Objective: This is the first of two related articles on a study carried out between 2000 and 2003 designed to assess the prevalence, associated comorbidities, and correlates of disruptive behavior disorders in two populations of Puerto Rican children: one in the Standard Metropolitan Areas of San Juan and Caguas in Puerto Rico, and the other in…

To identify maternal scaffolding behaviors, this study used conventional sequential analysis to examine mother-child dyads interacting in problem-solving and exploration contexts. Conventional sequential analysis estimates the temporal contingency between the antecedent behavior of one person and the consequent behavior of a second person.…

Originally written for students at St. Thomas' Hospital in London, this guide to child development offers an overview of child development for parents, teachers, and all adults concerned with raising children. Many of the book's ideas come from direct work with children and draw on Rudolf Steiner's approach to child development. The book's…

This digest describes the overall pattern of the results of research on television violence and behavior. Several variables in the relationship between television violence and aggression related to characteristics of the viewers and to the portrayal of violence are identified. Viewer characteristics included: age, amount of television watched,…

Two studies investigated children's responsiveness to an adult's negative emotions (anger, sadness, and pain). The studies also evaluated effects of adult scaffolding (labeling and explaining negative emotions, and requesting help). In the first study, subjects were 55 preschool children between the ages of 33 and 56 months. During individual play…

This practicum was designed to decrease the number of aggressive responses to conflict by fifth grade students. The goal was to increase student awareness of peaceful resolutions while decreasing the number of teacher interventions in student conflicts. To educate students on conflict resolution, the Community Board Curriculum for conflict…

Research suggests that mothers interacting with disruptive children tend to experience greater negative affect (NA) and less parental confidence. Because children with externalizing disorders can be quite oppositional and rejecting, involvement in the parental role can lead to a sense of learned helplessness that can exacerbate anxious feelings.…

This study investigated the effect of viewing professional wrestling programs on first grade boys' violent and aggressive behavior. Interviews were conducted, in focus groups of 4 children, with 16 students who watched wrestling 4-6 hours a week. The children indicated that they enjoyed watching professional wrestling and that after viewing, they…

This Social Policy Report considers the importance of young children's emotional development for their school readiness, suggesting that social scientists can provide policy makers with concrete ways to conceptualize, measure and target young children's emotional adjustment in early educational and child care settings. This Report then reviews a…

Two studies examined cultural and socioeconomic influences on mothers' beliefs regarding desirable and undesirable long-term socialization goals and child behavior. Found that even when socioeconomic status was controlled, Anglo and Puerto Rican mothers of toddlers placed differential value on the constructs of self-maximization and proper…

Reviews current understanding of the process of emergent literacy development for linguistically diverse children. Claims that process of literacy development can be viewed as a sequential developmental task. Also explains that children create principles or hypotheses to develop literacy specific to their understanding of their native language and…

Studied preschool children's inability to distinguish fantasy from fact utilizing the case of the popular movie Jurassic Park and the subsequent false information children obtained about dinosaurs. Described attempts made by teachers to address the resultant aggressive behavior and false knowledge gained and replace it with constructive knowledge.…

Interviewed 130 Hong Kong parents to examine child-rearing practices and their educational implications. Results, in the areas of parental expectations, parent support, discipline, and homework, underscore the difficult task of rearing children when traditional family practices are changing and where preschools and schools operate with more formal…

Parent and teacher ratings of the adaptive skills of 59 children (mean age 6 years) with multiple disabilities in a rehabilitation day treatment setting were compared using the Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales. Teachers systematically rated the children as more skilled in both global and specific domains of adaptive behavior than did the parents.…

This brief report evaluates a pilot project to deliver a telephone supported, self-directed parenting program to isolated families. The aim of the project was to promote the competence and confidence of parents experiencing early difficulties. Significant improvements were noted in child behavior, parenting style, parental depression, anxiety, and…