Addresses the way in which adults talk about the mathematical content of young children's activities and how the child's mathematical endeavors are dependent upon adult evaluations of them. Presents two examples for discussion: (1) sorting and counting by a two-year-old; and (2) a seven-year-old working with Dienes materials. (ASK)

Claims that self-defeating behavior is a rational attempt to satisfy early, introjected messages about the type of person one is, arising from a desire for things perceived as good--sub specie boni. Examines the notion of the comfort zone, toxic shame, and therapists' responsibility to nourish acceptable joy. (RJM)

Focuses on three main issues emerging from studies of conceptual development: (1) young children's naive theories of the world; (2) how innate constraints in conceptual development work; and (3) how innate and sociocultural constraints are integrated. Maintains that early development of core domains of thought (naive psychology, physics, and…

Assessed the effect of cocaine/polydrug in utero exposure on early childhood development while controlling for covariant factors. Analysis of two matched samples of preschoolers (20 with drug exposure and 20 without) revealed that both groups scored approximately one standard deviation below the expected mean in social skills, auditory…

A study of 10 children (ages 3-6) with pervasive developmental disorders investigated the interrater reliability of the Psychoeducational Profile (PEP). Results show good interrater reliability for the developmental items, indicating that the PEP can be used to evaluate progress in development of children with pervasive developmental disorders.…

Two marble-and-ramp experiments investigated whether a simple-to-embedded-rules account can explain changes in children's causal reasoning. Results indicated that the same difference between three- and four-year olds in the prediction experiment appeared in the action experiment, suggesting that the same rules may underlie causal action as well as…

Examined the developing relationships between false belief understanding and an awareness of the individualized nature of personal taste as well as a maturing grasp of the interpretive character of the knowing process. Results indicated that the concept of interpretation appears to involve a more complex and significantly later arriving…

Notes that caregivers need to create an atmosphere that reflects their experiences with children and knowledge of child development. A productive partnership with families improves the quality of care through shared commitment and positive outcomes. Suggests ways caregivers can develop a productive partnership with families, including newsletters,…

In a study of operative thought in children, 104 children, aged 4 to 9, were tested 5 times with the same 25 Piagetian tasks. There were manifest indicators of synergy in the development of the various behaviors, but it was not possible to validate specific problems of behavior organization. (SLD)

Examines the influence of importance ratings of intrinsic and extrinsic characteristics of child care on parents' choice of care. Found that parents who value developmental characteristics of care chose center care and that parents for whom hours, location, and cost of care are important chose care at home. (RB)

This article examines evidence both for and against early specialization in the development of sports expertise and presents the early diversification approach as another path leading to elite levels of performance. It discusses sports dropout and questions the link between early sports specialization and exceptional sports performance. (Contains…

Introduces a collection of articles that proposes standards for empirically supported prevention programming for children and youth and steps to integrate prevention science with practice. Articles highlight key research findings and common principles for effective programming across family, school, community, health care, and policy interventions…

This article examines positions by diverse philosophers (the ancient Stoics and the contemporary moral and political philosopher John Rawls) and shows the relevance of their disagreement concerning moral development. The position produced from this disagreement is then applied to two features of giftedness, sensitivity to justice and desire for…

Building good character in today's youth is an adult issue because children learn values from adults. Adults must demonstrate the core values: trustworthiness, respect, responsibility, fairness, caring, and citizenship. Camps have developed expertise in character development and can provide leadership in the community in character education.…

Illustrates one elementary teacher's efforts to better communicate developmentally appropriate practices (DAP) with parents. Parents completed surveys regarding their own educational experiences, whether or not their experiences encompassed DAP, and whether they wanted DAP for their own children. Most parents responded positively to DAP. Few…