Data from 508 Caucasian children in the NICHD Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development shows that the DRD4 (but not 5-HTTLPR) polymorphism moderates the effect of child-care quality (but not quantity or type) on caregiver-reported externalizing problems at 54 months and in kindergarten and teacher-reported social skills at kindergarten and…

This article assesses the effects of Tulsa, Oklahoma's early childhood education programs on social-emotional outcomes, examining teacher ratings of children's behavior from the Adjustment Scales for Preschool Intervention and a measure of attentiveness using fixed effects regressions with propensity score matching. The sample includes 2,832…

Associations between maternal sensitivity to infant distress and nondistress and infant social-emotional adjustment were examined in a subset of dyads from the NICHD Study of Early Child Care (N = 376). Mothers reported on infant temperament at 1 and 6 months postpartum, and maternal sensitivity to distress and nondistress were observed at 6…

Studied the early development of inhibited approach through the observation of 48 infants. Subjects (aged 6.5, 10, and 13.5 months) were observed longitudinally as they reached for toys under high- and low-novelty/intensity conditions. Predictions that temperament would affect reaching behavior (with happy children reaching more quickly and…

Results suggest that various aspects of Strange Situation behavior are related to both maternal and infant temperament, and that maternal temperament is a predictor of attachment security, particularly for Type A mother-avoidant infants. (Author/RH)

Introduces this thematic issue of CHILD DEVELOPMENT which addresses schooling and child development. (PCB)

A study of 287 kindergartners, who were retested in second grade, indicated that two major factor dimensions jointly account for much of the social-emotional behavior of children and are relatively stable personality dimensions. (ST)

Mothers were interviewed periodically over the first six years of their same-sex twins' lives and were asked to contrast them on specific behaviors. Intrapair contrasts were moderately stable across age spans for as long as 18 through 36 months. Genotypic similarity was apparently associated with intrapair similarity in emotionality and…

Observed 18- to 30-month-olds' use of force against peers. Found no sex differences in average aggression levels or in mothers' aggression ratings. Rate of hitting peers and mothers' ratings were stable over 6 months for girls only. Toddlers especially sensitive to peers' possible intentions hit peers more and were more likely than to use force…

Examined role of social anxiety, social withdrawal, and locus of control in the developmental level of interpersonal negotiation strategies (INS) when resolving hypothetical conflicts. Found that sociable children were more likely than socially withdrawn children to exhibit greater competence in INS. Children with internal locus of control were…

Examined whether children who vary in their behavioral responses to ambiguous provocation but have similar attributional processes differ in their social goals and self- efficacy perceptions. Subjects were 781 4th and 5th graders. Found that aggressive, withdrawn, and problem-solving responders differed in the social goals and self-efficacy…

Examined relations of children's regulation and emotionality to their social functioning. Found that resiliency mediated effects of individual differences in attentional regulation on social status and socially appropriate behavior, and that negative emotionality moderated the positive relation between attentional control and resiliency. Also…

Assessed infant temperament at 2 days and 5 months of age, attachment to mother at 14 months, and behavioral inhibition at 24 months. Distress at pacifier withdrawal at two days was related to insecure attachment. Reactivity to frustration and novelty at five months was related to high vagal tone. Attachment classification was related to inhibited…

Used prospective longitudinal design to ascertain whether different types of behavioral inhibition were stable from toddler to preschool age, and whether inhibited temperament or parenting style predicted children's subsequent social/behavioral problems. Found that traditional and peer-social toddler inhibition predicted socially reticent behavior…

Children of 4 to 10 years of age were told about children whose sex was not specified and who had a masculine or feminine toy or characteristic. Results indicated that children first learn characteristics relevant to their own sex, and that older children's stereotypic judgments about gender are more extreme than those of younger children. (BC)