Research on the role of moral emotions in moral judgment, both in hypothetical dilemmas and in real-life moral decision making, has focused on preschool and elementary school age, with few studies spanning a larger age range, into adolescence and adulthood. The present special issue addresses a neglected area, the development of moral emotions and…

The development of children's lie-telling abilities is considered to be a social and cognitive milestone. While occasional lying is developmentally appropriate, the use of frequent, antisocial lies as a maladaptive problem-solving mechanism can indicate behaviour problems. Since lying is often considered a moral transgression, researchers should…

Promoting cooperative social behavior is a major task of preschool teachers. Children are taught to be nice, be fair, and share. This mandate, however, runs up against the fact that young children are naturally egotistical and unable to appreciate the perspective of others. This leaves teachers with questions about how strongly they should push…

Although the world is changing rapidly, young people's developmental trajectory has remained the same. Just as in the past, today's young adolescents with still-developing prefontal cortexes are malleable, impulsive, and impressionable. But Phyllis Fagell identifies three areas where today's tweens are different from those of the past. They are…

"Conflict Narratives in Middle Childhood" presents evidence from twenty years of research, examining nearly 3,000 narratives from 1,600 children in eight settings in two countries about their own experiences with interpersonal conflict. Close readings, combined with systematic analysis of dozens of features of the stories reveal that…

The author's initial argument concludes that parents should refrain from inculcating norms and dispositions suitable for peacetime when ruthless enemies seek to kill or imprison their children. Drawing on recent interpreters of Kant, this paper argues that teaching children to deceive pursuers is consistent with Kantian arguments against lying.…

Learning to relate to others begins at birth and carries forward to new relationships, which is why child maltreatment and exposure to intimate partner violence have emerged as powerful risk factors for future coercive and hostile relationship patterns. Although not inevitable, it is more likely that children who are victims of maltreatment will…

Generally recognized as the standard work in its field, "Behavioral, Social, and Emotional Assessment of Children and Adolescents" provides a comprehensive foundation and guide for conducting conceptually sound, culturally responsive, and ecologically oriented assessments of student social and emotional behavior. It is aimed at graduate…

This article introduces the clover model, a research-based developmental model of resilience and psychopathology related to the prevention of aggressive behavior and the promotion of resiliency in adolescents. It describes how social cognitions and emotions function differently at different periods of adolescent development and influence problem…

Summarizes research that shows the benefits of avoiding corporal punishment, putting recent defenses of corporal punishment in perspective, explaining a paradox concerning trends in corporal punishment, and concluding with an estimate of the benefits to children, parents, and society as a whole that could occur if corporal punishment were to…

Teachers of young children are concerned about biting. While it is unusual for a preschooler to bite, biting is still within the range of normal behaviors a 3- or 4-year-old may exhibit. Children at this young age have neither sophisticated language nor refined social skills, so they tend to express their wants physically. This article discusses…

Examines data on what situational factors influence people's desire to view violent television programming. Surveys research on the effects on viewer's behavior of the presence of other observers, the nature of the available target, situational features operating as retrieval cues, the viewers' interpretations of the violent scenes, and the…

Aggression Replacement Training (ART) is a potent K-12 intervention that responds to many of the developmental and natural needs of aggressive and antisocial students. Woven into the curriculum preventatively or as a stand-alone course in response to an antisocial school climate, ART facilitates the learning necessary to reach and provide lasting…

Interpersonal, familial, and situational risk factors that predict young children's aggression and non-compliance are explored. Here examples of specific techniques and provided to help teachers and parents effectively support children's early development of cooperative and prosocial behaviours as well as problem-solving skills in family and…

Programs desiring to offer true alternatives for troubled children and youth can focus efforts through a developmental lens. Adults who focus their intervention decisions through beliefs based on healthy social-emotional developmental theory and practice provide a strength-based alternative, a sturdy foundation, and an oasis of hope for youth to…