This study investigated the following questions: (1) Are newborn individual differences relevant for infant developmental outcomes?; (2) Can any continuity be found between neonatal and infant behavioral characteristics?; (3) Are maternal behavioral styles influenced by the newborn's individual characteristics?; and (4) Do initial maternal…

This hearing contains testimony on the Early Head Start program. Testimony was provided by: (1) a director of a state Head Start Association; (2) directors of Head Start programs; (3) a Head Start parent; (4) Olivia A. Golden, Assistant Secretary, Administration for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services; (5) a state…

This study assessed the quality of caregiver-infant feeding interaction with 3- and 9-month-old infants. Findings on several measures indicated that caregivers appear to be more vigilant to their infants' needs at three months than at nine months, although infants became clearer in their cues by nine months. Maternal personality was not related to…

This paper presents a brief overview of the array of neuroscience research as it applies to play and child development. The paper discusses research showing the importance of play for brain growth and child development, and recommends that families, schools and other social and corporate institutions rearrange their attitudes and priorities about…

This annual report details the activities of the Foundation for Child Development (FCD) for 1997-98. Included in the report is a discussion of the history and mission of the foundation and its funding priorities. The members of the Council, Board of Directors, Officers, and staff are listed. The report of the chair, Barbara Paul Robinson,…

This research investigated developmental shifts in the character of children's tool using activity in the domain of scale drawing. Fifty-five children from three grade levels (grades 3, 5, and 7) were individually interviewed as they participated in both enlarging and reducing a one-dimensional object, the letter "F," to a scale of four.…

This study examined the relation between mothers' epistemological perspectives and their use of communication strategies with their children. A total of 47 mothers raising young children in rural and social isolation and economic poverty participated. The Ways of Knowing interview was used to assess mothers' epistemological assumptions.…

On April 25, 1991, a hearing examined the problem of lead poisoning and reviewed the actions taken by the Environmental Protection Agency and other agencies to address the problem. Many of those who gave testimony considered the actions to be inadequate. The detrimental effects of lead on human health, and especially children's health and…

This article reports a survey of members of the International Toy Library Association and others in order to describe the international toy library/lekotek movement today. Information from 37 countries was evaluated and the similarities and differences among the toy libraries/lekoteks identified, as well as the various philosophies, aims, and…

The ages between 10 and 14 years represent a period of transition between childhood and adolescence when feelings of confusion, anxiety, excitement, and frustration are widely experienced. During this period, early adolescents undergo major developmental changes. Educators working with these young people need accurate knowledge of early…

To help parents address those aspects of their child's development which may need special encouragement, support, or intervention, this digest delineates 11 categories of behavior for assessment. Parents should not be alarmed if their children are having difficulty in only a few categories, and they should not judge their children's permanent…

This fact sheet examines the Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG) program established by the U.S. Congress in 1990 to support families by increasing the availability, affordability, and quality of child care. It outlines the program's funding level, eligible grantees of CCDBG funds, regulatory requirements, family eligibility, and…

The claim that children's early word combinations are best described in terms of semantic categories such as agent, rather than abstract categories such as subject, rests on the assumption that 2-year-olds have a notion of agency that acts as a springboard for knowledge of more formal categories. The literature of developmental psychology suggests…

Evidence from children's performance in a variety of tasks suggests a change in the kinds of similarities children notice and use. Children tend to focus on literal similarity and then shift to the use of common objects, followed by common relations between objects, and finally relations between relations. Research from a variety of different…

Children's ability to recognize unfamiliar faces shows an unusual developmental trend: performance improves from 6 to 11 years, a temporary regression occurs at 12 years, and then recovery leads to adult-level performance. The first study described in this paper tested 80 children 5 to 11 years of age on a face-matching and recognition task.…