A new study found that cooperative learning significantly reduced students' association with deviant peers and growth in alcohol use among middle schoolers. By increasing students' contacts with prosocial youths, cooperative learning helps interrupt the tendency for socially marginalized students to cluster into groups of deviant peers.
A longitudinal study found that French adolescents from different ethnic backgrounds experience varying levels of pressure to conform to traditional gender roles. Boys in North African French groups reported increasing felt pressure, while girls in both groups showed declining pressure over four years.
A new study found that parents who acknowledge their adolescent children's perspectives and encourage them to express themselves have youths with stronger self-worth, intrinsic motivation, and engagement. However, the benefits of autonomy and decision-making differ across cultures.
A new study reveals that children spontaneously practice skills from age 6, developing cognitive processes essential for expertise and lifelong learning. The study suggests improvements in episodic foresight, metacognition, and executive functions contribute to increased understanding of practice.
A study by Jean M. Twenge and Heejung Park found that teenagers today are less likely to engage in adult activities such as working, driving, dating, drinking alcohol, and having sex compared to previous decades. The decline in these activities is observed across demographic groups and suggests a broad-based cultural shift.
A longitudinal study found that students' self-concepts of their abilities in math and reading play a crucial role in motivating their achievements over time and across levels of achievement. The study, led by Maria Ines Susperreguy, suggests that children's beliefs about their academic capabilities are essential for later success.
A study found that mothers who respond with less physiological regulation and more emotional neutrality when their infants are distressed are more likely to have insecurely attached babies. This suggests that a muted maternal response can lead to increased infant distress.
A new longitudinal study suggests that high-quality friendships during adolescence can predict better mental health outcomes in young adulthood. Teens with stronger close friendships tend to experience lower social anxiety and increased self-worth, while those who are popular in high school may be more prone to social anxiety later on.
A new study found that violent crime can disrupt sleep patterns and increase stress hormones in youth, leading to decreased academic performance. The study, conducted on 82 youth aged 11-18, showed that sleep and cortisol levels changed after a violent crime occurred nearby, with the largest effects seen for homicides.
Researchers found that bonobos do not copy actions as children do, highlighting the unique nature of human imitation. The study suggests that over-imitation in young children may be a critical factor in explaining why human cultures differ from those of great apes.
A new study found that students in ethnically diverse middle schools report better self-reported well-being and views on race, particularly when exposed to different ethnic groups in their academic classes. The researchers emphasized the importance of class placement to reap the social benefits of school diversity.
A new study found that children's individual engagement in preschool classrooms, including with teachers, peers, and tasks, is crucial to their learning and development. Positive engagement was linked to improved literacy skills, language, and self-regulatory skills, while negative engagement hindered school readiness.
A new special section of Child Development examines the effects of mobile technology on various aspects of child and adolescent development, including risks and benefits. The research considers outcomes such as radiation exposure, cognitive control, sleep, mood, mental health, and security.
A new study found that 3-year-olds can coordinate actions with others in joint tasks, understanding these as collaborative commitments. Children protest when a partner defected selfishly but are less upset by accidental or ignorant defections.
A new study found that children in Head Start who miss 10% or more of the school year have fewer academic gains than their peers. The study highlights the scope and consequences of preschool absences on early learning.
A study of transgender preschoolers found they have similar preferences and a strong sense of gender identity as non-transgender children. Differences were observed in beliefs about the stability of gender, with transgender children tending to believe their gender could change between childhood and adulthood.
A longitudinal study found that parents who fed their children to soothe negative feelings were more likely to have them eat emotionally later on. Parents whose children were easily comforted by food also tended to feed them for emotional reasons, creating a bidirectional relation between emotional feeding and eating.
Research highlights the importance of social context, including policies, peer groups, and family relationships, in developing ethnic/racial identity among youth. Studies show that strong familial and religious identities can lead to better well-being, while peer group support can enhance cultural identity.
A new study found that children who experience food insecurity in early childhood are more likely to start kindergarten less ready to learn than their peers from homes that are food secure. The study also showed that the timing and intensity of food insecurity matter, with longer episodes linked to poorer outcomes.
A new study examined the Identity Project, a mental-health promotion intervention that explores ethnic and racial identities in young people. The program helps promote key developmental constructs that can enhance the positive development of youth from diverse backgrounds.
A new special section in Child Development outlines evidence-based interventions to support at-risk families and promote resilience among children. The focus is on nurturing primary caregivers, promoting positive parenting behaviors, and fostering self-regulation skills among parents and children.
A new study found that high-quality early education programs improve language and social skills in low-income infants and toddlers. Children who attended a comprehensive program called Educare showed better outcomes than those who did not attend.
A longitudinal study of 3,425 German students found that emotions influenced math achievement over time. Students with higher intelligence and those who enjoyed math had better grades and test scores. In contrast, students experiencing negative emotions like anxiety and shame suffered from lower achievement.
A longitudinal study found that harsh parenting predicts low educational attainment through increasing peer problems. Harsh parenting, defined as yelling, hitting, and coercive behaviors, was related to present-oriented behaviors at the cost of future-oriented educational goals.
Longitudinal studies found that minority youth experienced biased treatment and lost trust in middle school, predicting behavioral issues and lower college attendance rates. A randomized experiment showed that surprise displays of respect from teachers can create trust and improve outcomes for minority students.
A new special section of Child Development explores the developmental course of violent offending, including factors such as emotion regulation skills and judgment. The research aims to inform novel practices and policies to prevent severe youth violence.
A new study found that intensive arts programs lower stress levels of economically disadvantaged preschoolers through reduced cortisol levels. The study demonstrated the positive effects of arts programming on children's physiological functioning.
A longitudinal study conducted in Tennessee found that low-income children's math knowledge in preschool is related to their later achievement, with specific skills like patterning and counting objects being stronger predictors. This suggests that educators should focus on these areas of math development in the early years.
A new study found that low-income Latino children who attended either public school prekindergarten or center-based care with child care subsidies at age 4 did well through the end of third grade. Public school prekindergarten appeared to improve academic outcomes for third-grade Latino children, especially English language learners.
A longitudinal study found that young children whose mothers supported their early math learning through labeling object quantities had better math achievement at ages 4-5. This early support may provide a foundation for developing complex number skills and having lasting connections to math achievement through first grade.
A new special section investigates how human motivations drive children's prosocial behavior, including empathy, sharing, and helping. The study reveals that children's cardiac patterns can predict their empathetic responses to others.
Experiencing prejudice in childhood can have long-term consequences, including depression and poor academic performance. New research highlights the origins and development of equity and justice in developmental science.
Research on Asian American children and youth highlights key aspects of diversity within the group, including culture, language, socioeconomic status, and immigration experiences. Studies reveal variations in poverty rates, bullying rates, and academic outcomes among subgroups, emphasizing the need for culturally sensitive measurement.
Two studies investigate peer victimization in schools, revealing the importance of early intervention for addressing both overt and relational forms of victimization. Overt victimization is associated with higher levels of aggression and externalizing behavior, while relational victimization links to internalizing problems and a lack o...
A new study found that background noise in homes and schools impairs toddlers' word learning skills. However, providing additional language cues can aid young children in overcoming this difficulty. The research suggests that reducing background noise or highlighting important information can help children learn effectively.
A new special section of Child Development journal investigates how children learn cultural norms through imitation, social interaction, and emotional expression. The research reveals a consistent set of tools across multiple cultural settings, with children 'overimitating' culturally appropriate behavior.
A new study found that each additional residential move is associated with a decline in reading and math scores, as well as less positive social skills and higher rates of emotional and behavioral problems. Moving during early childhood had the most detrimental effects on children's cognitive skills.
A new study found that Mexican-American adolescents who experience their parents' ethnic discrimination have lower self-esteem and more emotional problems. Parents' discussions about culture, race, and ethnicity with their teens can positively impact their psychological adjustment.
Severely obese children are more likely to be ostracized and show signs of depression in first grade, according to a new study. The research found that these children were frequently teased and rejected by peers, leading to emotional health issues.
A longitudinal study found that first-generation immigrant children who participated in a community-based intervention showed higher scores on math and reading tests than their peers. The intervention also narrowed the achievement gap between English language learners and students proficient in English.
Research in Child Development Journal explores gene-environment interaction and epigenetics' role in shaping child behavior. Studies link methylation of specific genes to important developmental outcomes from prenatal period through young adulthood.
A new longitudinal study found that teaching soft skills to high-risk children significantly reduces criminal and delinquent problems later in life. The study, which followed 445 children over several years, found that training in self-control and social skills accounted for a significant portion of the program's long-term benefits.
A longitudinal study in Norway found that children with ADHD exhibit poorer social functioning and are more likely to be rejected by peers. The study suggests a reciprocal relationship between ADHD symptoms and peer rejection, where both can influence each other's development. However, the effects of peer rejection on ADHD symptoms dec...
A new longitudinal study found that adolescents' mood swings decline gradually as they get older, stabilizing by mid-adolescence. This decrease in mood variability is linked to fewer significant life events and better emotional regulation skills.
A new study found that mothers who experienced more stressful events during their pregnancies had children who scored lower on a test of movement competence. Children born to stressed mothers showed poorer fine and gross motor skills, which can lead to difficulties in everyday life.
A new study found that higher-quality romantic relationships are associated with fewer psychosocial difficulties across adolescence and young adulthood. The quality of the relationship, not just having one, is key to better psychosocial adjustment.
A new study found that children with larger oral vocabularies at age 2 arrive at kindergarten with greater reading and math achievement, better behavioral self-regulation, and fewer acting out or anxiety-related problem behaviors. Early intervention efforts, such as home visitation programs, may help target these high-risk children.
A new study identifies how specific patterns of cortisol activity may relate to the cognitive abilities of children in poverty. Children's cortisol levels remained relatively stable over three years, but exposure to family adversity predicted notable differences in cognitive functioning at age four.
Adolescents with weaker working memory are more likely to have difficulty controlling impulsive tendencies, leading to early and unprotected sex. Improvements in working memory may provide a pathway to greater control over risky sexual behavior.
Researchers found that early, high-quality caregiving can reduce risks associated with preterm birth and improve cognitive and social development. A new intervention program also showed promise in promoting sensitive parent-child interactions and enhancing parents' enthusiasm for their children.