Sixteen preschoolers from homes with conjugal violence were compared with 16 controls from nonabusive homes. Children of abused mothers performed more poorly than controls on three of four measures of empathy (role enactment, social inference, and role taking). Implications for social development were noted. (CL)

The study attempted to clarify the role of empathy in the development of antisocial and aggressive delinquent behavior in 331 delinquents and 64 nondelinquent controls ages 12 to 18 years. The delinquents were found to be significantly delayed or arrested in the development of empathy. (Author)

Social development in gifted children is discussed in terms of theories of J. Piaget, D. Taylor, and E. Erikson. Parents need to show children ways that the intellectual disparity between a gifted child and his/her age mates can be compensated for by common bonds. (DB)

The writers of today's adolescent novels show us different teenagers than those written about a generation ago. The major change is in the seriousness of their problems, the teenager's attitudes towards them, and the mood with which the writer treats the situation. (CJ)

Shares childhood experiences from the second, third, and sixth grade in which the author learned about relationships and acceptable behavior according to his peers. (MG)

Spontaneous peer interactions of toddlers paired in mixed- or same-age dyads were observed in an effort to see whether the toddlers would adjust their social behavior to the age of their partners. (PCB)

The paper is based on ethnographic fieldwork in the north-west of Bangladesh. It explores conceptual and methodological issues involved in assessing the impact of adult literacy acquisition on social development. The paper compares ethnographic perspectives on literacy within the 'New Literacy Studies', and the conceptual framework provided by the…

In his testimony before the Joint Economic Committee of the United States Congress, the author discusses what he considers to be the underlying question concerning issues of early childhood education: How to invest in preschool programs so that they have a reasonable chance of being a success. The testimony takes the form of a series of questions…

To succeed in school, students need to be engaged, interested, and excited to be there. They need to know how to focus their attention on their work, keep trying even when they get discouraged or face setbacks, work effectively with other students and adults, and be good communicators and problem-solvers. These skills form a foundation for young…

Infancy and early childhood sleep-wake behaviours from current and retrospective parental reports were used to explore the relationship between sleeping arrangements and parent-child nighttime interactions at both time points. Children (N = 45) from educated, middle-class families, mostly breastfed in infancy, composed a convenience sample that…

In this study 538 collegiate athletes were asked how they were perceived and treated by faculty and other non athlete students. 33% reported they were perceived negatively by professors and 59.1% by students. Only 15% reported positive perceptions. 61.5% reported they were refused or given a hard time when requesting accommodations for athletic…

Social developmentalists typically distinguish three levels of analysis in the study of peer relations in childhood and adolescence: individual, dyadic, and group. At the individual level of analysis, sociometric status and individual social behavior are studied. At the dyadic level, researchers traditionally study friendships but increasingly…