐knowledge in the form of domain‐specific self‐concepts—adolescents begin to explore their emerging identities in ways that foster autonomy and connectedness. Neuroimaging studies of self‐related processes demonstrate enhanced engagement of the ventromedial prefrontal cortex (PFC) in adolescence, which may facilitate and reflect the development of identity by integrating the value of potential actions and choices. Drawing from neuroeconomic and social‐cognitive accounts, we propose that motivated behavior during adolescence can be modeled by a general value‐based decision‐making process centered around value accumulation in the ventromedial PFC. This approach advances models of adolescent neurodevelopment that focus on reward sensitivity and cognitive control by considering more diverse value inputs, including contributions of developing self‐ and identity‐related processes. It also considers adolescent decision making and behavior from adolescents' point of view rather than adults' perspectives on what adolescents should value or how they should behave. - Child Development Perspectives, Volume 12, Issue 3, Page 158-164, September 2018.
    February 08, 2018   doi: 10.1111/cdep.12279   open full text
  • Perceptual Organization in Individuals With Autism Spectrum Disorder.
    Kris Evers, Ruth Hallen, Ilse Noens, Johan Wagemans.
    Child Development Perspectives. February 02, 2018
    --- - |2 Abstract Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is typically associated with problems in social communication and interaction, combined with restrictive and repetitive interests, behaviors, and activities. In addition, individuals with ASD often experience sensory abnormalities and have difficulties with perceptual organization, which can affect other aspects of information processing, such as attention, and perception of faces and motion. Researchers have studied atypical perceptual organization in individuals with ASD over the past decades, particularly in visual perception, finding both a reduced tendency to integrate information into meaningful wholes and a stronger focus on details in individuals with autism. In this article, we review empirical findings and describe briefly two influential theoretical accounts (weak central coherence and enhanced perceptual functioning theory), as well as more recent theoretical frameworks that emphasize the imbalance between local and global processing, or anomalies at the level of the brain as an engine of prediction. - Child Development Perspectives, Volume 12, Issue 3, Page 177-182, September 2018.
    February 02, 2018   doi: 10.1111/cdep.12280   open full text
  • Development of Parent–Adolescent Relationships: Conflict Interactions as a Mechanism of Change.
    Susan Branje.
    Child Development Perspectives. January 24, 2018
    --- - |2 Abstract Adolescence is a period of rapid biological and psychosocial changes, which have a salient impact on parent–child relationships. Parents and adolescents have to reorganize responsibilities and move toward a more egalitarian relationship. Although conflicts between parents and children become more frequent and more intense during adolescence, these conflicts are also thought to be a means to negotiate relational changes. The short‐term dyadic processes that occur during conflict interactions are important in the development of parent–adolescent relationships. Parent–adolescent dyads with more emotional variability during conflict interactions tend to adapt effectively and reorganize their relationships in response to the developmental needs of adolescents. Thus, parent–adolescent conflicts are adaptive for relational development when parents and adolescents can switch flexibly between a range of positive and negative emotions. - Child Development Perspectives, Volume 12, Issue 3, Page 171-176, September 2018.
    January 24, 2018   doi: 10.1111/cdep.12278   open full text
  • Sociocultural Influences on the Sociopolitical Development of African American Youth.
    Nkemka Anyiwo, Josefina Bañales, Stephanie J. Rowley, Daphne C. Watkins, Katie Richards‐Schuster.
    Child Development Perspectives. January 13, 2018
    --- - |2 Abstract Sociopolitical development (SPD) is the process by which individuals become aware of social inequality, recognize the status of their social identities, and engage in activism. For racially marginalized youth, race is an important aspect of their SPD. Yet few studies have considered the connections between racial factors and youth's SPD. In this article, we introduce an integrative model situating racial sociocultural processes (i.e., racial identity, racial socialization, and experiences of racial discrimination) within current SPD theory. In particular, we look at African American youth as a case study to discuss how sociocultural factors can contribute to youth's awareness of structures of social inequality (i.e., critical social analysis) and engagement in action against social inequality (i.e., sociopolitical action). We conclude with suggestions for research. - Child Development Perspectives, Volume 12, Issue 3, Page 165-170, September 2018.
    January 13, 2018   doi: 10.1111/cdep.12276   open full text
  • Fathers Are Parents, Too! Widening the Lens on Parenting for Children's Development.
    Natasha J. Cabrera, Brenda L. Volling, Rachel Barr.
    Child Development Perspectives. January 08, 2018
    --- - |2 Abstract Why do fathers matter? Recent conceptual and theoretical advances regarding father–child relationships have demonstrated that fathers affect children's outcomes both directly and indirectly. To attain a complete developmental account of the ecologically rich contexts of child development, in this article, we recommend best practices regarding the conceptualization and assessment of father–child relationships that reflect contemporary family life. We also discuss conceptual and measurement issues pertaining to father–child relationships in different family configurations, including those with resident and nonresident fathers. We conclude with recommendations that can help developmental researchers advance our understanding of fathering, parenting, and children's development. - Child Development Perspectives, Volume 12, Issue 3, Page 152-157, September 2018.
    January 08, 2018   doi: 10.1111/cdep.12275   open full text
  • Social Robots for Early Language Learning: Current Evidence and Future Directions.
    Junko Kanero, Vasfiye Geçkin, Cansu Oranç, Ezgi Mamus, Aylin C. Küntay, Tilbe Göksun.
    Child Development Perspectives. January 08, 2018
    --- - |2 Abstract In this article, we review research on child–robot interaction (CRI) to discuss how social robots can be used to scaffold language learning in young children. First we provide reasons why robots can be useful for teaching first and second languages to children. Then we review studies on CRI that used robots to help children learn vocabulary and produce language. The studies vary in first and second languages and demographics of the learners (typically developing children and children with hearing and communication impairments). We conclude that, although social robots are useful for teaching language to children, evidence suggests that robots are not as effective as human teachers. However, this conclusion is not definitive because robots that tutor students in language have not been evaluated rigorously and technology is advancing rapidly. We suggest that CRI offers an opportunity for research and list possible directions for that work. - Child Development Perspectives, Volume 12, Issue 3, Page 146-151, September 2018.
    January 08, 2018   doi: 10.1111/cdep.12277   open full text
  • Measuring Early Care and Education Quality.
    Margaret Burchinal.
    Child Development Perspectives. October 09, 2017
    High‐quality early care and education (ECE) programs are thought to increase opportunities for all children to succeed in school, but recent findings call into question whether these programs affect children as anticipated. In this article, I examine research relating the quality of ECE to children's outcomes, finding somewhat inconsistent and modest associations with widely used measures of process and structural quality, and more consistent and stronger associations with other dimensions of ECE such as curricula and type of ECE program. I discuss why the associations between ECE quality and outcomes are so modest, including limited children's outcomes, psychometric issues with quality measures, and a need to revise and expand measures of ECE quality. The evidence indicates that we need to focus on the content of instruction and teaching practices, as well as the extent to which teachers actively scaffold learning opportunities. We also need to continue to focus on the quality of interactions between teachers and children, and on children's access to age‐appropriate activities.
    October 09, 2017   doi: 10.1111/cdep.12260   open full text
  • Bystander Responses to Bias‐Based Bullying in Schools: A Developmental Intergroup Approach.
    Sally B. Palmer, Nicola Abbott.
    Child Development Perspectives. September 21, 2017
    Research on bystanders' responses to bullying shows the valuable contribution that prosocial or defender behaviors can have in reducing bullying in schools. In this article, we propose that a developmental intergroup approach (i.e., a developing understanding of social identities and related intergroup processes) is required to understand fully when and why children and adolescents help bullied peers in diverse contexts. First, we review theory and evidence on intergroup social exclusion to demonstrate the strength of a developmental intergroup approach when understanding responses to complex social scenarios in childhood and adolescence. Then, we review recent evidence that demonstrates the importance of examining group membership, group identity, and group norms to understand children's and adolescents' responses as bystanders in the context of bias‐based bullying. Finally, we consider implications for school‐based interventions and next steps for research.
    September 21, 2017   doi: 10.1111/cdep.12253   open full text
  • Development of Appetite Self‐Regulation: Integrating Perspectives From Attachment and Family Systems Theory.
    Jaclyn A. Saltzman, Barbara H. Fiese, Kelly K. Bost, Brent A. McBride.
    Child Development Perspectives. September 18, 2017
    Appetite self‐regulation develops rapidly during the first 2 years of life, with implications for weight‐related health and well‐being over the life span. Attachment theory suggests that interpersonal interactions between caregivers and children are part of the biobehavioral system designed to promote the development of self‐regulation. However, parent–child dyads are embedded within the family system, which also influences individual differences in appetite self‐regulation. In this review, we synthesize research on appetite self‐regulation from the perspectives of attachment and family systems theories to identify strengths and limits in how we understand the development of appetite self‐regulation. We propose an integrative theoretical framework in which familial and dyadic factors influence appetite self‐regulation directly and indirectly via modifications to the quality of parent–child interactions during infancy and early childhood. Finally, we identify avenues for research to test pathways of risk, resilience, and well‐being toward optimal appetite self‐regulation and weight outcomes.
    September 18, 2017   doi: 10.1111/cdep.12254   open full text
  • From Developmental Psychologist to Water Scientist and Back Again: The Role of Interdisciplinary Research in Developmental Science.
    Mary Gauvain.
    Child Development Perspectives. September 14, 2017
    The current focus on large‐scale problems emphasizes interdisciplinary research. In this essay, I describe interdisciplinary research and the role of developmental scientists in this endeavor. The goal is to encourage greater involvement by developmental scientists in interdisciplinary research on global problems that affect the well‐being of children and youth. The involvement of developmental scientists in these efforts will increase the effectiveness of many projects, broaden the scope of research in the discipline, and provide information about the experiences of children and youth around the world. To illustrate, I describe my involvement in interdisciplinary research on water conservation and use. I conclude the essay by describing challenges and benefits of engaging in interdisciplinary research, and offer suggestions for developmental scientists interested in this role.
    September 14, 2017   doi: 10.1111/cdep.12255   open full text
  • Neural and Cognitive Factors Influencing the Emergence of Psychopathology: Insights From the Bucharest Early Intervention Project.
    Sonya Troller‐Renfree, Charles H. Zeanah, Charles A. Nelson, Nathan A. Fox.
    Child Development Perspectives. September 07, 2017
    The adverse effects of institutionalized care and psychosocial deprivation have been documented for more than 100 years. Children who have been raised in institutions are at heightened risk of developing internalizing and externalizing disorders. Given the profound biological and psychological effects of institutional rearing, identifying neural and cognitive factors that influence the emergence of psychopathology in institutionalized children is of great interest. Using data from the Bucharest Early Intervention Project, a randomized control study on the effects of institutional care and a foster care intervention, this article examines two factors that appear to influence the emergence of psychopathology in children who have been institutionalized—neural indices of cognitive control and visual attention biases.
    September 07, 2017   doi: 10.1111/cdep.12251   open full text
  • The Development of Lexical–Semantic Networks in Infants and Toddlers.
    Erica H. Wojcik.
    Child Development Perspectives. September 01, 2017
    Researchers have focused for decades on how young children learn individual words. However, they have paid less attention to how children organize their word knowledge into the network of representations that underlies our ability to retrieve the right words efficiently and flexibly when we need them. Although methodological limits have made it difficult to study the development of lexical–semantic networks, in recent work with new paradigms, infants and toddlers have shown that they organize their vocabulary systematically via both categorical and associative relations from around age 2. Combined with work demonstrating that lexical–semantic relations affect early comprehension, production, and learning, this emerging area of research suggests that scientists and practitioners would benefit from more comprehensive theories of language learning that include not only vocabulary development, but also the development of lexical–semantic networks.
    September 01, 2017   doi: 10.1111/cdep.12252   open full text
  • Gendered Parenting in Early Childhood: Subtle But Unmistakable if You Know Where to Look.
    Judi Mesman, Marleen G. Groeneveld.
    Child Development Perspectives. September 01, 2017
    Gendered parenting refers to parental messages and behaviors that convey information about how girls and boys are supposed to behave. In this article, we show that although gendered socialization is rarely found in broad parenting styles or explicit parenting practices, it is present in implicit parenting practices. Such implicit practices can be directed to the child (direct messages) and take the form of exposing children to different products and responding to children's behaviors differently depending on gender. Implicit gendered parenting practices can also be directed to others or reflect general gendered expressions that are conveyed to the child (indirect messages); these can take the form of gendered evaluations of others’ behaviors in the child's presence and modeling gendered roles. We argue that studying these subtle forms of gendered parenting is important to understand gendered child development in light of the changing societal backdrop of gender roles and values.
    September 01, 2017   doi: 10.1111/cdep.12250   open full text
  • Psychosocial Factors in Children's Obesity: Examples From An Innovative Line of Inquiry.
    Amanda W. Harrist, Glade L. Topham, Laura Hubbs‐Tait, Lenka H. Shriver, Taren M. Swindle.
    Child Development Perspectives. August 28, 2017
    In recent years, researchers and policymakers have recognized that obesity in childhood is not simply a medical problem, but is a complex social and psychological phenomenon. Our research team used an interpersonal and intrapersonal risk model to examine the psychosocial aspects of obesity among rural children. In this article, we describe how the global study of children's obesity has broadened over the last 10–15 years, and we present our model of interpersonal and intrapersonal risk factors, which includes complex pathways with many psychosocial variables. We then describe a large prospective longitudinal study of children in Grades 1 through 4, and highlight findings from five studies guided by this model. This work illustrates opportunities for developmental scientists and practitioners to join transdisciplinary teams to develop more effective prevention and intervention programs for children.
    August 28, 2017   doi: 10.1111/cdep.12245   open full text
  • Sexism in Childhood and Adolescence: Recent Trends and Advances in Research.
    Campbell Leaper, Christia Spears Brown.
    Child Development Perspectives. August 14, 2017
    Sexism in many Western, technological‐industrial societies is expressed in more complex ways in the 21st century than it was in the past. Cultural shifts have led to much progress toward gender equality, but narrow definitions of gender expression continue to be reinforced. Developmental research has highlighted the continued impact of sexism on children's and adolescents’ development. In this article, we review recent work on sexism in three areas: gender identity and expression, gender disparities in academic achievement, and sexual harassment and sexualized gender stereotypes. We conclude with suggestions for research.
    August 14, 2017   doi: 10.1111/cdep.12247   open full text
  • How Do Parents Foster Young Children's Math Skills?
    Leanne Elliott, Heather J. Bachman.
    Child Development Perspectives. August 14, 2017
    Identifying the factors that foster math learning during early childhood is crucial given strong associations between these early skills and later school success. Despite theoretical arguments that the home environment and parents’ practices could support children's math abilities, little research addresses this possibility, especially compared to the breadth of research addressing literacy practices in the home. In this article, we review the literature on how the home numeracy environment may relate to children's math skills and argue that more methodological rigor is needed in these measures. Specifically, we highlight potential alternative dimensions of parents’ math practices beyond the conventional distinction between formal and informal activities, and we discuss directions for investigation. We argue that improving measures of the home numeracy environment may help resolve the mixed pattern of findings in the literature and further support the development of math skills in early childhood.
    August 14, 2017   doi: 10.1111/cdep.12249   open full text
  • Understanding Processes of Peer Clique Influence in Late Childhood and Early Adolescence.
    Wendy E. Ellis, Lynne Zarbatany.
    Child Development Perspectives. August 14, 2017
    Cliques, or groups of peers who interact frequently, are a key social context during childhood and adolescence, providing safety and preferential access to resources. Membership in cliques influences behavior and adjustment, but little is known about the processes by which these influences occur. In this article, we identify putative self and clique socialization processes that may account for greater similarity among clique members over time. Greater adherence to clique norms occurs when members are uncertain about their membership or have limited access to valued clique resources, and when cliques control more resources and are more cohesive. We speculate about other clique influence processes, including those that support children's attempts to distinguish themselves from cliquemates. Understanding clique influence processes can inform efforts to help children and youth resist the negative influences of cliques while protecting the benefits of membership.
    August 14, 2017   doi: 10.1111/cdep.12248   open full text
  • Making and Keeping Friends: The Importance of Being Similar.
    Brett Laursen.
    Child Development Perspectives. August 04, 2017
    Similarity is central to friendship. The origins of homophily (love of the same) between friends are varied, but they all serve the same purpose: fostering compatibility and maintaining the rewards of affiliation. Interpersonal attraction is grounded on similarity. Similar individuals have much in common and find it easy to get along. Friends are selected on the basis of resemblances and friends influence one another to become more similar over time. Friends also resist changes that promote dissimilarity because differences increase the risk that the friendship will dissolve. Similarity is an essential feature of friendship at all stages of life, but it assumes special significance during adolescence when changes in autonomy coincide with changes in the social world to raise the profile of friends.
    August 04, 2017   doi: 10.1111/cdep.12246   open full text
  • Do Infants Really Experience Emotional Contagion?
    Ted Ruffman, Benjamin Lorimer, Damian Scarf.
    Child Development Perspectives. August 02, 2017
    Several modern theories on the origins of human empathy and morality hold that empathic understanding is innate and use research on emotional contagion to support this claim. However, all studies on emotional contagion are limited and far from conclusive. In this article, we argue that the findings from these studies could be explained alternatively in terms of neonates responding to nonemotional acoustic features of the cries they hear rather than to the emotional distress the cries convey. We highlight several areas of concern in the literature and show how research findings on emotional contagion fit comfortably within the alternative framework of acoustic features. Beyond its implications for the literature on emotional contagion, the questions we raise have implications for theories on the origins of morality and empathic understanding. Given the recent proliferation of these theories, this highlights the need to examine with greater scrutiny the evidence that supports them, particularly studies on emotional contagion.
    August 02, 2017   doi: 10.1111/cdep.12244   open full text
  • Family Functioning and Children's Sleep.
    Mona El‐Sheikh, Ryan J. Kelly.
    Child Development Perspectives. July 21, 2017
    Sleep is a pivotal correlate and predictor of many domains of child development, including socioemotional adjustment, physical health, and cognitive functioning. The family plays a major role in shaping children's sleep–wake behaviors, and developmental research on children's sleep in a family context is on the rise. As in any relatively young field, many gaps and questions remain. In this article, we aim to advance this literature by illustrating ways to examine the interconnections between family functioning and children's sleep. We also call for increasing conceptual developments and testing of transactional models, using well‐established and psychometrically sound objective and subjective measures, and expanding both the family functioning domains and sleep parameters assessed.
    July 21, 2017   doi: 10.1111/cdep.12243   open full text
  • The Stony Brook Temperament Study: Early Antecedents and Pathways to Emotional Disorders.
    Daniel N. Klein, Megan C. Finsaas.
    Child Development Perspectives. July 21, 2017
    In this article, we summarize findings from the Stony Brook Temperament Study, which seeks to elucidate the early antecedents and pathways to later depressive and anxiety disorders. The study focuses on parents’ internalizing disorders and children's early temperament as distal risk factors that operate, in part, through biobehavioral reward and threat systems. We summarize findings linking parents’ emotional disorders and observations of children's early temperament to subsequent neural measures of children's affective processing. Next, we review findings showing that children's temperament and affective processing predict subsequent depression and anxiety. We also show that many of these associations are moderated by environmental factors, such as parenting and stress. Finally, we relate our findings to literature on the relationships of early temperament and affective processing to anxiety and depression in youth.
    July 21, 2017   doi: 10.1111/cdep.12242   open full text
  • The Toll of Racial/Ethnic Discrimination on Adolescents' Adjustment.
    Aprile Benner.
    Child Development Perspectives. July 12, 2017
    Experiences of racial/ethnic discrimination are all too common in the lives of adolescents of color. In this article, I identify who is at risk for discriminatory treatment and describe the far‐reaching effects of discrimination on adolescents' adjustment, including their mental and physical health, academic performance and engagement, and risky behaviors. After establishing the impact of racial/ethnic discrimination during adolescence, I then address how personal relationships and individual assets can protect youth from some of the detrimental effects of discrimination. Finally, I discuss the limits of research on this topic and explore promising areas of inquiry, including the contexts in which discrimination occurs and the potential for interventions to reduce discrimination.
    July 12, 2017   doi: 10.1111/cdep.12241   open full text
  • Enhancing Paternal Engagement in a Coparenting Paradigm.
    Marsha Kline. Pruett, Kyle D. Pruett, Carolyn P. Cowan, Philip A. Cowan.
    Child Development Perspectives. June 13, 2017
    Despite the benefits for children and families of fathers who are involved positively with their children, most parenting programs in the United States and globally focus on and collect evaluation data from mothers almost exclusively. Engaging fathers is still viewed as a complex endeavor that is only somewhat successful. In this article, we summarize what is known about engaging fathers in parenting programs, then argue that programs are most effective when coparenting is the focus early in family formation. We rely on two decades of the Supporting Father Involvement program as an example of an initiative that has been effective at recruiting and retaining fathers and mothers in various cultural and national contexts. When programs are inclusive in content and focus on process, are sensitive to differences within and across families, and recognize parents as experts on their children, they are more successful in recruiting and retaining diverse groups of fathers and families.
    June 13, 2017   doi: 10.1111/cdep.12239   open full text
  • Pattern Understanding: Relationships With Arithmetic and Reading Development.
    Kelly Burgoyne, Kate Witteveen, Anne Tolan, Stephanie Malone, Charles Hulme.
    Child Development Perspectives. June 12, 2017
    Pattern understanding (patterning) is commonly taught in preschool and early elementary classrooms. However, the relationship between patterning and academic attainment is not well understood. In this article, we review studies of children's pattern understanding. Some evidence suggests that pattern understanding is related causally to acquiring math and reading skills. However, much of the evidence is weak and these conclusions remain tentative. Research on the relationship between patterning and other skills needs to use psychometrically robust measures and analytic techniques that control for the effects of measurement error. Recent studies suggest that teaching young children patterning skills can improve their attainment in math and reading, but we need larger, methodologically robust, randomized controlled trials to confirm such claims.
    June 12, 2017   doi: 10.1111/cdep.12240   open full text
  • The Impact of Parenting on Emotion Regulation During Childhood and Adolescence.
    Amanda S. Morris, Michael M. Criss, Jennifer S. Silk, Benjamin J. Houltberg.
    Child Development Perspectives. June 09, 2017
    Regulating emotions well is critical for promoting social and emotional health among children and adolescents. Parents play a prominent role in how children develop emotion regulation. In 2007, Morris et al. proposed a tripartite model suggesting that parents influence children's emotion regulation through three mechanisms: children's observation of parents' emotion regulation, emotion‐related parenting practices, and the emotional climate of the family. Over the past decade, we have conducted many studies that support this model, which we summarize here along with other research related to parenting and emotion regulation. We also discuss recent research on the effects of parenting on the neural circuitry involved in emotion regulation and highlight potential directions for research. Finally, we suggest how this research can aid prevention and intervention efforts to help families.
    June 09, 2017   doi: 10.1111/cdep.12238   open full text
  • Emotion and Achievement During Adolescence.
    Reinhard Pekrun.
    Child Development Perspectives. June 08, 2017
    Adolescents frequently experience emotions such as enjoyment, hope, pride, anger, anxiety, shame, or boredom at school. These emotions are often intense and can profoundly affect learning, achievement, and psychological health. Traditionally, these emotions were neglected in research on adolescence, but in the past 15 years, they have gained more attention. In this article, I review studies on the links between emotions and adolescents’ academic achievement. The findings from this emerging field confirm that emotions influence adolescents’ learning, including their attention, motivation, use of learning strategies, self‐regulation of learning, and achievement outcomes. The development of achievement‐related emotions is shaped by adolescents’ appraisals of success and failure, as well as individual factors and social environments influencing these appraisals, including gender, achievement, instructional practices, and test‐taking procedures. In closing, I outline implications for practice and discuss the need for intervention studies targeting achievement emotions.
    June 08, 2017   doi: 10.1111/cdep.12237   open full text
  • The Development of Theory of Mind: Historical Reflections.
    Henry M. Wellman.
    Child Development Perspectives. May 16, 2017
    In this article, I reflect on theory of mind as a field, including how it arose and how it developed. My research has been intertwined with this process; beginning right out of graduate school, my career developed along with the field, and I contributed to the field and its development at various points. So this essay also traces my path as I strived, and still strive, to understand how theory of mind begins and unfolds in human development, what forces shape that development, and what accounts best explain the timetables and progressions of theory‐of‐mind understandings in humans. I end with my sense of where theory‐of‐mind research is likely to head in the near future.
    May 16, 2017   doi: 10.1111/cdep.12236   open full text
  • Dealing With Social Difficulty During Adolescence: The Role of Implicit Theories of Personality.
    David S. Yeager.
    Child Development Perspectives. April 11, 2017
    Social difficulty during adolescence contributes to internalizing problems (e.g., depression, stress) and spurs cycles of aggression and retaliation. In this article, I review how implicit theories of personality—beliefs about whether people can change their socially relevant characteristics—cause some adolescents to respond to social difficulty in these ways while others do not. Believing an entity theory of personality—the belief that people cannot change—causes people to blame their own and others’ traits for social difficulty, and predicts more extreme affective, physiological, and behavioral responses (e.g., depression, aggression). Interventions that teach an incremental theory of personality—the belief that people can change—can reduce problematic reactions to social difficulty. I discuss why interventions to alter implicit theories improve adolescents’ responses to conflict, and I propose suggestions for research.
    April 11, 2017   doi: 10.1111/cdep.12234   open full text
  • Foundations of Reasoning About Social Dominance.
    Anthea Pun, Susan A.J. Birch, Andrew S. Baron.
    Child Development Perspectives. April 07, 2017
    Understanding the factors that shape the social landscape is essential for living in a group, where dominant individuals often have greater control over and access to desired resources such as food and mates. Recently, researchers have demonstrated that preverbal infants, similar to their nonhuman primate relatives, already possess the cognitive schemas necessary to represent social dominance in relationships, using ecologically relevant cues such as relative physical size and group size. In this article, we discuss the phylogenetic and ontogenetic origins of infants’ and children's capacity to represent social dominance in relationships and hierarchies, and examine how these initial representations are enriched across early childhood.
    April 07, 2017   doi: 10.1111/cdep.12235   open full text
  • The Emergence of Episodic Foresight and Its Consequences.
    Thomas Suddendorf.
    Child Development Perspectives. March 25, 2017
    Imagining future events and adjusting current behavior accordingly is a hallmark of human cognition. The development of such episodic foresight is attracting increasing research attention. In this article, I review a selection of recent work on the emergence of episodic foresight and its role in different domains, including learning, deliberate practice, affective forecasting, intertemporal choices, and anxiety. Studies suggest that during the preschool years, children begin to consider future scenarios, enabling them to plan, prepare, and shape their future, but many other consequences, such as the role of developing foresight in anticipating hazards, remain unexamined. The potential predictive effects of early individual differences in episodic foresight on later cognitive capacities and developmental outcomes deserve closer scrutiny.
    March 25, 2017   doi: 10.1111/cdep.12233   open full text
  • The Link Between Playing Video Games and Positive Youth Outcomes.
    Paul J. C. Adachi, Teena Willoughby.
    Child Development Perspectives. March 17, 2017
    Playing video games continues to be popular among youth. Although many studies have examined the impact of video games on negative outcomes, such as aggression and addiction, fewer studies have investigated potential positive outcomes. However, recent studies are addressing this imbalance. In this article, we review some of this research, specifically studies indicating a link between playing video games and enhanced well‐being, problem‐solving skills, intergroup relations, and physical activity. In addition, we discuss how self‐determination theory may provide an underlying theoretical framework linking these domains of positive effects. We also address implications for ongoing research that furthers our knowledge of how video games affect youth development, including longitudinal studies that examine video game play and adjustment from childhood to young adulthood.
    March 17, 2017   doi: 10.1111/cdep.12232   open full text
  • Interpersonal Development in Infancy: The Interconnectedness of Emotion Understanding and Social Cognition.
    Peter J. Reschke, Eric A. Walle, Daniel Dukes.
    Child Development Perspectives. March 13, 2017
    Understanding emotion in interpersonal contexts involves appreciating others’ relations with the environment. This ability is related fundamentally to social cognition, including understanding the actions and goals of social partners. However, the significance of infants’ emotion understanding has been largely underemphasized in recent studies on infants’ social‐cognitive development. In this review, we highlight the interconnectedness of emotion understanding and social cognition in socioemotional development. We incorporate a relational view of emotion to bridge empirical and theoretical work on emotional and social‐cognitive development, and to demonstrate the utility of this approach for advancing novel areas of inquiry.
    March 13, 2017   doi: 10.1111/cdep.12230   open full text
  • The Role of Children's Health in the Intergenerational Transmission of Economic Status.
    Anna Aizer.
    Child Development Perspectives. March 07, 2017
    Intergenerational mobility is relatively low in the United States. Children who grow up in poverty are eight times more likely to live in poverty in adulthood than their counterparts who do not live in poverty. What is it about growing up in poverty that reduces the probability of economic success later in life? On average, children whose families live in poverty have lower levels of cognitive skills, noncognitive skills (e.g., behavior including perseverance and adaptability), and health, all of which contribute to earnings in adulthood. In this article, I examine the role children's health plays in intergenerational transmission of economic status from an economic perspective and in the context of a developed, high‐income country (the United States). Evidence suggests that the mechanisms by which parents’ income affects children's health include, but are not limited to, reduced access to health insurance and medical care, greater exposure to environmental toxins, inadequate nutrition, and greater family violence and stress. I conclude with evidence suggesting that public investments in children's health can reduce the intergenerational transmission of economic status and the inequality of the next generation in the United States, as well as in other less developed nations.
    March 07, 2017   doi: 10.1111/cdep.12231   open full text
  • Youth‐Led Participatory Action Research: Overview and Potential for Enhancing Adolescent Development.
    Emily J. Ozer.
    Child Development Perspectives. March 06, 2017
    In this article, I review youth‐led participatory action research (YPAR) as an innovative equity‐focused approach to promote adolescent health and well‐being. YPAR draws on the expertise of adolescents as they conduct research and improve conditions that support healthy development. Specifically, I explain the core principles and processes of YPAR, provide examples, discuss theoretical and empirical support for the effects of YPAR at many levels, and identify areas for research.
    March 06, 2017   doi: 10.1111/cdep.12228   open full text
  • Developing Mathematics Knowledge.
    Bethany Rittle‐Johnson.
    Child Development Perspectives. March 04, 2017
    Developing strong knowledge about mathematics is important for success academically, economically, and in life, but many children fail to become proficient in math. Research on the developmental relations between conceptual and procedural knowledge of math provides insights into the development of knowledge about math. First, competency in math requires children to develop conceptual knowledge, procedural knowledge, and procedural flexibility. Second, conceptual and procedural knowledge often develop in a bidirectional, iterative fashion, with improvements in one type of knowledge‐supporting improvements in the other, as well as procedural flexibility. Third, learning techniques such as comparing, explaining, and exploring promote more than one type of knowledge about math, indicating that each is an important learning process. Researchers need to develop and validate measurement tools, devise more comprehensive theories of math development, and build more bridges between research and educational practice.
    March 04, 2017   doi: 10.1111/cdep.12229   open full text
  • Genetic Syndromes and Developmental Risk for Autism Spectrum and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorders: Insights From Fragile X Syndrome.
    Brianna R. Doherty, Gaia Scerif.
    Child Development Perspectives. March 01, 2017
    Many genetic markers are associated with atypical developmental outcomes. In this article, we review evidence from studies on the most common inherited cause of intellectual disability, fragile X syndrome (FXS). We aim to highlight general developmental consequences as well as specific implications for autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), including the complexity of characterizing ASD and ADHD symptoms in FXS. We address three issues: First, links among genes, brain, and cognition need to be situated in a developmental context, even in a monogenic disorder like FXS. Second, the comparatively early age of diagnosis of FXS offers the opportunity to study developmental trajectories of risk and resilience for a complex, behaviorally defined disorder highly associated with FXS but diagnosed later: ASD. Third, the high occurrence of both ASD and ADHD in FXS allows for a novel investigation of their comorbidity, with important caveats.
    March 01, 2017   doi: 10.1111/cdep.12227   open full text
  • Identity Formation in Adolescence: The Dynamic of Forming and Consolidating Identity Commitments.
    Elisabetta Crocetti.
    Child Development Perspectives. February 20, 2017
    The biological, cognitive, and social changes that occur in adolescence stimulate young people to think about themselves, reflect on the kind of people they want to become, and find their place in society. Traditionally, these changes have been explained by Erikson's theory and Marcia's identity status model, but process‐oriented models of identity provide new insights. In particular, dual‐cycle models, such as the three‐factor identity model, focus on the dynamic process by which young people iteratively form and maintain their identity over time. This iterative process is captured by the interplay of commitment, in‐depth exploration, and reconsideration of commitment, as well as by distinct identity statuses. Furthermore, the extent to which adolescents find a stable identity is intertwined strongly with their psychosocial functioning and well‐being.
    February 20, 2017   doi: 10.1111/cdep.12226   open full text
  • The Journey to Children's Mindsets—and Beyond.
    Carol S. Dweck.
    Child Development Perspectives. January 30, 2017
    My career has been devoted to understanding the nature, workings, and development of children's motivation. Starting with research on motivation in animals, I went on to study the motivational impact of children's attributions, achievement goals, and mindsets about their abilities. I have explored how socialization practices affect these mindsets, as well as how interventions that change children's mindsets can enhance their motivation and learning. I am now developing a broad theory that puts motivation and the formation of mindsets (or beliefs) at the heart of social and personality development. It is hoped that this will attract even more young scholars in developmental psychology to the study of motivation.
    January 30, 2017   doi: 10.1111/cdep.12225   open full text
  • Concern Over Internal, External, and Incidence Validity in Studies of Child‐Care Quantity and Externalizing Behavior Problems.
    Eric Dearing, Henrik D. Zachrisson.
    Child Development Perspectives. January 30, 2017
    Literature reviews have concluded that extensive time in early child care is associated with frequent externalizing behavior problems in children. In this article, we address three domains of validity in the work underlying these conclusions: internal, external, and incidence validity. Regarding internal validity, most studies rely on covariate‐adjusted correlations, an approach that is especially vulnerable to selection bias. In studies using more rigorous approaches to reduce selection bias, results are mixed and often inconsistent with the hypothesis that a high quantity of child care causes externalizing problems. Regarding external validity, the field has relied too heavily on U.S. samples. We call for more international replications to allow for sociopolitical variations. Regarding incidence validity, study designs have the widest relevance when structured to address the opportunities and constraints families face today. We suggest researchers ask questions about child‐care quantity that maximize validity in these three domains.
    January 30, 2017   doi: 10.1111/cdep.12224   open full text
  • Using Principles of Behavioral Epigenetics to Advance Research on Early‐Life Stress.
    Elisabeth Conradt.
    Child Development Perspectives. January 25, 2017
    While the negative effects of early‐life stress on children's developmental outcomes are well documented, we know little about how these processes unfold and which children are more susceptible to these exposures. In this article, I outline how studying the effects of early‐life stress on children's development can be advanced by considering how epigenetic processes may contribute to the emergence of children's behavior. The study of epigenetics can help pinpoint the mechanisms by which early‐life stress may affect developmental outcomes and identify which children may be most sensitive to the effects of these exposures. I conclude by highlighting the challenges inherent in studying epigenetics in children and offer possible solutions.
    January 25, 2017   doi: 10.1111/cdep.12219   open full text
  • Self‐Control in Childhood: A Synthesis of Perspectives and Focus on Early Development.
    Jeffrey R. Gagne.
    Child Development Perspectives. January 19, 2017
    In this article, I describe three prominent developmental science perspectives on self‐control in childhood, discuss differences and areas of consensus, and suggest a comprehensive, early integrative approach to research on this topic. The self‐control perspectives are the self‐regulatory concepts of delay of gratification and willpower, the cognitive neuroscience executive functioning construct of inhibitory control (IC), and the behavioral and emotional temperament dimensions of effortful control and IC. The primary focus of these approaches is similar, and differences are based largely on theory, methods, and the age of the children studied. Therefore, I agree with a synthesis of these perspectives championed by other developmental scientists, and propose comprehensive, multitheoretical, multimethod empirical study that begins when self‐control emerges in toddlerhood.
    January 19, 2017   doi: 10.1111/cdep.12223   open full text
  • Continuity and Stability in Development.
    Marc H. Bornstein, Diane L. Putnick, Gianluca Esposito.
    Child Development Perspectives. January 19, 2017
    Developmental science is concerned with both consistency and change in characteristics through time. Consistency and change in development are tracked by group mean‐level continuity and individual‐order stability. Group mean‐level and individual‐order consistency and change are both developmentally informative and can coexist conceptually and empirically as they are partially orthogonal perspectives on development. Continuity and stability are broadly applicable to characteristics of the individual, dyad, and environment. Without the distinctions between mean‐level continuity and individual‐order stability, researchers who use the terms willy‐nilly leave their readers in the dark as to which feature of development is meant. In this article, we distinguish the two types of consistency and change, and discuss their measurement, importance, moderation, and implications.
    January 19, 2017   doi: 10.1111/cdep.12221   open full text
  • Callous–Unemotional Behaviors in Early Childhood: Measurement, Meaning, and the Influence of Parenting.
    Rebecca Waller, Luke W. Hyde.
    Child Development Perspectives. January 12, 2017
    Antisocial behavior is costly and harmful to families, communities, and society. With roots in early childhood, antisocial behavior puts children at risk for poor physical and mental health outcomes across development. Callous–unemotional (CU) traits identify a subgroup of youth with particularly severe and stable antisocial behavior. Although much literature has examined CU traits in late childhood and adolescence, researchers are beginning to elucidate the developmental origins of CU traits. In this article, we review research examining the measurement and correlates of CU behaviors in early childhood, along with evidence that these early behaviors predict later measures of CU traits. We then describe research highlighting the role that parents play in the development of CU behaviors in early childhood. Finally, we outline translational implications and ethical considerations for studying CU behaviors and consider the use of the term CU traits in young children.
    January 12, 2017   doi: 10.1111/cdep.12222   open full text
  • The Early Development of Human Aggression.
    Dale F. Hay.
    Child Development Perspectives. December 21, 2016
    Infants develop the capacity to use force against other people in the first years of life, which gradually transforms into intentional aggression, particularly as they understand possession rights. Individual differences in expressing anger and using force are evident from 6 months and predict later aggressive conduct problems. In contrast, gender differences emerge gradually over early childhood. Toddlers' sparing use of force in interactions with other children is linked to other forms of sociability, but excessive rage and using physical force in infancy predict problematic levels of aggressiveness in later childhood. Acknowledging the early origins of aggression can inform prevention and intervention strategies.
    December 21, 2016   doi: 10.1111/cdep.12220   open full text
  • An Integrative Conceptual Model of Parental Racial/Ethnic and Emotion Socialization and Links to Children's Social‐Emotional Development Among African American Families.
    Angel S. Dunbar, Esther M. Leerkes, Stephanie I. Coard, Andrew J. Supple, Susan Calkins.
    Child Development Perspectives. December 17, 2016
    Researchers have called for increased evaluation of the processes that contribute to African American children's successful emotional development in the face of discrimination. Parents’ racial/ethnic and emotion socialization have been linked to children's emotional adaption. Although few studies have explicitly evaluated their joint influence on African American children's emotion adaptation, researchers studying racial and ethnic socialization have indirectly incorporated emotion socialization through evaluating parents’ guided emotion regulation strategies as ways to cope with discrimination. Similarly, researchers who study emotion socialization have described emotion socialization practices among African American parents as intentionally preparing children for racial bias regarding how others perceive their emotions. In this article, we synthesize two separate and emerging literatures—the racial/ethnic socialization literature and the literature on emotion socialization among African American families—and outline a conceptual model illustrating the overlap in the two constructs and their joint influence on African American children's social‐emotional adjustment.
    December 17, 2016   doi: 10.1111/cdep.12218   open full text
  • Prosocial Arousal in Children.
    Robert Hepach.
    Child Development Perspectives. December 02, 2016
    Children's prosociality emerges early in life, which suggests that helping others is rooted deeply in human nature. At the same time, the motivation underlying young children's instrumental helping poses a puzzle. Children do not express a specific emotion such as sympathy when removing physical obstacles for others. Instead of being motivated by a concern for others’ well‐being, toddlers may act to tie up loose ends or engage in social interactions, or they may be motivated because their goals align with those of others. Recent research has addressed the underlying motivation of children's helping by directly measuring children's internal arousal via changes in the dilation of their pupils. In several studies, children's arousal in response to others’ unfulfilled needs is genuinely prosocial and linked to the well‐being of others. This prosocial arousal may lie at the heart of not only children's instrumental helping but also their prosociality in general.
    December 02, 2016   doi: 10.1111/cdep.12209   open full text
  • Ecological Commitments: Why Developmental Science Needs Naturalistic Methods.
    Audun Dahl.
    Child Development Perspectives. November 26, 2016
    Much of developmental science aims to explain how or whether children's experiences influence their thoughts and actions. Developmental theories make assumptions and claims—what I call ecological commitments—about events outside research contexts. In this article, I argue that most developmental theories make ecological commitments about children's thoughts, actions, and experiences outside research contexts, and that these commitments sometimes go unstated and untested. I also argue that naturalistic methods can provide evidence for or against ecological commitments, and that naturalistic and experimental studies address unique yet complementary questions. Rather than argue for increasing the ecological validity of experiments or abandoning laboratory research, I propose reconsidering the relations among developmental theories, naturalistic methods, and laboratory experiments.
    November 26, 2016   doi: 10.1111/cdep.12217   open full text
  • Causes and Consequences of Children's Forgiveness.
    Reine C. Wal, Johan C. Karremans, Antonius H. N. Cillessen.
    Child Development Perspectives. November 26, 2016
    Although the topic of forgiveness has received much attention in research with adults, little is known about the precursors of forgiveness in children. This is unfortunate because research suggests that the capacity to forgive is associated with numerous beneficial outcomes, such as improved social relationships and psychological well‐being. In this article, we examine the determinants and consequences associated with children's propensity to forgive. In the first part, we focus on four determinants: the role of children's characteristics, the relationship between victim and offender, the peer group, and family background. We propose that these determinants—together and on their own—predict children's forgiveness. In the second part, we provide an overview of the consequences of children's forgiveness, both at intrapersonal and interpersonal levels. We close with suggestions for research.
    November 26, 2016   doi: 10.1111/cdep.12216   open full text
  • Affective Parenting Behaviors, Adolescent Depression, and Brain Development: A Review of Findings From the Orygen Adolescent Development Study.
    Orli S. Schwartz, Julian G. Simmons, Sarah Whittle, Michelle L. Byrne, Marie B. H. Yap, Lisa B. Sheeber, Nicholas B. Allen.
    Child Development Perspectives. November 16, 2016
    Parenting plays a multifaceted role in adolescent development. In this article, we review studies based on an observational assessment of affective parenting behaviors collected as part of the longitudinal Orygen Adolescent Development Study and explore three ways that parenting may predict adolescent‐onset depression. Specifically, we review findings that observed affective parental behaviors prospectively predict depressive symptoms and the onset of depressive disorder, predict adolescent depression indirectly via emotion regulation, and interact with brain development to predict adolescent depression. Parents who express higher frequencies of aggression or lower frequencies of positivity, or who are more likely to respond negatively to their adolescents’ positive and aggressive behaviors, tend to have adolescents at greater risk for depression and suboptimal brain development. Accounting for the direct, indirect, and moderating effects of parenting may enable us to characterize more accurately the trajectories of adolescent development, which can inform prevention and early intervention efforts.
    November 16, 2016   doi: 10.1111/cdep.12215   open full text
  • New Directions and Challenges in Preventing Conduct Problems in Early Childhood.
    Daniel S. Shaw, Lindsay E. Taraban.
    Child Development Perspectives. November 16, 2016
    In this article, we review advances in developing and preventing conduct problems in early childhood and identify challenges. Among the topics we address are expanding the targets of prevention programs beyond improving parenting skills, implementing family‐based interventions during early childhood for families living in impoverished communities, making greater use of community platforms that serve young children at risk for early conduct problems, and incorporating techniques such as motivational interviewing to improve families’ engagement in nontraditional mental health settings.
    November 16, 2016   doi: 10.1111/cdep.12212   open full text
  • Parents' Sexual Orientation and Children's Development.
    Charlotte J. Patterson.
    Child Development Perspectives. November 14, 2016
    What if any influence does parents' sexual orientation have on children's development? Research suggests that, contrary to concerns voiced by many observers, parents' sexual orientation has little if any direct impact on children's development. Even so, some distinctive qualities of experiences in families of lesbian and gay parents have been noted, and their implications are not fully understood. Moreover, research on individual differences among families headed by lesbian mothers and gay fathers, and their possible impact on children, is still in its early phases. In this article, I provide an overview of research in this area and offer suggestions for further studies.
    November 14, 2016   doi: 10.1111/cdep.12207   open full text
  • The Social Tasks of Friendship: Do Boys and Girls Excel in Different Tasks?
    Amanda J. Rose, Steven R. Asher.
    Child Development Perspectives. November 14, 2016
    Research documents the strengths of girls’ friendships compared to boys’ friendships leading to the inference that boys are not very skilled as friends. In this article, we use a friendship tasks framework to propose that this inference is premature and should be reconciled with evidence that boys are as satisfied as girls with their friendships and that their friendships are as stable over time. We also propose that the inference arises partly because the friendship tasks that girls handle well have been studied extensively, whereas certain friendship tasks boys handle as well as or more successfully than girls are understudied. These tasks include being a fun and enjoyable companion, coping when a friend violates a core expectation of friendship, and sustaining friendships in the broader social context of a friend having other friends. Finally, we suggest that girls and boys who develop skills to respond to a range of friendship tasks will benefit in the long term.
    November 14, 2016   doi: 10.1111/cdep.12214   open full text
  • Fair Resource Allocation Among Children and Adolescents: The Role of Group and Developmental Processes.
    Adam Rutland, Melanie Killen.
    Child Development Perspectives. November 14, 2016
    The fair exchange of resources provides a basis for developing morality, yet research has rarely examined the role of group processes that are central to children's world. In this article, we describe a new perspective as well as research demonstrating that group processes play a key role in the fair allocation of resources among children and adolescents. We contend that when children allocate resources, group processes and moral judgments are relevant, a developmental shift occurs in children's ability to coordinate moral and group concerns, and group processes contribute to intergroup bias regarding allocations but also to efforts to consider the status of disadvantaged groups. Our perspective informs efforts to reduce prejudice as well as increase fairness and equality in situations in which group processes are relevant for allocating resources fairly.
    November 14, 2016   doi: 10.1111/cdep.12211   open full text
  • Attachment in the Early Life Course: Meta‐Analytic Evidence for Its Role in Socioemotional Development.
    Ashley M. Groh, R. M. Pasco Fearon, Marinus H. IJzendoorn, Marian J. Bakermans‐Kranenburg, Glenn I. Roisman.
    Child Development Perspectives. November 14, 2016
    After decades of research on early attachment relationships, questions remain concerning whether the evidence supports claims made by attachment theory, in particular, that variation in early attachment predicts children's developmental adaptation or maladaptation, and that characteristics of children's temperament does not determine attachment. To evaluate these claims, we conducted meta‐analyses on early attachment and children's social competence with peers, externalizing problems, internalizing symptoms, and temperament. In this article, we summarize our findings, which support attachment theory—though we note caveats. We also call for new measurement models, a focus on mediating and moderating mechanisms, and multisite replications.
    November 14, 2016   doi: 10.1111/cdep.12213   open full text
  • Promoting Neuroprotective Care in Neonatal Intensive Care Units and Preterm Infant Development: Insights From the Neonatal Adequate Care for Quality of Life Study.
    Rosario Montirosso, Ed Tronick, Renato Borgatti.
    Child Development Perspectives. November 14, 2016
    During their stay in a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), preterm infants are exposed to adverse stressful experiences that deplete their resources and often result in problematic functioning and developmental outcomes. The impact of specific developmental care practices (e.g., kangaroo care) on preterm infants has been researched extensively. Moreover, the dissemination of knowledge about developmental care has facilitated broader neuroprotective care (NC) that combines different kinds of developmental care practices in different NICUs. However, little is known about how variation in NC affects infants and their long‐term developmental outcomes. Using the findings from the Neonatal Adequate Care for Quality of Life project, in this article, we discuss how variation in the NC incorporated by NICUs into standard care affects short‐ and long‐term outcomes in children born preterm.
    November 14, 2016   doi: 10.1111/cdep.12208   open full text
  • U.S. Military Children and the Wartime Deployments of Family Members.
    Shelley MacDermid Wadsworth, Keisha M. Bailey, Elizabeth C. Coppola.
    Child Development Perspectives. November 13, 2016
    In 2014, 1.8 million American children lived in military families, and they represented only a fraction of the U.S. children exposed directly to parents' wartime deployments over the past 15 years. In this article, we summarize recent research about military children in U.S. families and propose directions for research. Emerging from studies across the country are troubling elevations in levels of risky behaviors and mental health problems in military children, particularly when their parents have been deployed. The experiences of children in military families can help us understand risk and resilience not just in military children but in children in the general population.
    November 13, 2016   doi: 10.1111/cdep.12210   open full text
  • To Copy or To Innovate? The Role of Personality and Social Networks in Children's Learning Strategies.
    Bruce Rawlings, Emma Flynn, Rachel Kendal.
    Child Development Perspectives. November 11, 2016
    In our technologically complex world, children frequently have problems to solve and skills to learn. They can develop solutions through learning strategies involving social learning or asocial endeavors. While evidence is emerging that children may differ individually in their propensity to adopt different learning strategies, little is known about what underlies these differences. In this article, we reflect on recent research with children, adults, and nonhuman animals regarding individual differences in learning strategies. We suggest that characteristics of children's personalities and children's positions in their social networks are pertinent to individual differences in their learning strategies. These are likely pivotal factors in the learning strategies children adopt, and thus can help us understand who copies and who innovates, an important question for cultural evolution. We also discuss how methodological issues constrain developmental researchers in this field and provide suggestions for ongoing work.
    November 11, 2016   doi: 10.1111/cdep.12206   open full text
  • Teenage Mothers Today: What We Know and How It Matters.
    Stefanie Mollborn.
    Child Development Perspectives. November 07, 2016
    Over the past two decades, births to U.S. teenagers have fallen and no longer follow overall fertility patterns. Yet the unique challenges faced by teenage mothers and their families justify continued research. Across disciplines, newer work has furthered our understanding of teenage motherhood today. In this article, I highlight four areas of progress: processes of selection into teenage motherhood, the broader consequences of teenage childbearing beyond the socioeconomic realm, heterogeneity of effects, and the application of life course principles. Emerging societal trends such as complex family structures, a stalled recovery from the recession for families of low socioeconomic status, and a rapidly evolving political environment for reproductive health care continue to challenge the lives of teenage mothers. Given that the consequences for teenagers of becoming mothers may change, continued research is needed. Shifts in policy to favor supporting teenage mothers and addressing the causes of both teenage pregnancy and social disadvantage may help improve the lives of these mothers and their families.
    November 07, 2016   doi: 10.1111/cdep.12205   open full text
  • The Potential for Youth Programs to Promote African American Youth's Development of Ethnic and Racial Identity.
    Aerika Brittian Loyd, Brittney V. Williams.
    Child Development Perspectives. November 07, 2016
    Effective programs for youth can reduce problem behaviors and promote positive development. In particular, cultural assets (e.g., ethnic–racial identity) are important for African American youth's health and development. In this article, we argue that youth programs represent an important social context for African American youth's development of positive ethnic–racial identity, and we present a conceptual framework for understanding how such programs may affect African American youth's development in this area. Then, we provide examples of evidence‐based programs that have assessed this developmental process among African American youth. We conclude with considerations for research.
    November 07, 2016   doi: 10.1111/cdep.12204   open full text
  • Strengthening Causal Inference in Developmental Research.
    Portia Miller, Daphne Henry, Elizabeth Votruba‐Drzal.
    Child Development Perspectives. October 11, 2016
    Demonstrating causal effects in developmental studies is important if results are to guide programs and policies that improve the lives of children and families. Yet, human development is complex and dynamic, and researchers are often limited to correlational data to answer their questions, which challenges the establishment of causal relations. In this article, we summarize potential threats to internal validity researchers encounter when analyzing correlational data and present several methods to strengthen internal validity. We suggest that developmental scientists consider using these methods in their studies to strengthen causal inferences and enhance the impact of their research.
    October 11, 2016   doi: 10.1111/cdep.12202   open full text
  • A Lattice Model of the Development of Reading Comprehension.
    Carol McDonald Connor.
    Child Development Perspectives. October 11, 2016
    In this article, I present a developmental model of how children learn to comprehend what they read, which builds on current models of reading comprehension and integrates findings from instructional research and evidence‐based models of development in early and middle childhood. The lattice model holds that children's developing reading comprehension is a function of the interacting, reciprocal, and bootstrapping effects of developing text‐specific, linguistic, and social‐cognitive processes, which interact with instruction as Child Characteristic × Instruction (C × I) interaction effects. The processes develop over time and in the context of classroom, home, peer, community, and other influences to affect children's development of proficient reading comprehension. First, I describe models of reading comprehension; then, I review the basic processes in the model, the role of instruction, and C × I interactions in the context of the lattice model. Finally, I discuss implications for instruction and research.
    October 11, 2016   doi: 10.1111/cdep.12200   open full text
  • Metacognition in Early Childhood: Fertile Ground to Understand Memory Development?
    Marie Geurten, Sylvie Willems.
    Child Development Perspectives. October 11, 2016
    Metacognition is a critical factor that appears to be involved in improving episodic memory during childhood. However, as metacognitive abilities emerge relatively late in development, they have not been expected to influence children's memory performance before age 7. Nevertheless, in recent studies, as early as age 3, children rely on basic metacognitive abilities to evaluate their memory and use the result of this evaluation to regulate their memory performance. In this article, we consider evidence for the early development of metacognitive skills. We then review studies indicating that children can use inference rules based on the results of their introspection (monitoring) to regulate their memory decisions, demonstrating the early use of several metacognitive heuristics. Finally, we discuss preliminary findings indicating that changes in how children use metacognitive heuristics can account for changes in episodic memory throughout childhood.
    October 11, 2016   doi: 10.1111/cdep.12201   open full text
  • Critical Consciousness: A Developmental Approach to Addressing Marginalization and Oppression.
    Matthew A. Diemer, Luke J. Rapa, Adam M. Voight, Ellen H. McWhirter.
    Child Development Perspectives. August 12, 2016
    Grounded in the theory and pedagogy of Brazilian educator Paulo Freire, critical consciousness (CC) comprises components of critical reflection, critical motivation, and critical action. CC represents marginalized or oppressed people's analysis of societal inequities and their motivation and actions to redress such inequities. In this article, we introduce the theoretical underpinnings of CC, then look at the conceptualization and measurement of CC, and outline traditional and contemporary approaches to fostering CC. We also summarize individual and collective outcomes associated with CC and offer suggestions for researchers and practitioners. Collectively, these insights suggest that CC is an important developmental asset for marginalized youth and communities.
    August 12, 2016   doi: 10.1111/cdep.12193   open full text
  • Promoting Healthy Child Development via a Two‐Generation Translational Neuroscience Framework: The Filming Interactions to Nurture Development Video Coaching Program.
    Philip A. Fisher, Tahl I. Frenkel, Laura K. Noll, Melanie Berry, Melissa Yockelson.
    Child Development Perspectives. August 10, 2016
    In this article, we focus on applying methods of translational neuroscience to two‐generation, family‐based interventions. In recent years, a small but growing body of evidence has documented the reversibility of some of the neurobiological effects of early adversity in the context of environmental early interventions. Some of these interventions are now being implemented at scale, which may help reduce disparities in the face of early life stress. Further progress may occur by extending these efforts to two‐generation models that target caregivers’ capabilities to improve children's outcomes. In this article, we describe the content and processes of the Filming Interactions to Nurture Development (FIND) video coaching intervention. We also discuss the two‐generation, translational neuroscience framework on which FIND is based, and how similar approaches can be developed and scaled to mitigate the effects of adversity.
    August 10, 2016   doi: 10.1111/cdep.12195   open full text
  • Gender, Sexuality, and Gender Nonconformity: Understanding Variation in Functioning.
    Alexa Martin‐Storey.
    Child Development Perspectives. August 09, 2016
    Disparities in health and mental health between sexual‐minority and heterosexual individuals emerge in early adolescence, in large part because sexual‐minority individuals are stigmatized. In this article, I review and synthesize the role of gender nonconformity in shaping how adolescents experience the stigma associated with sexual‐minority status. Then, I review research with adolescents and emerging adults that shows that gender nonconformity is associated with variation in harassment and mental health outcomes both within sexual‐minority groups and between sexual‐minority and heterosexual groups. Next, I discuss gender nonconformity as a construct that influences the association between sexual‐minority status and peer relations, and between peer relations and individual psychosocial outcomes. Finally, I discuss the importance of addressing stigma related to gender nonconformity.
    August 09, 2016   doi: 10.1111/cdep.12194   open full text
  • Cognitive Flexibility in Young Children: Beyond Perseveration.
    Daniel J. Carroll, Emma Blakey, Lily FitzGibbon.
    Child Development Perspectives. August 09, 2016
    Cognitive flexibility (CF) is the ability to rapidly adjust our thoughts and behaviors in response to changes around us. Although studies of preschoolers have contributed to our understanding of how this ability emerges, progress has slowed in recent years because of methodological and conceptual issues. In this article, we outline recent developments that address these issues and that have led to a more nuanced understanding of CF—particularly regarding the role of perseveration. We propose that CF is a diverse and multifaceted skill that involves more than just overcoming perseverative errors.
    August 09, 2016   doi: 10.1111/cdep.12192   open full text
  • Prosocial Behavior in Infancy: The Role of Socialization.
    Celia A. Brownell,.
    Child Development Perspectives. July 22, 2016
    Human prosocial behavior emerges in the 2nd year of life, posing challenging questions about mechanism. An increasingly common claim is that prosocial behavior in the first 3 years of life is neither a result of nor affected by socialization. In this article, we argue that early socialization plays a critical role in the developmental origins of prosocial behavior. To support this argument, we highlight conceptual perspectives and empirical evidence for influences of socialization from parents' reports, direct observation, and experimental studies. We conclude that progress in explaining the ontogenetic origins of human prosocial behavior depends on more fully specifying mechanisms of socialization in infancy as well as what and how human infants learn from their social experiences.
    July 22, 2016   doi: 10.1111/cdep.12189   open full text
  • Embodiment and Human Development.
    Peter J. Marshall.
    Child Development Perspectives. July 20, 2016
    We are recognizing increasingly that the study of cognitive, social, and emotional processes must account for their embodiment in living, acting beings. The related field of embodied cognition (EC) has coalesced around dissatisfaction with the lack of attention to the body in cognitive science. For developmental scientists, the emphasis in the literature on adult EC on the role of the body in cognition may not seem particularly novel, given that bodily action was central to Piaget's theory of cognitive development. However, as the influence of the Piagetian account waned, developmental notions of embodiment were shelved in favor of mechanical computational approaches. In this article, I argue that by reconsidering embodiment, we can address a key issue with computational accounts: How meaning is constructed by the developing person. I also suggest that the process‐relational approach to developmental systems can provide a system of concepts for framing a fully embodied, integrative developmental science.
    July 20, 2016   doi: 10.1111/cdep.12190   open full text
  • Environmental Contaminants and Child Development.
    Christopher J. Trentacosta, Pamela Davis‐Kean, Colter Mitchell, Luke Hyde, Dana Dolinoy.
    Child Development Perspectives. July 16, 2016
    Developmental scientists have long been interested in how the environment influences children's development. However, with few exceptions, they have not researched how exposure to contaminants in the physical environment affects developmental processes. Children are uniquely at risk for exposure to contaminants because they drink more, eat more, and breathe more air than adults as a proportion of their body weight. In this article, we provide an ecosystems perspective to illustrate how contexts—from the prenatal environment and neighborhood‐level exposure to laws and policies—contribute to children's exposure to contaminants. We also discuss four mechanisms that account for how and when exposure to contaminants affects children, and we provide examples to spur research on these mechanisms. We conclude with recommendations to foster integrative science where developmental science interacts with environmental health and toxicology.
    July 16, 2016   doi: 10.1111/cdep.12191   open full text
  • Current Understandings of What Works to Support the Development of Emergent Literacy in Early Childhood Classrooms.
    Shayne B. Piasta.
    Child Development Perspectives. July 15, 2016
    Despite growing attention to early literacy experiences and emergent literacy perspectives, many children start kindergarten with less than optimal emergent literacy skills. In this article, I review research on efforts to identify what works to support young children's development of emergent literacy in early childhood classrooms prior to starting kindergarten. These efforts include curricula, best practices, and professional development. Such efforts show promise in improving children's emergent literacy skills, but many gaps remain and require further study. In particular, research is necessary to identify ways to improve meaning‐focused skills, understand the generalizability and sustainability of effects, and translate findings into practice.
    July 15, 2016   doi: 10.1111/cdep.12188   open full text
  • Why Children Are Not Always Epistemically Vigilant: Cognitive Limits and Social Considerations.
    Vikram K. Jaswal, Robyn L. Kondrad.
    Child Development Perspectives. July 12, 2016
    Young children are thought to be motivated to avoid individuals who have been wrong in the past so as to minimize the risk of being misinformed. Yet they sometimes act on testimony from formerly inaccurate informants. Most explanations for this behavior have focused on limits in children's ability to process inaccurate testimony, such as difficulty inhibiting the normally appropriate bias to believe what people say. In this article, we argue that children may also use information from formerly inaccurate informants because doing so allows them to achieve other, nonepistemic goals. Testimony not only offers children a way to learn about the world, but it also offers them a way to pursue social goals that may be separate from learning.
    July 12, 2016   doi: 10.1111/cdep.12187   open full text
  • Adolescent Pathways to Entrepreneurship.
    Martin Obschonka.
    Child Development Perspectives. June 25, 2016
    Entrepreneurship is crucial not only for creating jobs and innovating, but also because it reflects how personal agency and risk taking contribute to social change. Because entrepreneurship is widely regarded as a skill of the 21st century, societies worldwide want to design and implement education programs to encourage entrepreneurs. In this article, I discuss the role of the formative years of adolescence in the development of entrepreneurship, reviewing research on adolescent precursors of entrepreneurship. I also explore the role of the developing self‐concept and the interplay between biology and levels of context in the development of entrepreneurial skills throughout life. Finally, I propose a biopsychosocial model of entrepreneurial development and conclude with questions for researchers.
    June 25, 2016   doi: 10.1111/cdep.12185   open full text
  • How International Research on Parenting Advances Understanding of Child Development.
    Jennifer E. Lansford, Marc H. Bornstein, Kirby Deater‐Deckard, Kenneth A. Dodge, Suha M. Al‐Hassan, Dario Bacchini, Anna Silvia Bombi, Lei Chang, Bin‐Bin Chen, Laura Di Giunta, Patrick S. Malone, Paul Oburu, Concetta Pastorelli, Ann T. Skinner, Emma Sorbring, Laurence Steinberg, Sombat Tapanya, Liane P. Alampay, Liliana M. Uribe Tirado, Arnaldo Zelli.
    Child Development Perspectives. June 14, 2016
    International research on parenting and child development can advance our understanding of similarities and differences in how parenting is related to children's development across countries. Challenges to conducting international research include operationalizing culture, disentangling effects within and between countries, and balancing emic and etic perspectives. Benefits of international research include testing whether findings regarding parenting and child development replicate across diverse samples, incorporating cultural and contextual diversity to foster more inclusive and representative research samples and investigators than has typically occurred, and understanding how children develop in proximal parenting and family and distal international contexts.
    June 14, 2016   doi: 10.1111/cdep.12186   open full text
  • Beyond Cognition: Reading Motivation and Reading Comprehension.
    Allan Wigfield, Jessica R. Gladstone, Lara Turci.
    Child Development Perspectives. May 23, 2016
    In this article, we review research on children's motivation to read and its relation to their reading comprehension. We begin by discussing work on the development of school motivation in general and reading motivation in particular, reviewing studies showing that many children's motivation to read declines over the school years. Motivation to read tends to differ by gender—with girls motivated more positively to read than boys. It also differs by ethnicity, in more complex ways. Over the last 15 years, researchers have identified instructional practices that boost students' motivation to read and their reading comprehension. Researchers should build on this work by developing and studying programs among children of different ages to identify effective classroom‐based instructional approaches that motivate reading and use a variety of narrative and informational materials.
    May 23, 2016   doi: 10.1111/cdep.12184   open full text
  • Cognitive Architecture of Belief Reasoning in Children and Adults: A Primer on the Two‐Systems Account.
    Jason Low, Ian A. Apperly, Stephen A. Butterfill, Hannes Rakoczy.
    Child Development Perspectives. May 13, 2016
    Characterizing the cognitive architecture of human mindreading forces us to address two puzzles in people's attributions of belief: Why children show inconsistent expectations about others' belief‐based actions, and why adults' reasoning about belief is sometimes automatic and sometimes not. The seemingly puzzling data suggest that humans have many mindreading systems that use different models of mental representations. The efficient system is shared by infants, children, and adults, and uses a minimal model of the mind, which enables belief‐like states to be tracked. The flexible system develops late and uses a canonical model, which incorporates propositional attitudes. A given model's operation has signature limits that produce performance contrasts, in children as well as adults, between certain types of mindreading tasks.
    May 13, 2016   doi: 10.1111/cdep.12183   open full text
  • Closing the 30 Million Word Gap: Next Steps in Designing Research to Inform Practice.
    Annemarie H. Hindman, Barbara A. Wasik, Emily K. Snell.
    Child Development Perspectives. April 28, 2016
    Recent attention to the word gap has renewed public interest in the striking vocabulary disparities between children in poverty and their higher income peers during the 1st years of life. Children's outcomes—and the nation's well‐being—could be improved by additional research into the mechanisms of vocabulary learning, as well as translational research that produces effective, feasible early‐education practices in homes and schools. In this review, we first explain the nature and extent of the word gap and then briefly describe research on how children learn words during the early years. Next, we summarize limits of available interventions. Finally, we detail pressing questions that demand additional study and suggest research that could provide answers. Ultimately, we call for new research on word‐learning experiences at home and in school that will support reading and academic success for children at risk.
    April 28, 2016   doi: 10.1111/cdep.12177   open full text
  • Using Eye Tracking to Understand Infants' Attentional Bias for Faces.
    Jukka M. Leppänen.
    Child Development Perspectives. April 15, 2016
    Infants have a natural tendency to look at adults' faces, possibly to help initiate vital interactions with caregivers during sensitive periods of development. Recent studies using eye‐tracking technologies have identified the mechanisms that underlie infants' capacity to orient and hold attention on faces. These studies have shown that the bias for faces is weak in young infants, but becomes more robust and resistant to distraction during the second half of the 1st year. This development is apparently related to more general changes in infants' attention and control of eye movement. As a tractable and reproducible aspect of infant behavior, the attention bias for faces can be used to examine the neural correlates of attention and may be a way to monitor early neurodevelopment in infants.
    April 15, 2016   doi: 10.1111/cdep.12180   open full text
  • Mental Number Line in the Preliterate Brain: The Role of Early Directional Experiences.
    Katarzyna Patro, Hans‐Christoph Nuerk, Ulrike Cress.
    Child Development Perspectives. April 08, 2016
    Numbers and space are strongly related in the human mind. In particular, small and large numbers are mentally linked to spatial directions, forming the so‐called mental number line. Traditionally, the direction of the number line was thought to emerge from cultural spatial experience with reading and writing. In this article, we review recent developmental data that put constraints on this traditional account and suggest that directional number representation develops even before the acquisition of literacy. On the basis of these data, we argue that the link between numbers and space is triggered by systematic involvement in directional actions of any kind rather than by reading and writing per se. Before school begins, children are exposed to many directional cues by observing the world around them and interacting with their parents. We propose a hypothetical mechanism through which this preliterate experience might activate spatially oriented numerical representation.
    April 08, 2016   doi: 10.1111/cdep.12179   open full text
  • Flexible Concern: The Development of Multidetermined and Context‐Dependent Empathic Responding.
    Amrisha Vaish.
    Child Development Perspectives. April 08, 2016
    Research on empathic development, though extensive, has largely overlooked two vital facets of flexible empathic responding—multideterminism (which is elicited in response to various cues) and context dependence (i.e., empathic responding that can be regulated depending on contextual factors). Within a dual‐process account of empathic responding (in which both bottom‐up and top‐down processes contribute), such flexible empathic responding relies heavily on top‐down processes. Yet most developmental research has not systematically considered the role of top‐down processes in bringing about multidetermined and context‐dependent empathic responding; as such, it provides a narrow view of early empathic responding. Recent research has begun to fill these gaps and suggests that top‐down processes are involved even in early flexible empathic responding. But much more work is needed, particularly on developmental mechanisms and the development of top‐down processes, to understand fully the origins of flexible concern.
    April 08, 2016   doi: 10.1111/cdep.12178   open full text
  • Introducing Remote Enculturation: Learning Your Heritage Culture From Afar.
    Gail M. Ferguson, Catherine L. Costigan, Christy V. Clarke, Julianna S. Ge.
    Child Development Perspectives. April 07, 2016
    Can youth living outside their heritage country become enculturated from afar via avenues of modern globalization? In this article, we expand the theory of how heritage cultural socialization occurs in transnational families by introducing the construct of remote enculturation as a modern form of cultural transmission. Remote enculturation falls within the cultural socialization category of ethnic/racial socialization and is a form of enculturation that involves learning aspects of one's heritage culture via indirect or intermittent exposure, or both. We compare and contrast remote enculturation with traditional enculturation, proposing that self‐initiated remote enculturation, in particular, has strong ties with the development of identity. Research on immigrants’ consumption of foreign media and on parenting international adoptees supports remote enculturation as a distinct avenue of cultural learning, as do the experiences of youth from immigrant families. We conclude with a research agenda to empirically evaluate the construct of remote enculturation.
    April 07, 2016   doi: 10.1111/cdep.12181   open full text
  • Early Life Stress: What Is the Human Chapter of the Mammalian Story?
    Megan R. Gunnar.
    Child Development Perspectives. April 07, 2016
    About the time I started kindergarten, a researcher in a laboratory far away picked up a baby rat, handled it briefly, and returned it to the nest. The rat grew up to be resilient to stress, as did its brothers and sisters who were also handled. The effect was traced to changes in the brain's regulation of the body's stress and emotion systems. Thus was born the field of early experiences and stress. Years later, as a research assistant, I pondered why babies cried when uncontrollable toys made loud noises and stumbled into the same field of early experiences and stress. I have spent more than 35 years trying to use our vast knowledge of the neurobiology of stress and development in animals to understand how adverse care during early human development affects physical and mental health. This essay traces my own development as I have sought to understand the human chapter in this mammalian story.
    April 07, 2016   doi: 10.1111/cdep.12182   open full text
  • Princesses and Superheroes: Social‐Cognitive Influences on Early Gender Rigidity.
    May Ling D. Halim.
    Child Development Perspectives. March 29, 2016
    In this article, I review evidence showing that early childhood is a normative time for gender rigidity across many domains, including appearance, play, peer preferences, and intergroup gender attitudes. Gender rigidity can be seen in children's adherence to what society deems appropriate, or avoidance of what society deems inappropriate, for their gender. Many aspects of gender typing show an intriguing curvilinear pattern of increasing rigidity followed by flexibility. I offer an explanation for this pattern, focusing on children's growing awareness, knowledge, and understanding of gender. These developing cognitions are theorized to motivate children to engage in active self‐socialization as they strive to adhere to gender norms. I suggest how we can understand variation in early gender rigidity and whether gender rigidity has implications for well‐being and achievement in life.
    March 29, 2016   doi: 10.1111/cdep.12176   open full text
  • Evidence for Intuitive Morality: Preverbal Infants Make Sociomoral Evaluations.
    Julia W. Van de Vondervoort, J. Kiley Hamlin.
    Child Development Perspectives. March 29, 2016
    Traditional views of morality and moral development rooted in rationality and demonstrations of explicit reasoning suggest that moral evaluations emerge in childhood. In contrast, definitions of morality rooted in intuition allow scholars to examine the emergence of moral evaluations among those who cannot reason this way, such as human infants. Consistent with an intuition‐based view of morality, infants evaluate prosocial individuals positively and evaluate antisocial individuals negatively. These evaluations are sensitive to the intent and epistemic states of the person who is helping or hindering, and to the previous behavior of the person who is being helped or hindered. Early‐emerging intuitions regarding others' morally relevant behaviors may have evolved to support wide‐scale cooperation in human societies.
    March 29, 2016   doi: 10.1111/cdep.12175   open full text
  • The Praise Paradox: When and Why Praise Backfires in Children With Low Self‐Esteem.
    Eddie Brummelman, Jennifer Crocker, Brad J. Bushman.
    Child Development Perspectives. March 03, 2016
    In contemporary Western society, many adults use praise to boost children's self‐esteem. Accordingly, they might praise those who seem to need it the most: children with low self‐esteem. In this article, we review research showing that certain types of praise can backfire, especially in children with low self‐esteem. Adults are inclined to give children with low self‐esteem person praise (e.g., “You're smart!”) and inflated praise (e.g., “That's incredibly beautiful!”). Paradoxically, such praise can lower these children's motivation and feelings of self‐worth in the face of setbacks (e.g., when they struggle or fail). Lowered feelings of self‐worth, in turn, might invite more person praise and inflated praise from adults, creating a self‐sustaining downward spiral. We propose a transactional model to shed light on this apparent praise paradox, and we describe the model's implications for theory and research.
    March 03, 2016   doi: 10.1111/cdep.12171   open full text
  • How Are Motor Skills Linked to Children's School Performance and Academic Achievement?
    Claire E. Cameron, Elizabeth A. Cottone, William M. Murrah, David W. Grissmer.
    Child Development Perspectives. March 01, 2016
    Children need a range of skills to transition successfully to formal schooling. In early childhood classrooms, children must master their fine and gross motor skills. In this article, we review the evidence that links motor skills to diverse school outcomes, then describe three sets of cognitive processes—motor coordination, executive function, and visuospatial skills—that are tapped by motor assessments. We then use these processes to explain how motor skills are implicated in children's self‐regulation and their emergent literacy and numeracy. We conclude by encouraging theoretical and methodological approaches to clarify the mechanisms that implicate motor skills in school performance and achievement.
    March 01, 2016   doi: 10.1111/cdep.12168   open full text
  • Continuity and Change in the Field of Cognitive Development and in the Perspectives of One Cognitive Developmentalist.
    Robert S. Siegler.
    Child Development Perspectives. February 29, 2016
    In this article, I examine changes in the field of cognitive development and in my own thinking over the past 40 years. The review focuses on three periods. In the first, Piaget's theory was dominant, and my research and that of many others was aimed at understanding the many fascinating changes in children's thinking that Piaget documented, and correcting inaccuracies in his theory. In the second period, which involved efforts to formulate alternatives to Piaget's approach, I generated overlapping waves theory, and attempted to specify through microgenetic methods and computer simulations how development can be produced by variability of strategy use, adaptive choices among strategies, and discovery of new strategies. In the third period, my thinking and research, and that of many others, has focused increasingly on the interface between cognitive development and education. I close by suggest that generating domain‐specific integrated theories of cognitive development may provide a way forward for the field.
    February 29, 2016   doi: 10.1111/cdep.12173   open full text
  • Peer Rejection, Victimization, and Relational Self‐System Processes in Adolescence: Toward a Transactional Model of Stress, Coping, and Developing Sensitivities.
    Melanie J. Zimmer‐Gembeck.
    Child Development Perspectives. February 29, 2016
    Rejection and victimization by peers are significant stressors in the lives of many teenagers; both are highly salient and associated with developing symptoms of depression and anxiety. Conversely, emotional maladjustment can result in even more rejection and victimization over time. Given that rejection or victimization and emotional maladjustment mutually influence each other over time, researchers have asked why this occurs and how events unfold in adolescents’ lives. In this article, I describe relational self‐system processes, including perceptions of peer relationships, sensitivity to rejection, attributions of cause, perceived control, and coping responses. I conclude with ideas for research and ways to apply the findings.
    February 29, 2016   doi: 10.1111/cdep.12174   open full text
  • Development of Children's Estimation Skills: The Ambiguous Role of Their Familiarity With Numerals.
    Mirjam Ebersbach.
    Child Development Perspectives. February 29, 2016
    Estimating magnitudes is central to life, as well as to mathematics. Symbolic estimates involve assigning symbolic numerals to nonsymbolic magnitudes (or vice versa), whereas nonsymbolic estimates refer to mapping between two nonsymbolic magnitudes. In general, estimates on both types of tasks become more accurate with age and among adults, are more accurate for smaller than larger magnitudes. However, children and adults show task‐specific biases in their estimates. Moreover, young children systematically over‐ or underestimate, especially concerning smaller magnitudes. In this article, I discuss potential explanations for children's estimation biases, considering children's familiarity with numerals, which enhances their ability to discriminate between numerals but seems to temporarily make their estimates in their familiar number range less accurate. I also consider developmental asynchronies in the production and comprehension of number words.
    February 29, 2016   doi: 10.1111/cdep.12172   open full text
  • The Privileged Status of Category Representations in Early Development.
    Andrei Cimpian.
    Child Development Perspectives. February 27, 2016
    The ability to carve the world into broad categories (e.g., DOG) made up of distinct individuals (e.g., Lassie and Toto) is essential for adaptive behavior and has been the focus of extensive research in cognitive and developmental psychology. Classic work on the development of category representations has revealed that they emerge early: Even infants can conceive of distinct objects as equivalent members of the same category. However, more recently, research on conceptual development has begun to suggest a stronger conclusion, namely that mental representations of categories are privileged by our cognitive systems relative to representations of similar, but noncategorical, entities. According to this research, which I review in this article, our minds may be structured to facilitate the acquisition, retention, and manipulation of category‐level information. This conclusion goes beyond current theories of conceptual development.
    February 27, 2016   doi: 10.1111/cdep.12166   open full text
  • Executive Function in Previously Institutionalized Children.
    Emily C. Merz, Katia M. Harlé, Kimberly G. Noble, Robert B. McCall.
    Child Development Perspectives. February 19, 2016
    In studies of children adopted from institutions, early institutionalization has been associated consistently with an increased risk of persistent cognitive, academic, and social‐emotional problems. These findings raise questions about the neurocognitive mechanisms that contribute to these negative outcomes. Theory and models based on studies of animals indicate that development of the prefrontal cortex (PFC) and executive function (EF) may be particularly susceptible to environmental influences during early childhood. In this article, we review recent studies of postinstitutionalized children that examined EF components such as inhibitory control, working memory, shifting, and planning. We then describe emerging research on the structure and function of the PFC. Converging evidence suggests both EF difficulties and alterations in development of the PFC following early institutionalization. We conclude by discussing possible explanations for these findings and implications for prevention and intervention, and by offering suggestions for ongoing research.
    February 19, 2016   doi: 10.1111/cdep.12170   open full text
  • Understanding Delay in Developmental Disorders.
    Michael S. C. Thomas.
    Child Development Perspectives. February 05, 2016
    Researchers in developmental disorders frequently refer to abilities that are in line with mental age as simply delayed. The qualifier simply might imply an existing theory of developmental delay that is well understood and uninteresting (perhaps because it is an exaggerated form of individual differences, the responsibility of other researchers). In this article, I argue that the notion of delay can be separated into descriptive and explanatory versions. The descriptive version is often used too coarsely to be helpful. Instead, we need an approach based on developmental trajectories to separate types of descriptive delay, which may then have different underlying causes. The explanatory version is poorly articulated in developmental theory. One useful way to deepen our understanding of delay is by building computational models that simulate development in large populations of individuals and explicitly implementing factors that cause variations in development. Finally, I suggest that dividing research among separate investigators of typical development, individual differences, and developmental disorders may be counterproductive if the underlying mechanisms recognize no such distinction.
    February 05, 2016   doi: 10.1111/cdep.12169   open full text
  • The Debate Over Single‐Sex Schooling.
    Erin Pahlke, Janet S. Hyde.
    Child Development Perspectives. January 29, 2016
    Supporters of single‐sex schooling believe that separating boys and girls, by classrooms or schools, increases students' academic achievement. Critics of single‐sex schooling believe that gender segregation increases students' gender stereotypes and has no effect on students' achievement. In this article, we present these rationales, focusing on developmental issues that may affect the effectiveness of single‐sex schooling. We then review the research on the effectiveness of single‐sex schooling. Overall, findings suggest that single‐sex schooling is not more effective than coeducational schooling at improving students' academic achievement or attitudes. More work is needed to explore a broader range of outcomes, examine developmental factors that may influence the effectiveness of various types of schooling, and communicate results to parents, educators, and policymakers.
    January 29, 2016   doi: 10.1111/cdep.12167   open full text
  • The Ties That Bind: Social Capital, Families, and Children's Well‐Being.
    Toby L. Parcel, Monica S. Bixby.
    Child Development Perspectives. December 25, 2015
    Social bonds between parents and their children, an important form of social capital, promote children's cognition and their social adjustment. Both bonding and bridging social capital are consequential, as are parental norms and values, which vary by social class. Parents' working conditions, including occupational complexity and work schedules, influence children's home environments as well as their children's development. Family social capital is more important than school social capital in influencing both cognitive and social child outcomes. Recent studies show how fathers' roles are changing, with implications for social capital in families, and point to bonding with fathers as a possible mechanism for building social capital. We know relatively little about how different forms of capital, including financial, human, cultural, and social capital, combine to influence families and children. We need further analyses regarding how to build social capital, particularly for at‐risk children.
    December 25, 2015   doi: 10.1111/cdep.12165   open full text
  • Cognitive and Neural Mechanisms Underlying Socioeconomic Gradients in Language Development: New Answers to Old Questions.
    Özlem Ece Demir, Aylin C. Küntay.
    Child Development Perspectives. May 03, 2014
    Although researchers have studied disparities in early language development related to socioeconomic status (SES), it is unclear how early and through which mechanisms these differences emerge. As income inequality continues to widen across the world, it is crucial to examine the child‐level mechanisms that mediate the effects of SES on individual differences in language development. A deeper understanding of the nature of the differences will allow development of more effective intervention techniques. In this article, we discuss work on child‐level cognitive and neural mechanisms underlying the relation between SES and early language development. We discuss possible factors behind individual differences in child‐level mechanisms and cascading effects of these differences. We conclude with recommendations for research.
    May 03, 2014   doi: 10.1111/cdep.12069   open full text
  • Immigrant Adolescents' Adaptation to a New Context: Ethnic Friendship Homophily and Its Predictors.
    Peter F. Titzmann.
    Child Development Perspectives. May 03, 2014
    Although interethnic friendships are among the best indicators of social adaptation to a new cultural context, adolescent immigrants form friendships predominantly within their own ethnic community, a phenomenon called friendship homophily. In this article, I focus on the acculturation of immigrant adolescents and on the factors that lead them to form friendships within their group, including acculturation‐related behaviors, mutual attitudes of native and immigrant groups, developmental age‐related considerations, and the context in which these adolescents live. The results present opportunities not only for reducing friendship homophily but also point to the complexity of acculturation research and the need to study side effects of adolescents' adaptation to a new context.
    May 03, 2014   doi: 10.1111/cdep.12072   open full text
  • The Contributions of Explanation and Exploration to Children's Scientific Reasoning.
    Cristine H. Legare.
    Child Development Perspectives. May 03, 2014
    Both explanation and exploration can foster causal learning, yet the mechanisms underlying these effects are largely unknown, especially in early childhood. In this article, I provide an overview of research on the relation among explanation, exploration, and the development of scientific reasoning. I propose that explaining and exploring operate in tandem as hypothesis‐generating and hypothesis‐testing mechanisms. I review evidence that supports this claim by demonstrating that inconsistency with prior knowledge selectively motivates children to construct explanations, guides discovery‐oriented behavior, and drives the early‐developing capacity to reason scientifically. I conclude with a discussion of the educational applications of research on the development of children's scientific reasoning in informal learning settings.
    May 03, 2014   doi: 10.1111/cdep.12070   open full text
  • Effects of Educational Interventions Targeting Reading Comprehension and Underlying Components.
    Monica Melby‐Lervåg, Arne Lervåg.
    Child Development Perspectives. May 03, 2014
    In most school subjects, students' comprehension of what they read is crucial, as is improving that comprehension. In this article, we review studies on the effects of interventions on reading comprehension. A simple view of reading sees reading comprehension as the product of linguistic comprehension and decoding skills, while an augmented view also emphasizes domain general cognitive skills (e.g., working memory, auditory processing). Studies that target skills directly related to reading comprehension through strategy training show moderate to large effects. In studies that target reading comprehension through the underlying components (i.e., decoding, linguistic comprehension, and domain‐general cognitive skills), training decoding has the largest effect on standardized tests of reading comprehension (small to moderate effects). Studies targeting linguistic comprehension have mixed results, highlighting the need for more randomized controlled trials that measure effects on reading comprehension. Finally, domain general interventions show little promise in terms of effects on reading comprehension.
    May 03, 2014   doi: 10.1111/cdep.12068   open full text
  • Understanding the U.S. Immigrant Paradox in Childhood and Adolescence.
    Amy K. Marks, Kida Ejesi, Cynthia García Coll.
    Child Development Perspectives. May 03, 2014
    The immigrant paradox in childhood and adolescence is a population‐level phenomenon wherein U.S.‐born youth (or more highly acculturated immigrants) have less optimal developmental outcomes than newcomer immigrant youth. These patterns, which hold true after accounting for the generally lower income and parent education levels among first‐generation immigrant families, have existed for decades in the United States. In this article, we address this topic in child development research, offering insights into studies to explain why the paradox occurs from the standpoint of both risk and resilience. We also present ideas for research and implications for developing policies and methods for effective practice with immigrant families.
    May 03, 2014   doi: 10.1111/cdep.12071   open full text
  • Linking Past, Present, and Future: Children's Ability to Connect Mental States and Emotions Across Time.
    Kristin Hansen Lagattuta.
    Child Development Perspectives. March 26, 2014
    Remembering the past can shape current emotions and behaviors as well as bias anticipations of the future. This awareness that mental states and emotions cohere across time—sometimes called mental time travel—is a fundamental component of social cognition critical for assessing risk, making decisions, and understanding others. In this article, I highlight early competencies and development in young children's reasoning about connections among life history, mind, and emotion. I focus primarily on children's knowledge about emotions and decisions caused by being reminded about the past and thinking about the future. Findings reveal surprising insights in children as young as 3–4 years of age, age‐related changes through middle childhood into adulthood, and individual differences that have implications for mental health.
    March 26, 2014   doi: 10.1111/cdep.12065   open full text
  • The Emergence of Prosocial Behavior: Why Do Infants and Toddlers Help, Comfort, and Share?
    Markus Paulus.
    Child Development Perspectives. March 19, 2014
    The early development of prosocial behavior has become a major topic in developmental psychology. Although findings on the early presence of prosocial tendencies in infants and toddlers have received much attention and the examination of their subsequent developmental pathways has fostered ample research, little is known about the mechanisms and motives that bring about the first emergence of these prosocial actions. In this article, I introduce and review theoretical approaches, then evaluate them in light of recent findings. I conclude that the forms of early prosocial behavior are related to different social‐cognitive mechanisms and underpinned by various motives.
    March 19, 2014   doi: 10.1111/cdep.12066   open full text
  • A Social–Ecological, Process‐Oriented Perspective on Political Violence and Child Development.
    E. Mark Cummings, Marcie C. Goeke‐Morey, Christine E. Merrilees, Laura K. Taylor, Peter Shirlow.
    Child Development Perspectives. March 19, 2014
    Youth's risk for adjustment problems amid political violence is well documented, but outcomes vary widely, with many children functioning well. Accordingly, researchers are seeking to identify the mechanisms and conditions that contribute to children's adjustment, with an interest in understanding effects on children in terms of changes in the social contexts in which they live and the psychological processes engaged by these social ecologies. In this article, we look at the importance of studying many levels of the social ecology and of differentiating the effects of exposure to contexts of political versus nonpolitical violence, and we address theories about explanatory processes. We review research pertinent to these themes, including a six‐wave longitudinal study on political violence and children in Northern Ireland.
    March 19, 2014   doi: 10.1111/cdep.12067   open full text
  • Raising Happy Children Who Succeed in School: Lessons From China and the United States.
    Eva M. Pomerantz, Florrie Fei‐Yin Ng, Cecilia Sin‐Sze Cheung, Yang Qu.
    Child Development Perspectives. March 14, 2014
    Chinese children outperform their American counterparts in the academic arena. Although many aspects of Chinese and American children's environments likely contribute to this achievement gap, a key aspect may be learning‐related parenting (e.g., assisting children with homework and responding to children's performance). In this article, we review differences in Chinese and American learning‐related parenting, with attention to the trade‐offs of each culture's style for children's academic and emotional functioning. We consider an integrated style of parenting combining the strengths of the Chinese and American styles to facilitate children's academic and emotional functioning.
    March 14, 2014   doi: 10.1111/cdep.12063   open full text
  • On the Links Among Face Processing, Language Processing, and Narrowing During Development.
    Olivier Pascalis, Hélène Loevenbruck, Paul C. Quinn, Sonia Kandel, James W. Tanaka, Kang Lee.
    Child Development Perspectives. March 14, 2014
    From the beginning of life, face and language processing are crucial for establishing social communication. Studies on the development of systems for processing faces and language have yielded such similarities as perceptual narrowing across both domains. In this article, we review several functions of human communication, and then describe how the tools used to accomplish those functions are modified by perceptual narrowing. We conclude that narrowing is common to all forms of social communication. We argue that during evolution, social communication engaged different perceptual and cognitive systems—face, facial expression, gesture, vocalization, sound, and oral language—that emerged at different times. These systems are interactive and linked to some extent. In this framework, narrowing can be viewed as a way infants adapt to their native social group.
    March 14, 2014   doi: 10.1111/cdep.12064   open full text
  • Counterfactual Reasoning: Sharpening Conceptual Distinctions in Developmental Studies.
    Eva Rafetseder, Josef Perner.
    Child Development Perspectives. February 11, 2014
    Counterfactual reasoning (CFR)—mentally representing what the world would be like now if things had been different in the past—is an important aspect of human cognition and the focus of research in areas such as philosophy, social psychology, and clinical psychology. More recently, it has also gained broad interest in cognitive developmental psychology, mainly focusing on the question of how this kind of reasoning can be characterized. Studies have been inconsistent in identifying when children can use CFR. In this article, we present theoretical positions that may account for this inconsistency and evaluate them in the light of research on counterfactual emotions.
    February 11, 2014   doi: 10.1111/cdep.12061   open full text
  • Cultural Influences on Substance Use Among Hispanic Adolescents and Young Adults: Findings From Project RED.
    Jennifer B. Unger.
    Child Development Perspectives. February 11, 2014
    Hispanic adolescents represent a growing segment of the U.S. population. In addition to the typical stressors encountered during adolescence, Hispanic adolescents may experience acculturative stress, perceived discrimination, and conflicts with parents about acculturation, which can lead to maladaptive behaviors such as substance use. Personal cultural resources may help Hispanic youth cope with cultural stressors and avoid substance use, but little is known about how such factors affect decisions about substance use. In 2005, my research group began studying a group of Hispanic adolescents in Los Angeles. The participants completed surveys annually about cultural issues such as acculturation, ethnic identity, and perceived discrimination; family and peer relationships; and use of alcohol, tobacco, and marijuana. We found that Hispanic adolescents' perceptions that they were discriminated against put them at greater risk for substance use, and that Hispanic orientation protected the youth from substance use. The findings can inform the development of culturally relevant prevention interventions for Hispanic adolescents and emerging adults.
    February 11, 2014   doi: 10.1111/cdep.12060   open full text
  • A Change–Resistance Account of Children's Difficulties Understanding Mathematical Equivalence.
    Nicole M. McNeil.
    Child Development Perspectives. February 11, 2014
    Most elementary school children in the United States have difficulties understanding mathematical equivalence in symbolic form (e.g., 3 + 4 = 5 + 2, 7 = 7). This is troubling because a formal understanding of mathematical equivalence is necessary for success in algebra and all higher level mathematics. Historically, children's difficulties with mathematical equivalence have been attributed to something that children lack relative to adults (e.g., domain‐general logical structures, working memory capacity, proficiency with basic arithmetic facts). However, a change–resistance account suggests that children's difficulties are due to inappropriate generalization of knowledge constructed from overly narrow experience with arithmetic. This account has not only enhanced our understanding of the nature of children's difficulties with mathematical equivalence but also helped us identify some of the malleable factors that can be changed to improve children's understanding of this concept.
    February 11, 2014   doi: 10.1111/cdep.12062   open full text
  • Executive Functioning and Mathematics Achievement.
    Rebecca Bull, Kerry Lee.
    Child Development Perspectives. February 11, 2014
    The importance of executive functioning (EF) skills in mathematical achievement is well established, and researchers have moved from just measuring working memory or updating to an inclusion of other EF skills, namely, inhibition and shifting. In this article, we review studies that have taken different approaches to measuring EF (e.g., using single vs. multiple indicators) and those that have applied different analytical techniques to conceptualize the structure of EF (e.g., exploratory vs. confirmatory techniques). Across studies, updating is often a unique predictor of math achievement at many ages; the findings relating to inhibition and switching are less conclusive. We discuss these findings in relation to age‐related variance in EF structure, the nature of inhibitory and shifting task requirements, and the role of updating as a limiting factor or a common resource for inhibition and shifting.
    February 11, 2014   doi: 10.1111/cdep.12059   open full text
  • Sharing and Comparing: How Comparing Shared Goals Broadens Goal Understanding in Development.
    Sarah A. Gerson.
    Child Development Perspectives. January 16, 2014
    How we recognize the goals of others is a critical question for those interested in social, cognitive, and linguistic development. The origins of goal understanding exist early in life—that is, infants recognize the intentional relations (e.g., between actor and goal) that underlie intentional actions. In this article, I propose one mechanism through which these initially narrow goal representations can be generalized: comparison. I briefly review evidence that comparison facilitates detection of relational similarities across several domains, then address theoretical and neural findings consistent with the notion that comparison plays a role in social‐cognitive development. I discuss more direct evidence that infants can and do expand their recognition of others' goals through comparison and then propose several hypotheses concerning the ways in which the benefits of comparison (and facilitative cues to compare) may influence the generalization of action understanding throughout development.
    January 16, 2014   doi: 10.1111/cdep.12056   open full text
  • Clarifying the Contours of Emotion Regulation: Insights From Parent–Child Stress Research.
    Heidemarie K. Laurent.
    Child Development Perspectives. January 03, 2014
    The way people respond to and recover from stress is a core aspect of emotion regulation, making it important to understand when and how stress response systems become dysregulated. In this article, I discuss a program of research designed to clarify the origins of stress regulation or dysregulation within families. My study highlights how parents with mood dysregulation shape their children's developing stress sensitivity via both inherited and social‐environmental paths, and how such sensitivity aids or impairs regulation depending on the environmental context. The work also points to ways in which the family environment continues to modulate stress sensitivity over time, framing regulation as a dynamic interplay among early and later parental influences, and current conditions, rather than a static outcome. I also discuss implications for conceptualizing stress regulation and points of intervention.
    January 03, 2014   doi: 10.1111/cdep.12058   open full text
  • Reading, Writing, Arithmetic, and Racism? Risks and Benefits to Teaching Children About Intergroup Biases.
    Rebecca S. Bigler, Yamanda F. Wright.
    Child Development Perspectives. January 03, 2014
    By the time children start formal schooling, they endorse stereotypes and exhibit prejudice on the basis of many traits, including age, attractiveness, disability status, gender, and race. Despite the relevance of these phenomena to children's lives, as well as to understanding historical and contemporary human relations, little consensus exists about whether, when, or how to teach children about intergroup biases (i.e., stereotyping, prejudice, and discrimination). In this article, we review the risks and benefits of learning about intergroup biases among elementary school children. We conclude that lessons about intergroup biases are valuable and call for additional research on how best to maximize their effectiveness for improving intergroup relations while minimizing associated risks.
    January 03, 2014   doi: 10.1111/cdep.12057   open full text
  • Is Insecure Parent–Child Attachment a Risk Factor for the Development of Anxiety in Childhood or Adolescence?
    Kathryn A. Kerns, Laura E. Brumariu.
    Child Development Perspectives. November 08, 2013
    In this article, we address how and why parent–child attachment is related to anxiety in children. Children who do not form secure attachments to caregivers risk developing anxiety or other internalizing problems. While meta‐analyses yield different findings regarding which insecurely attached children are at greatest risk, our recent studies suggest that disorganized children may be most at risk. Insecure attachment itself may contribute to anxiety, but insecurely attached children also are more likely to have difficulties regulating emotions and interacting competently with peers, which may further contribute to anxiety. Clinical disorders occur primarily when insecure attachment combines with other risk factors. In this article, we present a model of factors related to developing anxiety.
    November 08, 2013   doi: 10.1111/cdep.12054   open full text
  • Specific Language Impairment Across Languages.
    Laurence B. Leonard.
    Child Development Perspectives. November 08, 2013
    Children with specific language impairment (SLI) have a significant and longstanding deficit in spoken language ability that adversely affects their social and academic well‐being. Studies of children with SLI in a wide variety of languages reveal diverse symptoms, most of which seem to reflect weaknesses in grammatical computation and phonological short‐term memory. The symptoms of the disorder are sensitive to the type of language being acquired, with extraordinary weaknesses seen in those areas of language that are relatively challenging for younger typically developing children. Although these children's deficits warrant clinical and educational attention, their weaknesses might reflect the extreme end of a language aptitude continuum rather than a distinct, separable condition.
    November 08, 2013   doi: 10.1111/cdep.12053   open full text
  • Functional Morphemes and Early Language Acquisition.
    Rushen Shi.
    Child Development Perspectives. November 06, 2013
    In this article, I discuss the acquisition of functional morphemes during the first years of life. Infants begin to process functional items at birth. They start encoding functional elements and their structural relations in phrases and sentences long before they can produce these items. Functional items also assist various language acquisition tasks. These findings demonstrate the initial acquisition of functional morphemes and early grammatical knowledge, challenging the view that no syntactic structures are represented before the end of the toddler years. The findings have important implications for theories of language acquisition and for the debate concerning nature versus nurture in development.
    November 06, 2013   doi: 10.1111/cdep.12052   open full text
  • The Application of Experience Sampling Approaches to the Study of Ethnic Identity: New Developmental Insights and Directions.
    Tiffany Yip, Sara Douglass.
    Child Development Perspectives. August 05, 2013
    In this article, we review how the application of experience sampling methods (ESM) has advanced knowledge of the developmental importance of ethnic identity for youth outcomes. In particular, ESM approaches have allowed researchers to explore the construct of salience, the context‐dependent and fluid component of ethnic identity. We highlight new information on the importance of context for variability in ethnic identity salience, and the association between ethnic identity and psychological well‐being.
    August 05, 2013   doi: 10.1111/cdep.12040   open full text
  • Memory Constraints on Infant Learning From Picture Books, Television, and Touchscreens.
    Rachel Barr.
    Child Development Perspectives. August 05, 2013
    The past 15 years have seen an explosion of educational books, television, and touchscreen applications developed specifically for infants. Although infants interact with these symbolic artifacts on a daily basis, they have difficulty going beyond the symbolic source and transferring learning to real‐world situations. Infants imitate fewer actions and recognize fewer words following demonstrations depicted in picture books and on televisions and touchscreens than they do following face‐to‐face interactions, a phenomenon termed the transfer deficit. Age‐related constraints on memory flexibility contribute to this deficit. Learning can be enhanced when such constraints are considered. Specifically, repeating content and adding visual and auditory cues reduce the transfer deficit. Given the widespread availability of educational media for infants, understanding memory constraints on learning from media has practical implications for the creation and effective use of infant‐directed media in early education.
    August 05, 2013   doi: 10.1111/cdep.12041   open full text
  • Adolescent Resilience: Promotive Factors That Inform Prevention.
    Marc A. Zimmerman, Sarah A. Stoddard, Andria B. Eisman, Cleopatra H. Caldwell, Sophie M. Aiyer, Alison Miller.
    Child Development Perspectives. August 05, 2013
    Resilience theory provides a framework for studying and understanding how some youths overcome risk exposure and guides the development of interventions for prevention using a strengths‐based approach. In this article, we describe basic concepts of the theory, such as promotive factors, and distinguish assets and resources that help youths overcome the negative effects of risk exposure. We also present three models of resilience theory—compensatory, protective, and challenge—and review empirical research on three promotive factors—ethnic identity, social support, and prosocial involvement—that include individual, family, and community levels of analysis and have modifiable qualities for informing interventions. Finally, we present examples of how research findings from the three promotive factors can be translated into interventions to enhance youth development.
    August 05, 2013   doi: 10.1111/cdep.12042   open full text
  • Contact Between Adoptive and Birth Families: Perspectives From the Minnesota/Texas Adoption Research Project.
    Harold D. Grotevant, Ruth G. McRoy, Gretchen M. Wrobel, Susan Ayers‐Lopez.
    Child Development Perspectives. July 12, 2013
    A growing number of adoptive families have contact with their children's birth relatives. The Minnesota/Texas Adoption Research Project is examining longitudinally the consequences of variations in contact arrangements for birth mothers, adoptive parents, and adopted children in domestic infant adoptions, and is studying the dynamics of relationships within these family systems. Individuals who had contact were more satisfied with their arrangements than those who did not have contact. Satisfaction with contact predicted more optimal adjustment among adopted adolescents and emerging adults. Adoption‐related communication predicted identity development among adopted adolescents and emerging adults. Birth mothers who were more satisfied with their contact arrangements, regardless of level of contact, had less unresolved grief 12–20 years after placement. Adoptive and birth relatives who engage in contact need flexibility, strong interpersonal skills, and commitment to the relationship. These skills can be learned, and they can be supported by others, through informal, psychoeducational, and therapeutic means.
    July 12, 2013   doi: 10.1111/cdep.12039   open full text
  • Spanking and Child Development: We Know Enough Now to Stop Hitting Our Children.
    Elizabeth T. Gershoff.
    Child Development Perspectives. July 10, 2013
    Spanking remains a common, if controversial, childrearing practice in the United States. In this article, I pair mounting research indicating that spanking is both ineffective and harmful with professional and human rights opinions disavowing the practice. I conclude that spanking is a form of violence against children that should no longer be a part of American childrearing.
    July 10, 2013   doi: 10.1111/cdep.12038   open full text
  • Why Do Only Some Institutionalized Children Become Indiscriminately Friendly? Insights From the Study of Williams Syndrome.
    Isabel Soares, Jay Belsky, Ana R. Mesquita, Ana Osório, Adriana Sampaio.
    Child Development Perspectives. June 20, 2013
    Why do some institutionalized children develop indiscriminate behavior (IB) while others do not? Considering children with Williams syndrome (WS) may provide an answer because IB has been observed routinely among individuals with this rare genetic neurodevelopmental disorder. By conceiving WS as a natural genetic model that mimics the indiscriminate phenotype and, more importantly, is associated with the deletion of genes in a specific region, we propose an integrative conceptual framework that underscores the dynamic developmental interplay between genes, endophenotypes, and environment. In this article, we consider the etiology of IB among institutionalized children, which emphasizes environmental factors, followed by the effect of such behavior on WS children's hypersociability, which highlights the crosstalk between genes and neuropsychological features in programming their distinctive social‐emotional and behavioral phenotype. We propose new hypotheses regarding the etiopathogeny of IBs in institutionalized children, particularly the prediction of specific Gene × Environment interactions.
    June 20, 2013   doi: 10.1111/cdep.12036   open full text
  • How Social Safety Net Programs Affect Family Economic Well‐Being, Family Functioning, and Children's Development.
    Anna Gassman‐Pines, Zoelene Hill.
    Child Development Perspectives. June 20, 2013
    Following changes to federal cash assistance programs in 1996, low‐income families now rely on a set of social programs: the Earned Income Tax Credit, food assistance, publicly funded health insurance, and child‐care subsidies. In this review, we present evidence on the effects of these programs on families' economic circumstances, families' psychological well‐being and functioning, and children's developmental outcomes. Social safety net programs improve families' economic circumstances, thereby achieving their primary goal. Few studies have examined impacts on children's developmental outcomes but overall, programs improve children's academic, behavioral, and physical well‐being. Even fewer studies have examined impacts on parents' psychological well‐being or family functioning, leaving gaps in the literature. The review concludes with discussions of the Great Recession and whether effects found during stronger economic times generalize to the most recent economic crisis, and with a discussion of social safety net policies in countries outside the United States.
    June 20, 2013   doi: 10.1111/cdep.12037   open full text
  • Infants and Toddlers in Foster Care.
    Mary Dozier, Charles H. Zeanah, Kristin Bernard.
    Child Development Perspectives. May 30, 2013
    Young children involved in the child welfare system are susceptible to behavioral and physiological dysregulation. These children need nurturing care to develop organized attachments to caregivers, they need synchronous care to support their physiological and behavioral regulation, and they need stable caregivers who can commit to them, supporting their sense of self and behavioral regulation. Without intervention at the level of the parent and the system, most children involved with the child welfare system are unlikely to have these needs met. We present two models of intervention designed to enhance parents’ synchrony and nurturance, and highlight aspects of the system that can enhance the stability and commitment of caregivers.
    May 30, 2013   doi: 10.1111/cdep.12033   open full text
  • The Development of Rehearsal in Verbal Short‐Term Memory.
    Christopher Jarrold, Debbora Hall.
    Child Development Perspectives. May 29, 2013
    Verbal short‐term memory, as indexed by immediate serial recall tasks (in which participants must recall several stimuli in order, immediately after presentation), develops considerably across middle childhood. One explanation for this age‐related change is that children's ability to rehearse verbal material increases during this period, and one particularly influential version of this account is that only older children engage in any form of rehearsal. In this article, we critique evidence that is used to support the claim of age‐related change in rehearsal and also critique the argument that children do not rehearse when engaged in immediate serial recall. This is not to say that rehearsal does not develop with age or that it is not required in any task, but to suggest that it plays little role in the development of verbal short‐term memory performance as traditionally measured.
    May 29, 2013   doi: 10.1111/cdep.12034   open full text
  • Feeling Uncertain and Acting on It During the Preschool Years: A Metacognitive Approach.
    Simona Ghetti, Emily Hembacher, Christine A. Coughlin.
    Child Development Perspectives. May 29, 2013
    The ability to experience uncertainty (i.e., uncertainty monitoring) is an important skill that enables us to optimize our performance by acting cautiously or seeking additional information when we feel uncertain, and by expressing our knowledge when we feel certain (i.e., uncertainty control). Research reveals that even young preschoolers can introspect on uncertainty and act appropriately based on these introspections. We conclude that uncertainty monitoring and control can be driving forces of cognitive development during the preschool years. In this article, we review the emerging literature on this topic, highlight open questions, and draw connections with other research domains.
    May 29, 2013   doi: 10.1111/cdep.12035   open full text
  • Are Nouns Learned Before Verbs? Infants Provide Insight Into a Long‐Standing Debate.
    Sandra Waxman, Xiaolan Fu, Sudha Arunachalam, Erin Leddon, Kathleen Geraghty, Hyun‐joo Song.
    Child Development Perspectives. April 11, 2013
    For decades, a spirited debate has existed over whether infants’ remarkable capacity to learn words is shaped primarily by universal features of human language or by specific features of the particular native language they are acquiring. A strong focus for this debate has been a well‐documented difference in early word learning: Infants’ success in learning verbs lags behind their success in learning nouns. In this review, we articulate both sides of the debate and summarize new cross‐linguistic evidence from infants that underscores the role of universal features and begins to clarify the impact of distinctly different languages on early language and conceptual development.
    April 11, 2013   doi: 10.1111/cdep.12032   open full text
  • Developmental Mechanisms Underlying the Legacy of Childhood Experiences.
    Glenn I. Roisman, R. Chris Fraley.
    Child Development Perspectives. April 11, 2013
    Developmental scientists tend to address questions about mechanism in ways that, ironically, are not especially developmental. More specifically, although we now have a great deal of data that suggest that childhood experiences have implications for human development, we know little about the time course of such effects or the dynamic mechanisms that might sustain them. Why? Because longitudinal data are rarely analyzed in a manner that can probe the developmental mechanisms by which earlier experiences are carried forward over time. In this article, we explore this paradox in detail, propose a solution, and review a set of published examples that implement the solution with a focus on the predictive significance of early maternal sensitivity. We conclude with suggestions for work in this area.
    April 11, 2013   doi: 10.1111/cdep.12030   open full text
  • Sensory Symptoms in Autism: A Blooming, Buzzing Confusion?
    Elizabeth Pellicano.
    Child Development Perspectives. April 10, 2013
    Autism is well known for the way it affects how a person interacts and communicates with others. But autism can affect behavior in other important and debilitating ways, such as in an intense desire for sameness and in sensory systems that work too well or not well enough. Researchers have largely overlooked the latter “sensory symptoms,” but their prominence in forthcoming diagnostic criteria calls for systematic investigation. In this article, I review existing theoretical accounts of autism and provide an overview of a new theoretical account that proposes using Bayesian methods to identify the nature of the (altered) computations involved in autistic sensation and perception. Specifically, the account suggests that sensory symptoms may be due to fewer prior constraints or attenuated “priors.” The possibility that autistic people perceive the world as it really is rather than as imbued by prior experiences may explain the range and idiosyncrasy of their sensory sensitivities and their difficulties dealing with new experiences.
    April 10, 2013   doi: 10.1111/cdep.12031   open full text
  • Another Way Family Can Get in the Head and Under the Skin: The Neurobiology of Helping the Family.
    Andrew J. Fuligni, Eva H. Telzer.
    Child Development Perspectives. April 01, 2013
    Families can be both challenging and meaningful. Advances in technology have allowed us to gain insight into the impact of family stress on biological and neurological development, but these tools also can be used to understand more deeply the social and cultural meaning of family experiences in the developing child. In this article, we describe a program of research examining the psychological, immunological, and neural correlates of children helping their families. Although difficult at times, such help can provide a sense of belonging and role fulfillment that may shape the neurobiology of the developing child.
    April 01, 2013   doi: 10.1111/cdep.12029   open full text