Studied how toddlers respond to interactive multimedia. Found that 2- to 3-year olds can engage in computer interactions, but that purposeful and meaningful interactions may not begin until children are about two-and-a-half years old. Prior knowledge plays a strong role in toddlers' computer experience. Human interaction is vital to help…

This study examined the relationship between classroom culture, determined by the teacher's beliefs and values about their role in working with children, and children's behavior in that environment. Fifty 3-year-olds attending child care full time were videotaped during play, and their conflicts were transcribed. Results suggest a link between…

Examined stability and behavioral correlates of peer acceptance from kindergarten through second grade. Found that social acceptance and peer competence were relatively stable. Stably rejected children showed poorer peer and teacher ratings of social behavior than others; transiently rejected children were rated moderate in social skill. Changes…

Examined the attachment status of infants in the home and laboratory by observing infant temperament and maternal parenting sensitivity, as well as parent reports of infant temperament. Subjects were 49 families and their infants. Results highlighted the need to consider other factors besides maternal sensitivity to explain the variability in the…

Compared children's play with transformational objects (vehicles that change to robots) to play with representational objects (cars and figures). Found that those playing with transformers engaged in more parallel play and manipulative activity, while those with representational objects displayed more social play and more symbolic play. Found no…

Explores family-style meal service as a means to building autonomy and healthy eating behaviors in young children. Discusses the development of food preferences, age-related developmental responses to food, and the importance of socially mediated exposure to food as a way to increased food acceptance. Presents guidelines for implementing…

Responds to a letter from a parent facing serious problems in putting her child to sleep at night. Suggests that a child's eagerness to spend as much time as possible with his or her parents can create problems at bedtime. Proposes increasing shared time, and putting the child to bed, but handing over to the child responsibility for sleeping. (AA)

Examined relation of emotional regulation strategies to angry affect during a frustration task in a sample of low-income boys. Found that shifting attention away from sources of frustration and seeking information about situation constraints were associated with decreased anger, and secure attachment and positive maternal control correlated with…

Argues that a thorough understanding of factors that influence aggression in children cannot be achieved without including behavior genetic studies that allow examination of the effects of shared versus non-shared environment, as well as genes, on aggressive behaviors. Details the growing body of evidence on the genetic effects on aggression.…

Measured the effects of risk taking portrayed in television programs on children's willingness to take risks. Children, ages six to nine, viewed programs featuring either infrequent or frequent risk taking; a control group viewed no television. Subjects' self-reports indicated that children who viewed programs with frequent risk taking increased…

A study involving two questionnaires given to mothers of four-, six-, and eight-year olds investigated whether a correlation exists between differences in temperaments of children and their attachment to objects. Results supported the hypothesis and provided evidence that children with non-social attachment are as well adjusted as children without…

In this national telephone survey 1,011 boys and girls between 10 and 16 were questioned about how they responded to threatened assaults. Boys, especially teens, used more aggressive forms of resistance. Children advised by their fathers to stand up and fight also felt more successful using aggressive resistance. Findings suggest different…

Parents of children with attentional deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), other psychiatric diagnoses, or no history of school or home problems reported the frequency of their children's sleep disturbances before and after observing their children's behaviors for a month. Parents of ADHD children reported higher frequencies of sleep disturbances…

Discusses Maria Montessori's approach to educating and caring for young children, focusing on her early experiences with poor tenement children in 1907 and the development of the Montessori Method of exploratory, child-centered learning. Argues that children do not have an inner spiritual hunger but are themselves the essence of spirituality,…

Argues that it is neither possible nor beneficial for individuals to be perfect parents, maintaining that in most circumstances the errors parents make are more than compensated for by the many good decisions they make in regard to child rearing. Children learn best through the example their parents set for them. (MDM)