Uses data from the National Survey of Families and Households to test the generality of the links between parenting practices and child outcomes. Parents' reports of support, monitoring, and harsh punishment were associated in the expected direction with parents' reports of children's adjustment, school grades, and behavior problems, and with…

Examined children's emotional and behavioral regulation and emotional and prosocial responses to a crying infant. Found that children who could regulate their arousal were unlikely to become distressed and more likely than other children to talk to and comfort the crying infant. Girls were more responsive and engaged in more active responses than…

Presents a study in which 134 college students judged children in vignettes varying on child gender and family history to test perceiver bias. Perceiver bias was confirmed. Perceptions of female sexual abuse victims were more biased than perceptions of male victims. (Author/SR)

Summarizes three studies on the effects of physical environment on preschool children's play and cognitive development, and discusses implications for classroom design. Notes that size of play area, and the extent to which the size of structures in that area was proportional to children's size, affected the rate at which children entered complex…

Motivationally distinct forms of child compliance, mutually positive affect, and maternal control were observed as correlates of internalization in 103 mother-toddler dyads. Found that children who shared positive affect with their mothers showed a high level of committed compliance and were also more internalized. Maternal "Do's" appeared more…

Provides a typology of power strategies used by young children, based on observations of early childhood classrooms. Distinguishes between violent and nonviolent strategies; within nonviolent strategies, between physical and discursive strategies; within discursive strategies, between the use of rules and other strategies; and within the use of…

Two studies examined preschoolers' conflict behavior in peer and sibling dyads. Found that conflicts were quickly resolved in nonaggressive ways, and they occurred within the context of ongoing, coordinated play. Most conflicts occurred between same-gender dyads. Age was also found to influence conflict behavior. (HTH)

Since camp counselors become surrogate parents, they can benefit from learning parenting skills. Parenting styles, relationship building, cabin rules, compliance, positive reinforcement, and discipline are discussed. A sidebar describes a structured time-out program for strong-willed children ages 4-11, and a disagreement program that teaches…

Examined the relationship between parenting alliance and child behavior problems with 53 mothers of two- to 15-year-olds at a pediatric outpatient clinic. Found a significant, moderately negative correlation between the Parenting Alliance Inventory (PAI) and the Eyberg Child Behavior Inventory (ECBI), even when controlling for Marital Adjustment…

A study assessed the relationship between play and adaptive behavior among 13 preschool children with developmental disabilities. Children were assessed every six months over a three-year period. While adaptive behavior increased by almost one standard deviation, appropriate play showed little overall change over the three-year period. (Author/CR)

Evaluated effectiveness of a cognitive-behavioral parenting program for parents of children ages 1 to 5 years offered through community-based family resource centers. Found that participants showed significant decreases in use of verbal and corporal punishment, and increases in nurturing behaviors as measured by the Parent Behavior Checklist.…

This study examined the validity and reliability of the Pre-school Behaviour Checklist (PBCL) for Turkish nursery school children. Data were obtained from 902 children, 24 to 82 months old, attending state or private nursery schools. Findings suggested that the PBCL has psychometric properties comparable to the British sample and could be used…

This study investigated the effect of teacher interactive style on the participation of preschool children with learning disabilities in dyadic play and instructional interactions. Observations showed that teacher interactions accounted for a significant portion of the variability in children's engagement, discouraging children's initiations.…

Describes experiences of children in two public preschools in Russia, one a typical district preschool, the other, an experimental preschool. Presents case studies for each school, focusing on family, setting, teacher characteristics, and child behaviors and public policy. Notes the effect of tradition, beliefs, and policies on the preschool…

Behaviors that constitute violence include threatening behavior, verbal or written threats, harassment, verbal abuse, vandalism, theft, arguments, and physical attacks. Describes 14 policy actions that camp management can take to prevent violence, 20 warning signs of violence, how violence impacts camps, and 5 tips for creating a safe camp. (TD)