International Journal of Behavioral Development recent issues

The New Friends Vignettes: Measuring parental psychological control that confers risk for anxious adjustment in preschoolers

McShane, K. E., Hastings, P. D. — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 09:38:17 PDT

This investigation examined the links between preschoolers’ internalizing problems and anxiety-related social difficulties and two aspects of maternal and paternal psychological control: overprotection and critical control. Some 115 mothers and 92 fathers completed the New Friends Vignettes (NFV), a new measure of psychological control and supportive parenting designed to assess parenting relevant to young children’s internalizing problems and anxiety. Children’s anxious behaviors with peers at daycare or preschool were observed, mothers reported on preschoolers’ internalizing problems, and teachers reported on children’s internalizing problems and isolated behaviors. The NFV scales demonstrated good internal consistency and one-year test—retest reliability for mothers and fathers, and moderate convergent validity with observed parenting for mothers. Maternal overprotection and paternal critical control predicted more internalizing problems and anxious adjustment in preschoolers, with some associations being stronger for sons than daughters. Conversely, paternal supportiveness predicted fewer internalizing difficulties at preschool in daughters only. Children’s anxious behaviors predicted increasing paternal overprotection, and their internalizing problems at home and preschool tended to predict increasing maternal overprotection and critical control. Results support the reliability and validity of the New Friends Vignettes, and are indicative of parent differences in socialization processes, gender differences in risk for internalizing problems, and possible bidirectional pathways of influence in the socialization of internalizing trajectories.

Strong families, tidy houses, and children's values in adult life: Are "chaotic", "crowded" and "unstable" homes really so bad?

Flouri, E. — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 09:38:17 PDT

Chaotic home systems have been linked with children’s adverse psychological and academic outcomes. But, as they represent a departure from the suburban ideal of space, order, and family cohesiveness and stability, they should also be linked with low support for survival values. Using longitudinal data from the 1970 British Cohort Study (BCS70) this study tested this by examining long-term links between chaotic home systems (assessed when cohort members were aged 0—10 years), and support for survival values (racism and authoritarianism) at age 30. A chaotic home system was operationalized in this study as family disruption, low family cohesiveness, overcrowding, untidiness, and residential mobility. The study showed that, after adjustment for controls (mother’s liberalism, authoritarian parenting and educational attainment, family’s social class and material disadvantage, and child’s ethnicity, gender, general ability and adult educational attainment), residential mobility and untidiness were negatively related to authoritarianism and to support for racism, and family cohesiveness was positively and overcrowding negatively related to authoritarianism.

Consistent patterns of interaction in young children's conflicts with their siblings

Perlman, M., Ross, H. S., Garfinkel, D. A. — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 09:38:18 PDT

This study investigates whether preschool-aged children show consistent patterns of behaviour in conflicts with their siblings. Consistency was assessed at the nomothetic (i.e., group), idiographic (i.e., individual), and idiosyncratic (i.e., consistent patterns that differed from the norm) levels. We examined conflicts between 19 2-year-old and 19 4-year-old children and their siblings. Both age groups showed consistent idiographic and nomothetic patterns of interactions. Two-year-old children used idiosyncratic patterns of responses to the conflict overtures of others (i.e., they deviated from the norm in consistent ways) while 4-year-old children did not. The variance in the responses of the younger children was greater than that found for the older children. Together these results suggest that as children mature though the preschool years their conflict patterns become more homogeneous. The importance of studying patterns in conflict at all three levels is discussed.

Chinese children's explanations for illness

Zhu, L., Liu, G., Tardif, T. — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 09:38:18 PDT

The study explored how Chinese children spontaneously explained the causes of illness. Two groups of 3-, 4-, and 5-year-old children from different socioeconomic status (SES) backgrounds were recruited, with 30 children in each age group. A group of 30 college students were also recruited and their responses compared to those produced by the children. Participants’ responses were coded as belonging to one of five mutually exclusive categories: psychogenic, biological, behavioral, symptomatic, or other. Results indicated that children’s causal explanations were mostly behavioral and symptomatic, with more biological explanations for older children than for younger. In contrast, adults’ explanations were mostly biological and psychogenic. Although adults were influenced by concepts in Chinese traditional medicine that tie negative emotions to illness, Chinese children did not mention emotional causes for illness. Nonetheless, Chinese children also offered some explanations based on concepts of "wind" and "cold," which may be a result of cultural experience with some aspects of traditional Chinese medicine.

Punitive discipline and child behavior problems in Chinese-American immigrant families: The moderating effects of indigenous child-rearing ideologies

Fung, J. J., Lau, A. S. — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 09:38:18 PDT

In a sample of 107 Chinese immigrant families we examined whether cultural child-rearing beliefs moderated the association between parents’ use of punitive discipline and children’s behavioral adjustment. Immigrant parents and their children aged 7 to 17 years completed measures of parental discipline and child behavior problems. Parents also reported on indigenous Chinese child-rearing ideologies regarding shaming and training as strategies for raising competent and moral children. Results of hierarchical regression models conducted with parent-reported data indicated that the negative effects of punitive discipline on child behavior problems were not apparent when parents adhered to training and shaming ideologies. However, the buffering effects of training ideologies were more robust and consistent than shaming. The findings provide some evidence that the discipline—behavior problem link may be moderated by cultural context of caregiver psychology which shapes the meaning and implications of parental behavior.

Older adults' interactive behaviors during collaboration on everyday problems: Linking process and outcome

Kimbler, K. J., Margrett, J. A. — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 09:38:18 PDT

Adult collaborative cognition research suggests that working with a partner is generally beneficial to performance; however, little research has investigated the relation between the interactive behaviors and collaborative outcome. The present study examined four interactive behaviors exhibited by familiar (i.e., married spouses) and unfamiliar (i.e., other-sex strangers) older adult dyads during collaborative performance on an everyday problem-solving measure. Results indicated that (a) interactive behaviors were related to partner familiarity and whether dyads first attempted the problems individually or collaboratively, (b) the nature of the interactive behaviors differed over the course of task completion, and (c) interactive behaviors were linked to performance outcome.

From implicit to explicit representation in children's response to pictorial humor

Puche-Navarro, R. — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 09:38:18 PDT

Two experiments examined pictorial humor as an unusual but legitimate way to approach the study of children’s representational activity and the transition from implicit to explicit knowledge. In both experiments, the participants were 3- and 4-year-old children. Experiment 1 studied the understanding of two pictorial jokes using two conditions, choice and verbal production. Experiment 2 compared the results of Experiment 1 with the comprehension that children had of two versions of three pictorial jokes presented in two different sessions. The results showed three levels of comprehension. Changes in level were analyzed. The data suggest a tendency to stay at the same level, although a few children either descended or ascended. These changes occur within a short period of time, and provide support for a particular conceptualization of cognitive development. Implications for illustrated mechanisms of change and representational redescriptions in young children are discussed.

The associations between information and communication technology (ICT) and peer and parent relations in early adolescence

Punamaki, R.-L., Wallenius, M., Holtto, H., Nygard, C.-H., Rimpela, A. — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 09:38:18 PDT

The study aims were, first, to examine the associations between the type and intensity of ICT (Information and Communication Technology) and peer and parent relationships. Second, the study explored gender- and age-specific ICT usage and their associations with peer and parent relationships. The participants were 478 Finnish 10- and 13-year-old girls and boys. They reported the frequencies of digital game playing, using a computer for information seeking, communication, and Internet surfing, and evaluated the qualities of peer relationships (popularity, loneliness, and friendship) and communication with mother and father (open and conflicting). As hypothesized, intensive usage of ICT for entertainment (digital playing and Internet surfing) was associated with poor relations with both peers and parents, while intensive usage of ICT for communication (email and chat rooms) was associated with good peer relations, and poor parent relations. The associations were, however, gender-specific. Among girls intensive digital game playing was associated with poor mother—daughter and among boys with poor father—son communication. ICT is discussed as provider of new tools for playing, exploring, and communicating in childhood and adolescence.

Methods and Measures: Growth mixture modeling: A method for identifying differences in longitudinal change among unobserved groups

Ram, N., Grimm, K. J. — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 09:38:18 PDT

Growth mixture modeling (GMM) is a method for identifying multiple unobserved sub-populations, describing longitudinal change within each unobserved sub-population, and examining differences in change among unobserved sub-populations. We provide a practical primer that may be useful for researchers beginning to incorporate GMM analysis into their research. We briefly review basic elements of the standard latent basis growth curve model, introduce GMM as an extension of multiple-group growth modeling, and describe a four-step approach to conducting a GMM analysis. Example data from a cortisol stress-response paradigm are used to illustrate the suggested procedures.

Examining differences in psychological adjustment problems among children conceived by assisted reproductive technologies

Fri, 14 Aug 2009 08:02:19 PDT

The aim of this study was to examine whether there was variation in levels of psychological adjustment among children conceived through Assisted Reproductive Technologies using the parents’ gametes (homologous), sperm donation, egg donation, embryo donation and surrogacy. Information was provided by parents about the psychological functioning of 769 children aged 5 to 9 years who had been born using ART (from the five groups described). Comparisons were made between the different conception groups, to UK national norms and, for a sub-sample of multiple births, to an age-matched twin sample. No differences were found between the conception groups except that fathers from the egg donation group rated children higher in conduct problems compared to other ART groups. No effects were observed by ART treatment type (ICSI vs. IVF, GIFT and IUI). There was some evidence of lower conduct problems and prosocial behaviour among children conceived through homologous IVF compared to national norms. Taken together, however, consistent differences between groups and in comparison to naturally conceived children were not apparent for mother- or father-rated adjustment problems. Children conceived with assisted reproductive technologies, regardless of whether they are genetically related or unrelated to their parents or born by gestational surrogacy do not differ in their levels of psychological adjustment. Nor do they appear to be at greater risk of psychological adjustment problems in middle childhood compared to naturally conceived children.

A four-part model of autonomy during emerging adulthood: Associations with adjustment

Lamborn, S. D., Groh, K. — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 08:02:19 PDT

We found support for a four-part model of autonomy that links connectedness, separation, detachment, and agency to adjustment during emerging adulthood. Based on self-report surveys of 285 American college students, expected associations among the autonomy variables were found. In addition, agency, as measured by self-reliance, predicted lower psychological and somatic symptoms, as well as stronger self-esteem, college grades, and attitudes towards college. Separation, as measured by a modified Emotional Autonomy Scale score, was associated with lower grades and lower self-esteem, but only for emerging adults who reported lower self-reliance. Separation was not important in predicting these outcomes for emerging adults who were self-reliant.

An examination of emerging adulthood in Romanian college students

Nelson, L. J. — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 08:02:20 PDT

Little work has been done to examine emerging adulthood in Eastern European countries such as Romania that are making the transition out of communism into the broader free-market economy of Western Europe. The purpose of this study was to (a) examine the criteria that college students in Romania have for adulthood, and (b) explore whether differences in adulthood criteria, achievement of those criteria, and identity development are related to variations in adult status (i.e., perceptions of being an adult coupled with taking on adult responsibilities). Participants included 230 Romanian young people (136 women, 94 men) aged 18—27 attending a university in Romania’s second largest city. Results found that (a) the majority of Romanian young people did not consider themselves to be adults; (b) issues related to relational maturity, financial independence, and norm compliance ranked as the most important criteria for adulthood; (c) there was pervasive optimism about the future, including careers, relationships, finances, and overall quality of life; and (d) findings regarding identity development differed according to the extent that young people perceived themselves to be adults and whether or not they had taken on adult roles.

Distal and proximal parenting as alternative parenting strategies during infants' early months of life: A cross-cultural study

Fri, 14 Aug 2009 08:02:20 PDT

Cultures differ with respect to parenting strategies already during infancy. Distal parenting, i.e., face-to-face context and object stimulation, is prevalent in urban educated middle-class families of Western cultures; proximal parenting, i.e., body contact and body stimulation, is prevalent in rural, low-educated farmer families. Parents from urban educated families in cultures with a more interdependent history use both strategies. Besides these cultural preferences, little is known about the relations between these styles as well as the behavioural systems constituting them. In this study therefore, the relations between the styles and the constituting behaviours were analysed in samples that differ with respect to their preferences of distal and proximal parenting. The hypothesized differences between the samples and the negative relationship between distal and proximal parenting, as well as between the respective behavioural systems can clearly be demonstrated. Furthermore, the impact of the sociodemographic variables with respect to the parenting strategies can be shown. Results were discussed as supporting two alternative parenting strategies that serve different socialization goals.

The relationship between interparental conflict and adolescents' affective well-being: Mediation of cognitive appraisals and moderation of peer status

Ziqiang Xin, , Liping Chi, , Guoliang Yu, — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 08:02:20 PDT

This study examined the mediation effect of cognitive appraisals and the moderation role of peer status in the association between interparental conflict and adolescents’ affective well-being based on a sample of 549 Chinese adolescents from 7th to 12th grades. Interparental conflict properties, adolescents’ cognitive appraisals of conflict, affective well-being, and peer status were measured through scales and peer nomination surveys. The results of structure equation modeling showed that: cognitive appraisals totally mediated the association between marital conflict and adolescents’ affective well-being; peer status moderated the effect of marital conflict on adolescents’ positive affect but not on negative affect; and the relationship between marital conflict and positive affect showed different patterns for adolescents of different social status. Therefore, to better understand affective well-being of adolescents from high marital conflict families, their cognitive appraisals of conflict and peer relations should be taken into account.

Korean mothers' attention regulation and referential speech: Associations with language and play in 1-year-olds

Jihyun Sung, , Hui-Chin Hsu, — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 08:02:20 PDT

The present study investigated the associations of Korean mothers’ attention regulation and referential speech during play with their toddlers’ language and play development. The play interaction between mothers (n = 42) and their toddlers aged between 13 and 23 months was videotaped during home visits. Maternal behavior in regulating their toddlers’ attention was coded from videos as introducing, redirecting, or following. Mothers’ referential speech during joint attention with their toddlers was transcribed and classified as simple, elaborative, or prompting. Toddlers’ expressive and receptive vocabulary sizes were reported by mothers. Their exploratory, functional, and symbolic play was coded from videos. Results showed that mothers’ attention following and elaborative referential speech were associated with larger expressive vocabulary sizes and frequent symbolic and functional play in 1-year-olds. By contrast, mothers’ attention redirection as well as simple and prompting referential speech were associated with toddlers’ smaller expressive vocabulary sizes and less frequent functional play. After controlling for child age, maternal elaborative referential speech made an additional contribution to toddlers’ decreased functional and increased symbolic play that was above and beyond the effect of maternal attention regulation. These findings replicated and extended previous research in Western cultures and underscored the role of maternal attention regulation and referential speech in toddlers’ language and play development.

Parenting values and parenting stress among impoverished village and middle-class small city mothers in the Dominican Republic

Foucault, D. C., Schneider, B. H. — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 08:02:20 PDT

Poverty is known to influence parenting values, parenting stress, psychological adjustment, and social support according to North American research. The purpose of this study was to determine whether poverty might work in similar ways in a collectivistic Latin culture. The participants were primary caregivers in two distinct communities in the Dominican Republic: the Campos (extremely poor villages) and the middle-class areas of San Cristobal, a small city. As predicted, Campos mothers endorsed conformity and obedience as parenting goals, whereas San Cristobal mothers valued exploration and self-direction in their children. Unlike poor mothers in the US, and contrary to our expectations, Campos mothers reported relatively good social support and less parenting stress than did San Cristobal mothers. Furthermore, Campos mothers were not more depressed than San Cristobal caregivers, although the Campos mothers did report more somatic symptoms. In our Dominican sample, being better educated and being less well adjusted are linked to the experience of greater parenting stress, whereas social support is predictive of less parenting stress. These findings suggest that not all prevailing theories with regard to maternal poverty and parenting can be adapted uncritically to cultures like that of the Dominican Republic, where poverty is the situation of the majority.

Testing Self-Determination Theory via Nigerian and Indian adolescents

Sheldon, K. M., Abad, N., Omoile, J. — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 08:02:20 PDT

We tested the generalizability of five propositions derived from Self-Determination Theory (SDT; Deci & Ryan, 2000) using school-aged adolescents living in India (N = 926) and Nigeria (N = 363). Consistent with past U.S. research, perceived teacher autonomy-support predicted students’ basic need-satisfaction in the classroom and also predicted positive class evaluations. The three basic needs of autonomy, competence, and relatedness also predicted positive class evaluations, and furthermore predicted students’ general life-satisfaction. Also, balance among the three needs had positive associations with life-satisfaction independent of the amount of need-satisfaction. Finally, perceived maternal and paternal autonomy-support both predicted life-satisfaction. Support was also found for two demographic hypotheses: older students perceived less autonomy-support from parents and teachers, and Indian students reported greater life-satisfaction than Nigerian students.

Relation of three mechanisms of working memory to children's complex span performance

Magimairaj, B., Montgomery, J., Marinellie, S., McCarthy, J. — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 08:02:20 PDT

There is a paucity of research examining the relative contribution of the different mechanisms of working memory (short-term storage [STM], processing speed) to children’s complex memory span. This study served to replicate and extend the few extant studies that have examined the issue. In this study, the relative contribution of three mechanisms of working memory — STM storage, processing speed, attentional resource allocation — to children’s complex span was examined. Children (6—12) completed a digit span task, an auditory-visual reaction time task, a task of attentional allocation, and a complex (listening) span task. Correlation analyses revealed that, after controlling for age, storage, processing speed, and attentional allocation significantly correlated with complex span. Regression analyses showed that, after partialling out age, storage accounted for 12.1% of unique variance in complex span and processing speed accounted for another 6.6% of unique variance; allocation contributed no unique variance. Consistent with the developmental literature, storage and general processing speed play critical roles in children’s complex span performance.

Methods and Measures: The Network of Relationships Inventory: Behavioral Systems Version

Furman, W., Buhrmester, D. — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 08:02:20 PDT

This paper describes an alternative version of the Network of Relationships Inventory, which was designed to assess how frequently different relationships were used to fulfill the functions of three behavioral systems: attachment, caregiving, and affiliation. Psychometric and validational evidence is presented including: (a) high internal consistency for all scales and composites; (b) a second order factor structure of support and negative interactions for each relationship; (c) moderately high stability over a one year period; (d) moderate convergence among different reporters; (e) theoretically meaningful differences among different relationships; (f) moderate associations among different relationships; (g) associations with the original Network of Relationships Inventory; and (h) relations with observed interactions with mothers and friends.

Outcomes of children adopted from Eastern Europe

Miller, L., Chan, W., Tirella, L., Perrin, E. — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 07:35:26 PDT

Behavioral problems are frequent among post-institutionalized Eastern European adoptees. However, risk factors related to outcomes have not been fully delineated. We evaluated 50 Eastern European adoptees, age 8—10 years, with their adoptive families for more than five years. Cognitive and behavioral outcomes and parenting stress were evaluated in relation to pre-adoptive risk factors, including arrival age, growth, and facial phenotype related to prenatal alcohol exposure. At follow-up, IQ and achievement scores were ≥ average in most children (≥74%). Behavioral and school problems were common (externalizing 44%, internalizing 18%, behavioral symptoms 50%, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) 46%, learning disabilities 40%, mental health disorders 28%); 38% had multiple problems. Behavioral problems correlated inversely with IQ. Parent stress was high and correlated with child externalizing behaviors and inversely to child full scale IQ. Children with "severe behavioral disturbances" (24%) were more likely to have had smaller head circumferences at arrival. Child's age at adoption related inversely to parent stress, possibly due to the longer duration of time that children resided with their families. "High/intermediate risk" phenotypic facial scores for prenatal alcohol exposure (58%) correlated with head circumference z scores at arrival and follow-up. Otherwise, arrival age, growth, and facial phenotype did not correlate with these specific outcome measures.

Old friends and new friends: Their presence at substance-use initiation

Kiesner, J., Fassetta, E. — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 07:35:26 PDT

This study was conducted to test whether the presence of new friends at moments of substance-use initiation differs across substances, and whether individuals tend to initiate substance use, across different substances, either with a new friend or with an old friend. Participants were 419 Italian high school students (41% female). Results showed that the presence of a new friend at the moment of substance-use initiation varied across different substances. New friends were least often present when an individual first tried cigarettes, and were most often present the first time an individual tried marijuana. Substance-use initiation in the co-presence of both an old friend and a new friend was almost exclusively linked to higher levels of substance use (marijuana and hard alcohol) and non-existent with tobacco use. However, results showed a clear tendency for individuals to initiate substance use either with a new friend or with an old friend. Results are discussed in terms of extending peerinfluence research to include transitions in peer relations as important moments for peer influence.

Peer acceptance and social behavior during childhood and adolescence: How important are appearance, athleticism, and academic competence?

Vannatta, K., Gartstein, M. A., Zeller, M., Noll, R. B. — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 07:35:26 PDT

Efforts to identify factors associated with peer acceptance have historically focused on behavioral and social cognitive processes, whereas less empirical attention has focused on the impact of children's other personal attributes and competencies that are not inherently a component of social competence. The current study examined the association of three such nonsocial attributes — physical attractiveness, athleticism, and academic competence — with peer acceptance and whether these associations vary as a function of gender and development. In addition, we examined the extent to which peer perceptions of these attributes were associated with positive and negative patterns of social behavior and whether child attributes accounted for unique variance in peer acceptance above and beyond indices of social behavior. Use of a large (N = 3183) sample of students in grades 2—10 allowed examination of whether the associations of child attributes, social behavior, and peer acceptance varied as a function of development or gender. All three attributes consistently accounted for unique variance in social acceptance and behavior, although their relative importance varied. Child gender and grade level were significant, but not universal, moderators of these associations.

Independence and interplay between maternal and child risk factors for preschool problem behaviors?

Hughes, C., Ensor, R. — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 07:35:26 PDT

This study examined the independence and interplay between cognitive risk factors (poor executive function/emotion understanding) and maternal risk factors (low education/high depression) for preschool problem behaviors, indexed by multi-measure, multi-informant (mother/teacher/ researcher) ratings. A socio-economically diverse sample of 235 children (131 boys, 104 girls; mean age = 4.25 years) completed five executive-function tasks and four emotion-understanding tasks. Controlling for effects of gender, verbal ability and maternal education, individual differences in child problem behavior scores showed significant independent associations with executive dysfunction, emotion understanding and maternal depression. For girls, low maternal education amplified the relationship between executive dysfunction and problem behaviors. In addition, executive dysfunction mediated the relationship between maternal depression and problem behaviors; both executive dysfunction and poor emotion understanding mediated the relationship between low maternal education and problem behaviors. These results demonstrate the cumulative and complex nature of risk for preschool problem behaviors.

The relationship of aggression and bullying to social preference: Differences in gender and types of aggression

Lee, E. — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 07:35:26 PDT

With 338 fifth-grade students as subjects, this study found the variations in the relation between school bullying and social preference as a function of gender and types of aggressive behavior utilized. Aggressive boys were likely to be rejected by peers, whereas aggressive girls were both rejected and accepted by peers. Children nominated physically aggressive boys and relationally and verbally aggressive girls as bullies. When other forms of aggression were kept constant, verbal aggression was positively related to peer rejection for boys but negatively related for girls. The use of relational aggression contributed to peer rejection only for girls. Implications of the gender differences are discussed.

False belief understanding: Children catch it from classmates of different ages

Wang, Y., Su, Y. — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 07:35:26 PDT

Two experiments were conducted to compare the false belief understanding of children who have no siblings, but have classmates of different ages in kindergarten. In Experiment 1, 4- and 5-year-olds completed two unexpected location tasks. We found that 4-year-olds with classmates of different ages performed significantly better than those with classmates of the same age. This result was replicated in a larger sample in Experiment 2 in which the children were asked to complete an unexpected location task and an unexpected content task. The findings suggested that the presence of minds with varied ages stimulates the social cognitive understanding of young children, particularly for 4-year-olds. The findings of the present study give a particularly clear view of the effect of classmates of different ages on young children's theory of mind development, extending findings in other research on the advantage of having siblings.

Political alienation in adolescence: Associations with parental role models, parenting styles, and classroom climate

Gniewosz, B., Noack, P., Buhl, M. — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 07:35:26 PDT

The present study examined how parental political attitudes, parenting styles, and classroom characteristics predict adolescents' political alienation, as feelings about the individual's ability to affect the political system's performance at the individual level. Participants were 463 families that included mothers, fathers, and their adolescent children in 6th, 8th, and 10th grades. Teachers reported on the classroom context. Multilevel analyses indicated several findings: parental and adolescent political attitudes supported a parent—adolescent transmission process, adolescents' perceptions of parental attitudes mediated the transmission process, authoritarian parenting style positively predicted adolescent political alienation, and classrooms comprised of teachers with clear educational goals were negatively related to adolescent political alienation. Results are discussed in terms of learning political alienation within family by parent—child transmission. Associations among adolescent political alienation, parenting style, and classroom climate are considered as interaction characteristics with authorities shaping adolescents' political attitudes.

Attachment figures in middle childhood

Seibert, A. C., Kerns, K. A. — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 07:35:26 PDT

Previous research has focused on who the primary attachment figures are for children in middle childhood, but there has been relatively little research on other important people who may fulfill attachment needs. The goal of the study was to identify who children use as non-parental attachment figures and to examine whether children's use varies with certain child characteristics. Children 7—12 years of age completed an open-ended interview to identify attachment figures. This study suggests that children may, at times, direct secure base behavior towards peers, siblings, grandparents, and teachers. The study also shows that the identity and use of attachment figures may vary with certain child characteristics such as age, gender, and sibling status. Older siblings were more likely than younger siblings to be used as attachment figures, and older children were more likely than younger children to turn to peers to fulfill attachment needs.

Timing of parenthood in relation to other life transitions and adult social functioning

Kokko, K., Pulkkinen, L., Mesiainen, P. — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 07:35:26 PDT

The timing of having one's first child, in relation to the timing of other transitions into adulthood and to social functioning, was investigated based on the Finnish Jyväskylä Longitudinal Study of Personality and Social Development, conducted from age 8 (173 females and 196 males) to 42. Results showed that in women, relatively early (< 25 years) motherhood was associated with the early timing of all studied transitions (move from parental home, intimate relationship, education, full-time job); in men, early fatherhood was associated only with the early start of an intimate relationship. In women, but not in men, early parenthood was linked to a lower level of education, lower occupational status, an unstable career line, and heavier alcohol drinking. In the long run, early motherhood lessened its significance for occupational status. Furthermore, differences in education and drinking between women with early motherhood and women with late motherhood disappeared when school success was controlled for, and differences in career stability disappeared when low self-control was controlled for.

Categorization of regional and foreign accent in 5- to 7-year-old British children

Floccia, C., Butler, J., Girard, F., Goslin, J. — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 07:35:26 PDT

This study examines children's ability to detect accent-related information in connected speech. British English children aged 5 and 7 years old were asked to discriminate between their home accent from an Irish accent or a French accent in a sentence categorization task. Using a preliminary accent rating task with adult listeners, it was first verified that the level of accentedness was similar across the two unfamiliar accents. Results showed that whereas the younger children group behaved just above chance level in this task, the 7-year-old group could reliably distinguish between these variations of their own language, but were significantly better at detecting the foreign accent than the regional accent. These results extend and replicate a previous study (Girard, Floccia, & Goslin, 2008) in which it was found that 5-year-old French children could detect a foreign accent better than a regional accent. The factors underlying the relative lack of awareness for a regional accent as opposed to a foreign accent in childhood are discussed, especially the amount of exposure, the learnability of both types of accents, and a possible difference in the amount of vowels versus consonants variability, for which acoustic measures of vowel formants and plosives voice onset time are provided.

The discordant MZ-twin method: One step closer to the holy grail of causality

Vitaro, F., Brendgen, M., Arseneault, L. — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 07:35:26 PDT

Twin studies are well known for their value in quantifying the contribution of genes to population variation in behaviors and personality traits. Twin studies also provide a unique opportunity to untangle the contribution of environmental experiences to emotional and behavioral development. This is particularly true when examining monozygotic (MZ) twins since they represent a pair of individuals naturally matched on both their genetic background and their shared environment, thus allowing the identification of environmental experiences unique to each twin which may impact developmental outcome. This article presents two analytical strategies based on the discordant MZ-twin method. It stresses the power of this method to establish plausible causal pathways between environmental factors and developmental outcomes, and provides examples from the socio-developmental literature to illustrate its application. It also describes the limitations of this method and its requirements for optimal utilization.

Social network analyses of positive and negative relationships among Japanese preschool classmates

Fujisawa, K. K., Kutsukake, N., Hasegawa, T. — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 06:41:14 PDT

Using social network analysis, we investigated the characteristics of social networks composed of positive relationships (positive network: PN) and negative relationships (negative network: NN) in classrooms of Japanese 3- and 4-year-olds. Analysis of "density" showed that PNs were denser than NNs among 4-year-olds but that this was not the case among 3-year-olds. The difference between the probability of dyads of girls forming cliques, between PNs and NNs, was larger than that for dyads of boys or mixed-sex dyads. Four-year-olds formed cliques more often in PNs than in NNs, compared to 3-year-olds. This study showed that both sex combination of dyads and age affect the quantified properties of social networks among preschoolers.

Mean-level change and intraindividual variability in self-esteem and depression among high-risk children

Kim, J., Cicchetti, D. — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 06:41:14 PDT

This study investigated mean-level changes and intraindividual variability of self-esteem among maltreated ( N = 142) and nonmaltreated (N = 109) school-aged children from low-income families. Longitudinal factor analysis revealed higher temporal stability of self-esteem among maltreated children compared to nonmaltreated children. Cross-domain latent growth curve models indicated that nonmaltreated children showed higher initial levels and greater increases in self-esteem than maltreated children, and that the initial levels of self-esteem were significantly associated with depressive symptoms among maltreated and nonmaltreated children. The average level (mean of repeated measurements) of self-esteem was predictive of depression at the final occasion for both maltreated and nonmaltreated children. For nonmaltreated children intraindividual variability of self-esteem had a direct contribution to prediction of depression. The findings enhance our understanding of developmental changes in self-esteem and the role of the average level and within-person variability of self-esteem in predicting depressive symptoms among high-risk children.

Maternal socialization of children's anger, sadness, and physical pain in two communities in Gujarat, India

Vidhatri Raval, V., Martini, T. S. — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 06:41:14 PDT

Despite the recognition of cultural influences in child socialization, little is known about socialization of emotion in children from different cultures. This study examined (a) Gujarati Indian mothers' reports concerning their beliefs, affective and behavioral responses to their children's displays of anger, sadness, and physical pain, and (b) their children's reported decisions to express felt emotion. Eighty mothers and their children (between 5 and 9 years) from two urban communities (suburban and old city) in Gujarat, India participated. Results indicated that Gujarati mothers considered their children's expressions of anger and sadness to be less acceptable than physical pain, and were more likely to convey to the child that the angry or sad expression was unacceptable than with physical pain. Mothers' beliefs about the acceptability of their children's displays were correlated with their reported behaviors in response to those displays, as well as with their children's decisions to express those feelings. Within-culture findings indicated that mothers in the old city considered their children's expressions to be less acceptable than mothers in the suburban community. The findings are discussed in the context of collectivist orientation, Hindu ideology, and social organization across the two communities that influence mothers' reported beliefs and behaviors.

Examination of the contribution of clique characteristics to children's adjustment: Clique type and perceived cohesion

Kwon, K., Lease, A. M. — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 06:41:14 PDT

In a sample of 473 4th- and 5th-grade students, we examined the interaction between the type of clique to which a child belongs and the clique's level of perceived cohesion on a clique member's social and emotional adjustment. Perceived cohesion of a clique was operationalized as the degree to which the clique was perceived as an entity and was measured by submitting peers' similarity judgments of same-gender peers to a multidimensional scaling (MDS) analysis. Clique types were determined based on clique members' average scores on a wide range of social behaviors. Correlation analyses indicated that the degree to which children were perceived to be similar to each other was highly related to the strength of their affiliative ties, providing support for a similarity-based assessment of the perceived cohesion of a clique. It was also found that perceived cohesion moderates the link between the type of clique to which a child belongs and self-reported social and emotional adjustment outcomes.Whether it is beneficial or not to belong to a highly cohesive clique appears to depend on the type of clique to which a child belongs.

Preschool children's views on emotion regulation: Functional associations and implications for social-emotional adjustment

Dennis, T. A., Kelemen, D. A. — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 06:41:14 PDT

Previous studies show that preschool children view negative emotions as susceptible to intentional control. However, the extent of this understanding and links with child social-emotional adjustment are poorly understood. To examine this, 62 3- and 4-year-olds were presented with puppet scenarios in which characters experienced anger, sadness, and fear. Forty-seven adults were presented with a parallel questionnaire. Participants rated the degree to which six emotion-regulation strategies were effective in decreasing negative emotions. Results showed that even the youngest preschoolers viewed cognitive and behavioral distraction and repairing the situation as relatively effective; compared to adults, however, preschoolers favored relatively "ineffective" strategies such as venting and rumination. Children also showed a functional view of emotion regulation; that effective strategies depend on the emotion being regulated. All participants favored repairing a negative situation to reduce anger and behavioral distraction to reduce sadness and fear. Finally, the more children indicated that venting would reduce negative emotions, the lower their maternal report of social skills. Findings are discussed in terms of functional emotion theory and implications of emotion-regulation understanding for child adjustment.

Mothers' expressive style and emotional responses to children's behavior predict children's prosocial and achievement-related self-ratings

Dunsmore, J. C., Bradburn, I. S., Costanzo, P. R., Fredrickson, B. L. — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 06:41:14 PDT

In this study we investigated whether mothers' typical expressive style and specific emotional responses to children's behaviors are linked to children's prosocial and competence self-ratings. Eight-to 12-year-old children and their mothers rated how mothers had felt when children behaved pro-socially and antisocially, achieved and failed to achieve. Children rated self-descriptiveness of prosocial and achievement-related traits. Mothers' positive expressiveness was associated with children's higher achievement-related self-ratings. Mothers' positive- and negative-dominant expressiveness was associated with children's lower prosocial self-ratings. Mothers' happiness about both children's prosocial and achievement-related behavior was associated with children's higher self-ratings for both domains. Mothers' anger about children's antisocial behavior was related to children's lower self-ratings for both domains. When mothers were higher in negative-submissive expressiveness, and responded with more sadness to children's failure to achieve, children reported lower achievement self-ratings. Results support the importance of multidimensional assessment of self-concept and suggest that parents' typical expressive style moderates the influence of parents' specific emotional responses on children's self-ratings.

A longitudinal examination of risky sexual behaviors among Canadian and Italian adolescents: Considering individual, parental, and friend characteristics

P., M.-A. B., Poulin, F., Kiesner, J., Dishion, T. J. — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 06:41:14 PDT

In this study, two longitudinal models of early adolescent risky sexual behaviors (RSB) were compared using a pooled sample of 267 Canadian and Italian adolescents (55% females; 53% Canadians) assessed yearly from grade 8 to 10. We focused on parenting practices (monitoring, control, limit setting), adolescent problem behaviors (antisocial behaviors, substance use) and their friends' deviance (antisocial behaviors, substance use) as predictors of condom use frequency and lifetime number of sexual partners. The socialization model postulates that youths' problem behaviors and RSB are behaviors learned within the friendship network where deviancy training can occur. The selection model posits that delinquent youth tend to affiliate with each other, and that RSB is one of many behaviors that can form the basis of selection. Using structural equation modeling, this study showed that the socialization model was the most accurate to explain the emergence of RSB. A full mediation of parenting practices, passing through deviant friends and youths' problem behavior, was observed for condom use. The same process applied to number of sexual partners, but a direct effect for parenting practices was also found.

METHODS AND MEASURES: Confirmatory Factor Analysis and Multidimensional Scaling for Construct Validation of Cognitive Abilities

Tucker-Drob, E. M., Salthouse, T. A. — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 06:41:14 PDT

Although factor analysis is the most commonly-used method for examining the structure of cognitive variable interrelations, multidimensional scaling (MDS) can provide visual representations highlighting the continuous nature of interrelations among variables. Using data (N = 8,813; ages 17—97 years) aggregated across 38 separate studies, MDS was applied to 16 cognitive variables representative of five well-established cognitive abilities. Parallel to confirmatory factor analytic solutions, and consistent with past MDS applications, the results for young (18—39 years), middle (40—65 years), and old (66—97 years) adult age groups consistently revealed a two-dimensional radex disk, with variables from fluid reasoning tests located at the center. Using a new method, target measures hypothesized to reflect three aspects of cognitive control (updating, storage-plus-processing, and executive functioning) were projected onto the radex disk. Parallel to factor analytic results, these variables were also found to be centrally located in the cognitive ability space. The advantages and limitations of the radex representation are discussed.