J. E. Grusec and M. Davidov (this issue) have taken good steps in formulating a domain-specific view of parent-child interactions. This commentary supports the introduction of domain specificity to analyses of parenting. Their formulation is an advance over formulations that characterized parental practices globally. This commentary calls for…

In a study of attachment behavior 10-month-old infants were observed under three conditions: with the mother, with an adult female stranger, and when both were present. Infants directed more social responses to the mother, but the stranger evoked more exploration behavior than distress. (ST)

Examined relation between parents' reactions to preschoolers' negative emotions and social competence. Found that the relation between harsh parental coping strategies and children's emotional responding was moderated by parental distress. Relation between the interaction of parental coping and distress to children's social competence was mediated…

The effects of rewards and expectations of future rewards on sharing were examined with 180 Israeli boys at three age levels (ages 6-7, 9-10, and 12-13). A relation between moral judgment and behavior was found. (BRT)

Assessed friendships among Head Start preschoolers. Found that older children were more likely than younger children to participate in a reciprocated friendship, and reciprocated dyads were more likely to be same-gender than were nonreciprocated dyads. Reciprocated friends interacted more frequently and looked at each other more than…

Critically reviews research since 1972 on maternal deprivation. Topics discussed include: the development of social relationships and the process of bonding; critical periods of development; links between childhood experiences and parenting behavior; influences on parenting; and possible reasons why so many children do not succumb to deprivation…

Systematic observations of affiliative interaction in 15 stable peer groups were conducted across three years in an urban day care center. Groups contained 193 French-speaking children ranging in age from one to six years. (Author/RH)

Children's conceptions of the emotions of guilt versus shame were investigated in 2 studies involving children ages 7 to 9 and 10 to 12. Age-related differences in conceptions of guilt and shame emerged. The older children understood the adaptive implications of both emotions, whereas the younger children perceived them more in terms of the…

Examined social, emotional, and cognitive characteristics of American and Chinese 6-year-olds' narratives. Found that, compared to American children, Chinese children showed greater orientation toward social engagement, greater concern with moral correctness, greater concern with authority, a less autonomous orientation, more expressions of…

In a study of differential socialization of boys and girls by mothers and fathers, families of 12 and 18 month olds, and 5 year olds, were examined at home. There were several differences in mothers' and fathers' reactions to boys and girls. Implications for further studies of parental sex-role socialization are discussed. (GLR)

Using a longitudinal design, investigates the interactive behaviors of mothers of normal infants and mothers of infants who are known to differ on a host of cognitive, behavioral, and biological parameters. Examines the developmental course of emotional expressivity in these infants. (HOD)

Examined the relationships between certain socialization experiences and social judgments among 54 inner-city, African American kindergartners from low-income families. Results indicated that in evaluating transgressions children distinguished between moral and social-conventional issues when explaining why they were wrong and in terms of rule and…

Examines relations among early social and familial experience, social problem-solving skills, and social competence in the classroom, in sample of 46 children, aged four and five years, from economically distressed backgrounds. Finds family experience predictive of both social competence and problem solving. (Author/RWB)

Takes the position, contrary to that of Sandra Scarr, that the details of socialization patterns are crucial to an understanding of normal and deviant development. Research is cited to support the argument that better than adequate parenting optimizes the development of both normal and vulnerable children and that parents' belief in their own…

Of 4,100 adolescents, those who characterized their parents as authoritative scored highest on psychosocial competence and lowest on behavioral dysfunction. The reverse was true for neglected adolescents. Adolescents from authoritarian homes scored high on obedience but low on self-perception. Adolescents from indulgent homes evidenced…