Children in full-day kindergarten have initial academic benefits over part-day kindergarten, but poverty and home environment issues erode these advantages soon after leaving kindergarten. The study's findings highlight the importance of family characteristics in explaining why full-day programs' benefits fade quickly.
A new study explores how immigrant adolescents navigate their ethnic identities during high school. Most choose hyphenated labels and change them over time, highlighting the importance of this period in shaping their identities.
A new study by the Society for Research in Child Development found that high-quality emotional and instructional interactions with teachers are key to children's development in pre-K. The research suggests that supportive teacher-child relationships can improve academic, language, and social skills in young children.
Research finds that most ethnic minority teens avoid ethnically-oriented crowds in high school, despite potential benefits for identity and pride. However, certain factors such as friendship groups, socioeconomic status, and experiences with discrimination can lead to association with these crowds.
A new study published in Child Development found that teenagers who feel good about themselves and are comfortable with their peers can be socially successful without being popular. The research suggests that adolescents' feelings of confidence in their own social standing are a protective factor for long-term social functioning.
A study of 600 teenage girls from diverse backgrounds found that they continue to experience sexism, with 90% reporting sexual harassment. Girls' attitudes towards themselves and society influenced their perceptions of sexism, while learning about feminism and feeling pressure to conform to gender stereotypes also played a role.
Researchers found that Jewish and Arab teenagers who valued universalism and low power reported less violent behavior than their peers. In high-risk schools, these adolescents were relatively protected against engaging in violent behavior.
New research reveals that family stress spillover continues in adolescents' daily lives, affecting attendance, learning problems, and academic performance. Stress lingers for up to four years, with long-term consequences on academic achievement.
A new study found that family wealth is positively associated with parenting behavior, home environment, and children's self-esteem. Family wealth accumulated from different sources also has a distinct influence on children at different developmental stages.
A study of 871 students found that those who bullied others had difficulties in friendships and parent-child relationships, often displaying aggressive behavior. Interventions should focus on bullying children's social skills and relationship problems to prevent persistent bullying.
A study published in Child Development found that mother-child attachment security is linked to conflict resolution, while children's temperament affects the frequency and quality of conflict. Researchers observed 60 mothers and their 2-year-olds in lab visits and home visits, analyzing conflict patterns and outcomes.
Playing numerical board games boosts preschoolers' counting, numeral recognition, and estimation skills, with benefits lasting nine weeks. The study found that such activities can bridge the gap in math knowledge between low-income and middle-income children.
New research suggests that social problems are more likely to contribute to anxiety and depression than the reverse. Children with internalizing problems (anxiety, depressed mood) were more likely to have symptoms in adolescence and young adulthood, while socially competent youth maintained their relationships.
A new study challenges the idea that antisocial behavior is relatively unchangeable during the teenage years. The study found that decision making and behavior among adolescents are related across time, with efforts to help being more effective if they address how adolescents make decisions about acting aggressively.
A new study found that excellent parenting can help even the most challenging infants succeed in first grade. Infants with difficult temperaments who received high-quality care from their mothers performed just as well, if not better, academically and socially than their easier-to-parent counterparts.
A new study suggests that living in poor neighborhoods can lead to poorer parenting, which in turn affects preschoolers' verbal and behavioral outcomes. The study found that less neighborhood cohesion and family dysfunction are associated with inconsistent and punitive parenting styles.
A new study reveals that girls' close friendships with peers who excel academically lead to increased participation in higher-level math classes. Social factors play a more significant role in girls' decisions about math coursework than for boys.
A study found that children with close, positive relationships with their mothers showed better self-regulation skills at preschool age. Similarly, fathers' interactions with children in the first two years were also associated with improved outcomes.
A new study found that genetic predisposition interacts with environmental factors, specifically friends' physical aggression, to predict children's physical aggression. In contrast, social aggression was more closely linked to friends' social aggression, independent of genetic factors.
A study on monkeys found that moderate prenatal exposure to alcohol and stress can lead to touch sensitivity in offspring. Researchers suggest that reducing sensory sensitivities at an early age may help prevent behavioral problems associated with fetal alcohol-related issues.
New research suggests that greater maternal and paternal support, as well as lower marital conflict and depression, can lead to later onset of puberty in girls. The study found that children from supportive families experienced the first hormonal changes of puberty later than those from less supportive families.
A new study found that environmental factors, such as family resources and parent-child interactions, have a significant impact on children's school readiness. Genetic factors also play a role, but the environment is the most important factor overall.
A new study published in Child Development found that the living arrangements of low-income children do not significantly predict their well-being. The research suggests that policies and programs targeting changes to family structure may not be effective in improving the lives of these children. Instead, income support and other forms...
A new study found that fetal heart rate patterns before birth can predict children's mental, motor, and language abilities through toddler years. Greater variation in fetal heart rate was associated with better performance on standardized developmental exams and more proficient language skills.
A study found that when one parent provides little support and the other provides more support, children have reduced conflicts with friends and a better understanding of emotions. However, when both parents provide a lot of support, children may have less emotional understanding and more conflict with peers.
Young girls and women are more likely to believe that negative past events predict future events, leading to increased worries, risk perception, and anxiety compared to boys and men. This knowledge develops during the preschool years and is essential for processing past trauma and making decisions.
Youth with shared deviant values in high-quality friendships spend more time discussing negative topics, leading to higher levels of problem behavior. Conversely, lower-quality relationships are associated with better behavioral outcomes.
Bilingual infants learn new words differently, following a pattern that involves paying less attention to detailed sound information. This adaptive approach may help bilinguals catch up with peers who learn one language.
Researchers found that children with older brothers become more aggressive over time, while those with older sisters who are very aggressive also show increased aggression. The study suggests that both siblings and parents play a role in the development of aggression in adolescents.
Young children (4-10 years) improve their ability to describe past events with age, using references to clock times and calendar. Older children can recall specific dates and sequence of events.
A new study found that early behavior problems in elementary school are associated with increased risk of peer rejection, loneliness, and depression in adolescence. Children who exhibit disruptive or anxious behavior in early childhood are more likely to lack friends and be rejected by their peers.
A study found that children's reports of long-ago events can be accurate and reliable, contradicting previous notions that memories fade with time. The researchers suggest that timing of interviews rather than delay is crucial in assessing accuracy, particularly in cases of child abuse.
A new study found that popular peer groups have a profound influence on early teen behavior, causing children to become more similar in behavior to their group members. Conversely, well-liked groups have little impact, except for adolescents who are part of disliked groups, which can lead to increased deviant behavior.
Researchers found that a high school theater program helped adolescents develop emotional intelligence by learning to respond constructively to different emotions. The program provided a culture of acceptance and concern for others, where youth could engage in emotional learning through rehearsal experiences.
Researchers found that young children's defiance towards mothers is linked to emerging autonomy and confidence in controlling events. Children with sensitive mothers were more likely to be defiant, while those with depressed mothers were less likely to respond with defiance.
A study found that high-quality early childhood care reduced depressive symptoms in young adults from low-income families. The intervention also moderated the negative effects of their home environments on mental health, highlighting the importance of investing in high-quality early childhood experiences for poor children.
A study found that adolescents who have friends with high-risk sexual attitudes are more likely to adopt similar behaviors, while those who believe sex has undesirable consequences choose new friends with similar attitudes. The effect of peer influence on adolescent behavior was stronger for females than males.
A study of nearly 2,000 7-year-old twin pairs suggests a strong genetic connection between hyperactivity and poor academic performance. The researchers found that common genetic factors influence both behaviors, possibly due to genes affecting attention span and classroom learning.
A study found that teaching parents mediation skills significantly improves their children's conflict-resolution skills. Parents who received training in mediation helped their kids resolve conflicts more positively, behaving more constructively and involving themselves more in the resolution process.
A longitudinal study found that young people's gender attitudes develop in response to various factors, such as family composition, parental values, and sibling relationships. Most youth become less traditional over time, but certain groups, like first-born boys with brothers and traditional parents, exhibit more conservative attitudes.
Researchers found no significant link between teacher education and improved classroom quality or children's academic skills. Policymakers should consider a broader range of factors to enhance preschool education.
Researchers found that infants learned to avoid copying actions when an adult expressed anger towards them, but eagerly copied when the adult was neutral. Infants also adjusted their behavior based on whether they could see the angry adult after they left.
A new study found that low-income children who experience chronic reading problems in fifth grade are more likely to develop depression, anxiety, and withdrawal. The research suggests that reading difficulties may have a significant emotional impact on preadolescent children, particularly those from disadvantaged backgrounds.
A new study finds that self-regulation abilities, particularly inhibitory control, are uniquely related to emerging math and literacy ability in kindergarten. Developing self-regulation skills is crucial for children's academic success, especially those from low-income homes.
A new study found that boys tend to specialize in areas where they excel, while girls often perform well across various subjects. As children age, their interest and perceived abilities in different areas become more aligned.
A new study finds that autistic children can attribute a range of mental states to dynamic and static facial expressions, suggesting they make use of information from the eyes. The study challenges prior research findings on autism and social interactions.
A long-term study found that children in center-based care experienced more aggressive behavior through sixth grade, but problem behavior ceased by first grade. High-quality early child care had a positive impact on vocabulary and math skills.
A study of twins and their children found that parents' genes, rather than parental arguing, influence the development of conduct problems. The research suggests that focusing on a child's parents in family therapy may not be as effective as targeting the child themselves.
A new study published in Child Development found that children who sleep more have lower BMI measures and are less likely to be overweight five years later. Sleeping an additional hour reduced young children's chance of being overweight from 36% to 30%, while it reduced older children's risk from 34% to 30%.
A study of 562 young students found that girls experienced more depressive symptoms and stressors than boys, particularly in their interpersonal world. The researchers discovered that exposure to stressors and the way girls reacted to these events contributed to their higher levels of depression.