This research investigated mothers' affect in the context of children's homework. Mothers (N=109) of children 8 to 12 years old were interviewed daily about their affect while interacting with children, their assistance with children's homework, and children's behavior while completing homework. At this time and 6 months later, children's…

Although conscience has been the focus of reflection for centuries, fundamental questions regarding its organization have not been fully answered. To address those questions, the authors applied structural equation modeling techniques to longitudinal data comprising multiple behavioral measures of children's conscience, obtained in parallel…

Two remembering phenomenologies, vivid recollection and vague familiarity, have been extensively studied in adults using introspective self-report tasks, such as rememberknow. Because such tasks are beyond the capabilities of young children, there is no database on how these phenomenologies first develop and what factors affect them. In…

We evaluated the Developmental Behaviour Checklist (DBC) in the assessment of psychopathology in a Finnish population of children with intellectual disability. Disruptive behaviour was more common in children with mild intellectual disability, and problems with social interaction and communication in those with moderate, severe or profound…

Following sample question and answer dialogues, this article provides suggestions on how to deal with a child who never stops complaining. The author investigates the impetus behind children who seem to make whining a habit, by asking several children why they do it. The dialogues demonstrate: (1) that young children may not know the meaning of…

The association between the development of antisocial behavior, affiliation with deviant friends, and peer rejection was tested with a preventive intervention; 664 boys and girls were randomly assigned to a universal classroom-based intervention targeting disruptive behavior or a control condition. Peer nominations of antisocial behavior, friends'…

Children are not born responsible but must learn this from persons with greater maturity and wisdom. Unfortunately, contemporary culture is one in which many adults and youth are blatantly disrespectful toward one another. Disrespect toward children is so commonplace. As such, large numbers of youth are disconnected from adults. In this article,…

The Healthy Steps for Young Children Program (HS) is designed to provide support for new parents through the pediatrician's office. We present findings of the effect of HS on the quality of mother-child interaction, security of attachment, and child behavior using observational data from two of the HS sites that utilized a randomized treatment…

Time-out procedures are proven effective methods for reducing undesirable behavior in children. However, such procedures are often taught incorrectly or used improperly and are therefore of little value in reducing such behaviors. The authors present a review of literature, empirically based instruction methods, and a case scenario to assist…

The purpose of this study was to assess the concurrent criterion validity of the attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) portion of the National Institute of Mental Health Diagnostic Interview Schedule for Children-IV (NIMHDISC-IV). Fifty-seven adolescent participants were divided into three groups on the basis of whether participants met…

This study examined the stability and continuity of early-identified behavior problems and the factors associated with this stability. Children and their mothers (N=125) were seen when the children were 2 and 4 years of age. Maternal reports of child externalizing behavior and laboratory observations of child noncompliance were stable from age 2…

Token economies often reduce problematic classroom behavior in preschool settings. In the present study, direct observation and teacher ratings of child behavior and treatment acceptability were utilized to evaluate the effectiveness of a token economy in a Head Start classroom. Because many teachers express concerns about the effort required to…

Examined the underlying structure and factorial validity of the Children's Playfulness Scale in evaluating preschool children's behavior. Found that factor loadings, factor variances/covariances, and error variances/covariances are invariant across calibration and validation groups, indicating the good cross-generalizability of the scale. (JPB)

Identification of strengths is considered an important part of school psychological practice. However, few instruments are available to school psychologists that allow for systematic and comprehensive evaluation of a student's emotional and behavioral strengths. School psychologists must be provided with psychometrically sound instruments that…

The author presents an overview of basic concepts of early childhood temperament and argues that child behavior is the result of the interplay between nature and culture. Due to inconsistencies in the field, temperament research and clinical application can be challenging for early childhood practitioners to interpret and apply to their daily…