A longitudinal model of parent academic involvement, behavioral problems, achievement, and aspirations was examined for 463 adolescents, followed from 7th (approximately 12 years old) through 11th (approximately 16 years old) grades. Parent academic involvement in 7th grade was negatively related to 8th-grade behavioral problems and positively…

Knowledge about racism is a critical component of educational curricula and contemporary race relations. To examine children's responses to learning about racism, European American (Study 1; N = 48) and African American (Study 2; N = 69) elementary-aged children (ages 6-11) received history lessons that included information about racism…

Investigated the usefulness of Carey's Revised Infant Temperament Questionnaire in the Chinese culture and used the questionnaire to assess the temperamental characteristics of Chinese babies. While the general pattern of results resembled data from Carey's American sample, differences were found, which could be interpreted in terms of response…

This study examined how family structure affected children's delinquency and math test scores, parenting practices as a mediator, and racial differences in these effects. Findings indicated that single parenthood related to reduced well-being among European American children, but not African American children. Cohabitation related to greater…

Examined differences in intelligence test scores of black and white five-year-olds born premature with low birth weight. Found that black children's IQ scores were 1 SD lower than those of white children. Adjustments for ethnic differences in poverty reduced the differential by half; adjustments for differences in home environment reduced it by…

Examined family racial socialization and ecological competence during childhood and adolescence in a sample of 88 African-American transracial adoptees and their families. Longitudinal path analyses indicated that Eurocentric reference group orientation (RGO) increased over time while Africentric RGO declined for the adoptees, and maladjustment…

Peer- and teacher-reported prosocial behavior of 339 6th-grade (11-12 years) and 8th-grade (13-14 years) students was examined in relation to prosocial goals, self-processes (reasons for behavior, empathy, perspective taking, depressive affect, perceived competence), and contextual cues (expectations of peers and teachers). Goal pursuit…

Differences in racial socialization practices and their effects were examined in a sample of 241 African American 1st graders (average age 6.59 years) living in an urban area. Child outcomes included cognitive development, receptive language skills, and child problem behavior. The cultural environment of the home was associated with higher…

Four experiments explored adults' and grade school children's beliefs about inheritability of racial identity. Found that older children and adults believed that mixed-race children possessed black racial features. Also found that children from an integrated school, regardless of race, expected mixed-race children to have intermediate racial…

Examined the relative contribution of maternal, household, child, and poverty characteristics to the quality of the home environment through an analysis of data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth. Improvements in family income had the strongest effect on the quality of home environment for children who had lived much of their lives in…

Tested equivalence of theoretical model of parenting behaviors linking financial strain to adolescents' achievement for African American and European American families and single- and two-parent families. Found no significant differences in structural equation models between ethnic/racial groups or between family types. Negative parent-adolescent…

Analyzed individual developmental trajectories of disruptive behavior problems (DBP) between 3.5 and 6.0 years for children of adolescent mothers. Found that DBP decreased with age. Boys and children of more depressed/anxious mothers exhibited higher levels of DBP. Maternal negative control was associated with level of DBP and change rate, and…

Examined how relational stressors and supports interface with aggression to influence early adjustment trajectories from Fall of kindergarten year to Spring of first grade. Found that with few exceptions, relational experiences predicted adjustment beyond children's aggressive risk status. Chronicity of aggressive risk status and relational…

Interviewed boys in grades two through eight about their occupational aspirations. Found that aspirations of inner-city boys mirrored race and class differences in adult job holdings; the gap between aspirations and expectations was greater for inner-city boys than other boys; and lower occupational aspirations of inner-city boys were related to…

Examined effects of normative school transition during early adolescence on self-esteem and perceived school and peer social contexts. Subjects were 580 black, white, and Latino youth from low-income families. Found that the transition from elementary to middle or junior high schools led to declines in self-esteem, class preparation, and grade…