Infant and parent factors associated with early maternal sensitivity: a caregiver-attachment systems approach

We examined variations in maternal sensitivity at 6 months of child age as a function of child negativity and maternal physiology. We expected maternal vagal withdrawal in response to infant negative affect to facilitate the maintenance of sensitivity, but only for mothers of securely attached children. One hundred and forty-eight infant-mother dyads were observed in multiple contexts at 6 months of child age, and associations among maternal and child variables were examined with respect to 12-month attachment quality. Mothers of later securely attached children were more sensitive than mothers of avoidant children. However, sensitivity decreased for all mothers at high levels of infant negative affect. Furthermore, for mothers of avoidant children, vagal withdrawal was associated with sensitivity to child distress. No association was found between vagal withdrawal and sensitivity for mothers of securely attached children. This suggests that mothers of avoidant children may be uniquely challenged by the affective demands of their infants.     

Understanding Advice in Supportive Interactions

Previous research on advice in supportive interactions has focused on the influence of facework, and has not systematically considered the effects of advice content. Further, this research has obtained quality evaluations of researcher‐constructed messages rather than assessing the outcomes of naturally occurring advice. The current study examines the relative influence of advice content characteristics (usefulness, feasibility, and absence of limitations), facework, and support‐seekers' receptiveness to advice on advice message quality evaluations and advice outcomes (facilitation of coping, sufficiency of support, and intention to implement the advice). Participants (N = 280) completed questionnaires reporting on a recent instance of receiving advice with regard to a personal problem. Results indicated that the predictor variables had diverse impacts on message evaluations and outcomes. Absence of limitations and support‐seeker receptiveness to advice had the most consistent influence across the dependent variables. Facework had a less consistent influence, but did have a major impact on facilitation of coping.     

Growth in Phonological,Orthographic, and Morphological Awareness in Grades 1 to 6

Growth curve analyses showed that (a) word-level phonological and orthographic awareness show greatest growth during the primary grades but some additional growth thereafter, and (b) three kinds of morphological awareness show greatest growth in the first three or four grades but one—derivation—continues to show substantial growth after fourth grade. Implications of the findings for the role of three kinds of linguistic awareness—phonological, orthographic, and morphological—in learning to read and spell words are discussed. A case is made that phonological awareness, while necessary, is not sufficient for learning to read English—all three kinds of linguistic awareness that are growing during the primary grades need to be coordinated and applied to literacy learning. This finding and a review of the research on linguistic awareness support the conclusion that the recommendations of the National Reading Panel need to be amended so that the research evidence supporting the importance of both orthographic and morphological awareness, and not only phonological awareness, is acknowledged. Moreover, evidence-based strategies for teaching each of these kinds of linguistic awareness and their interrelationships need to be disseminated to educational practitioners.     

The influence of parenting on infant emotionality: A multi-level psychobiological perspective

Infant temperament is theorized to have a strong genetic basis. Yet, studies of the stability of temperament and molecular genetics research on temperament have revealed inconsistent findings. One reason may be because research has not taken into account the influence of early social experiences. We review research on aspects of infant emotionality presumed to be temperamental in origin, emotion reactivity and emotion regulation, and integrate research addressing parenting influences on physiology and genetics of infant emotionality with traditional research on behavioral expression of emotionality. Empirical research supports the theory that sensitive and appropriately responsive parenting in infancy is related to more optimal patterns of behavioral and physiological reactivity and regulation. Molecular genetics research with both animal and human populations has produced consistent results when environmental experiences are taken into account. Findings suggest that the short allele of the serotonin transporter gene and the long allele of the DRD4 dopamine receptor gene may be related to distinct patterns of infant emotionality and to later problems with depression, impulse control problems, and externalizing/antisocial behaviors, primarily when paired with insensitive parenting, abuse or neglect, or other adverse family environments. Future directions and limitations in the field are discussed.     

A qualitative developmental analysis of comprehensive guidance programmes in schools in the United States

A mixed-data inquiry and analysis of the current state-level comprehensive developmental guidance models in the United States is presented. The 24 states with current programmes are commended in their initial attempts at model development, especially in the personal/social developmental domain. The most significant gap across models is in attention to ethnic and cultural developmental issues. Current programmes are also lacking in defining how developmental components are integrated with one another. Authors of state programmes are encouraged to be more specific in the use of developmental language and constructs so that comprehensive developmental guidance programmes will address the needs of all students. A challenge is given to other nations to consider the developmental nature of their programmes.     

Children's perception of gender-role-congruent and -incongruent behavior in peers: Fisher-price meets price waterhouse

This study evaluated whether traditional gender-role stereotypes still pervade children's judgments of peers. One hundred seventy-three predominantly Caucasian, middle class boys and girls (ages 7 to 12) watched either a female or a male dyad discuss fundraising activities on videotape. In each dyad, one actor portrayed either masculine or feminine stereotyped behavior, whereas the other actor was neutral. Results indicated that performance judgments of a girl who behaves in a stereotypically masculine fashion are positive, but that personality ratings are more negative.     

Gender differences in orthographic, verbal, and compositional fluency: Implications for assessing writing disabilities in primary grade children

Measures of oral verbal fluency (word finding), written orthographic fluency (alphabet task), and written composition (narrative and oral expository) were administered to 300 children (50 girls and 50 boys each in the first, second, and third grades). Both oral verbal fluency and written orthographic fluency correlated significantly with the number of words (fluency) and the number of clauses (microorganization) in the compositions, but boys performed significantly better than girls on oral verbal fluency and girls performed significantly better than boys on written orthographic fluency. Girls consistently outperformed boys on the number of words and the number of clauses produced in narrative and expository composition. Thus, in beginning writing, orthographic fluency may be relatively more important than verbal fluency and boys may be at greater risk for writing disabilities. However, more boys were identified as having a disability in composition when absolute criteria (lowest 5% of normal distribution) were used, but about the same number of boys and girls were identified as having a disability in composition when relative criteria (significant discrepancy between Verbal IQ and compositional skill, based on the Mahalanobis statistic) were used. School psychologists are encouraged to use standardized measures of othographic, verbal, and compositional fluency to identify primary grade children needing early intervention to prevent more severe writing disabilities.     

Regulatory focus and temporal distance

Four studies identify and examine a temporal component to regulatory focus. Results support the assertion that promotion focus tends to predominate for temporally distant goals, whereas proximal goals are characterized by more balanced consideration of both promotion- and prevention-focused concerns. In Study 1, students rated the importance of promotion and prevention goals at two points in time: 2 weeks before and a few minutes before an examination. Promotion goal importance increased with temporal distance, whereas prevention goal importance remained constant over time. Study 2 replicated this pattern holding the actual time-span constant (3.5 weeks) and varying only the psychological sense of proximity/distance. In Study 3, subjects rated the regulatory focus of goals at varying points in time, both future and past. The temporal effect was replicated for both time periods. Study 4 provided evidence for the reverse effect, that of regulatory focus on the perceived temporal distance of future goals. Taken together, these findings suggest an integration across research domains that links regulatory focus to temporal perspective for both prospective and retrospective judgments.