Children have a natural inclination to play and imagine themselves as characters. Research has supported theories that connect this pretend play and related theatrical play to the development of children's social and emotional skills, but the author contends we need further, more rigorous research on whether such play directly relates to such…

Locally or individually, STEM programs provide additional opportunities to engage K-12 students, including those from marginalized groups, with the support of STEM outreach organizations through the co-construction and implementation of STEM activities during school, out of school, at home, and in the community. Research suggests that…

Forty-eight middle-class mothers answered questionnaires about their 11-through 18-month-old infants' typical television watching and interest, the frequency and duration of their independent play with toys and dyadic play with and without toys, and whether the television was typically on or not on in the room at the time. Mothers reported that…

In three experiments, one-year-old infants were observed responding to mechanical, noise-making toys that operated predictably or unpredictably. Interest centered on (1) whether increasing temporal predictability would reduce distress, (2) causes of reduction in distress, and (3) the role of information about the onset of each bout of stimulation…

This paper focuses on possible relations between early peer skills and developing cognitive abilities. One promising area for discovering relations between cognitive development and peer interaction appears to be related to the young child's developing ability to differentiate self from other, that is, decentration. Decentration is typically…

Temporal stability of play behavior and its consistency among toys differing in complexity was assessed by observing 40 eight-month-old infants. The relationship of stability of play to temperament was examined. Findings support the idea that behavioral consistency in infancy is similar to that reported for older children. (RH)

Observations suggest that 12-month-old children show little evidence of possession rules, while 18- and 24-month-olds are still coming to differentiate purely personal possession rules from shared possession rules that take into account the other child's status or rights as a possessor. Children 12 months old exhibited the highest frequency of…

Mothers of 48 infants approximately 12 months old displayed either positive or neutral affect while their infants responded to pleasant, ambiguous, or aversive toys. On the first trial maternal affect had no effect; on the second trial, positive maternal affect resulted in more positive infant responses, but only for the ambiguous toy. (Author/RH)

Parents were asked to complete an information form when they registered their children in an early childhood education center. Answers to a question on the form concerning each child's favorite play activities at home were collected and examined in terms of sex differences. The parents in this study reported the same sex difference in children's…

Studied were the responses of infants to new toys presented with either positive, negative, or neutral affective displays by mothers. Responses to stimulus toys were compared with responses to free play toys. Maternal displays influenced responses only to stimulus toys. (PCB)

College students grouped by scores on the Bem Sex Role Inventory rated 74 toys on their appropriateness for girls or boys, their educational value, and whether they required activity or cooperation. Male subjects sex-typed toys more than females, though responses overall were traditional. Gender role (BSRI) proved unrelated to sex-typed ratings.…

Investigates processes that might influence the degree of association between preschoolers' sex-role stereotyped toy choices and their choice of same-sex versus opposite-sex playmates. A total of 51 children in preschool classes for four-year-olds were observed during free play over nine weeks. (Author/RH)

This study examined the effectiveness of treatment on the development of communicative intent in four young (ages 11 to 13 months) children with cerebral palsy. Treatment sessions included structured communication opportunities and physically facilitated exploration of toys. Results indicated significantly greater use of communicative signals…

This study of 136 children (aged 2 to 10 years) found that children referred for medical evaluation of sexual abuse will use sexually explicit behavior to demonstrate what has happened to them with nonanatomical dolls as frequently as when they are interviewed with anatomically detailed ones. (Author/DB)

A review of 11 single-subject research studies designed to enhance the object-related play of youths with mental retardation found that positive outcomes in the form of improved play behaviors were consistently reported across intervention type. The responsiveness of participants to intervention suggests a need for research to determine the most…