Investigated role of maternal characteristics and behavior, perceptions of social support, and infant characteristics to differentiate early patterns of infant security, organized insecurity and disorganization among socioeconomically disadvantaged families. Found a variety of correlations with different attachment patterns. Also found that change…

Maintains that the "getting into shape" hypothesis of explaining the inverted-U distribution of exercise play across age is likely incorrect. Argues that the biological study of human physical activity play, as recommended by Pellegrini and Smith (1998), will reveal whether physical activity play represents an example of…

Certain play situations are very difficult for young visually impaired children. This booklet focuses on three areas of play: exploring toys and materials, making transitions from one activity to another, and playing with other children. Through anecdotal descriptions of common situations encountered by caregivers, the booklet discusses why these…

The intense striving for power which characterizes much of male behavior occurs inevitably as part of the process of gender acquisition and consequently contributes to a sense of psychological vulnerability in the male personality. Masculine and feminine attributes develop spontaneously from young children's tendencies to compare themselves to…

During an experiment on infant behavior, it was observed that young children shared toys with their mothers; therefore, a series of research studies was designed to investigate this phenomenon. The general purposes of the research were: (1) to define sharing more precisely and develop objective measures of frequency and duration for it, (2) to…

An intervention study with mothers and infants is discussed. The project staff consisted of two home visitors, a materials specialist, an infant examiner, and a project coordinator. This study assessed the effectiveness of the program for mothers and infants. Infant abilities and psychological development were tested and homes were rated. One home…

Discusses the societal values and behavior patterns that Chinese preschools reinforce and instill in children. (HOD)

This article presents some of the changing views influencing psychologists, physicians, and other persons interested in preventing developmental difficulties and promoting physical and mental health in children. (DB)

Questioned day care center children during free play about their collective activity to determine how the representation of cooperation is structured and what kind of transformation appears during development. Found a developmental trend of representation of group activity after age 2. Results highlight the importance of group and day care center…

Suggests that play begins with infant-adult interaction soon after birth rather than with much later peer interactions. Proposes a developmental sequence of infant play that reverses the sequences of the Howes peer play scale, and cites pertinent literature to support that proposal. (BC)

Responses to youth violence include intervention programs to teach children alternative skills for solving problems and to challenge superficial beliefs about the glories of violence. Children on a destructive path need someone they can trust who will guide them. Lists 29 measures in response to school violence and the percentage of school…

This study examined the relation between type of parent-child interaction task and parenting behaviors among a predominantly African American community-based sample. Twenty-five anxious and matched nonanxious (N = 50) mothers were videotaped with their children (M age = 5.8 years) engaging in both a structured and unstructured task. Blind raters…

Extending the work of behavioral scientist Urie Bronfenbrenner on the social and contextual factors influencing human development, this collection of essays, from scholars in a range of disciplines, shows how Bronfenbrenner's ecological theory and research have transformed the way many social and behavioral scientists approach, think about, and…

This set of checklists in separate English- and Spanish-language versions, is designed to help parents and childcare providers determine through observations a child's developmental progress from birth to age 5. The checklists are excerpted from the "Slow and Steady, Get Me Ready" guidebook, written by a retired kindergarten teacher with 25 years…

This exploratory study of children's use of electronic text systems drew upon site visits, interviews, and data compilations for an overview and synthesis of issues. Systems studied included Green Thumb (videotext, Kentucky); Channel 2000 (videotext, Ohio); KCET (teletext, California); WETA (teletext, Washington, D.C.); QUBE (interactive cable,…