Examined the effect of a family-oriented early childhood intervention program for low birth weight premature infants and their mothers. Found that the intervention decreased maternal distress, especially for women with less than a high school education. Maternal distress did not moderate or mediate the influence of the intervention on child…

This longitudinal study examined reciprocal growth in negative emotions between parents and adolescents, and their potential influence on the development of social relationships during early adulthood. Findings showed that both parents' and adolescents' initial levels of negative emotion toward each other predicted the rate of growth and rate of…

Compares the separation distress of 26 19-month-old Downs Syndrome infants in the Strange Situation with that of 43 normal infants who were observed at 12 1/2 and 19 1/2 months to assess whether Downs Syndrome infants responded more similarly to cognitively comparable normals than to age-comparable normals. (HOD)

Reports the responses of 23 mothers of Down's Syndrome children to the Behavioral Style Questionnaire concerning the temperament characteristics of their child. Mothers were also interviewed with the Implicit Parental Learning Theory Scale and asked how they would handle certain specified child behaviors. (HOD)

Examined development of relations between causal explanations, the anticipated emotional consequences for others if these causes were communicated, and the decision to disclose or withhold causal explanation. Within a role-playing paradigm, children aged 5-12 were given scenarios involving social rejection or broken social engagement. Data…

In the four studies reported, facial expressions of emotion are considered to be not merely responses indicative of internal states; they are also stimulus patterns that regulate the behavior of others. Results indicated that one-year-old infants seek out and use maternal facial expressions to monitor behavior. (Author/DST)

Examined claim that associations between emotional responses to maternal separation and cognitive performance would change with cognitive development over the first year. Emphasized the measurement of separation and reunion distress. Found that emotional responses and cognitive performance may be linked by individual differences in self-regulation…

Examined fourth and fifth graders' reactions to completing group-administered, positive and negative peer nomination techniques. Found that no child reported having hurt feelings or knowing of anyone else having hurt feelings. Determined that the condition of minimal risk of harm, harm not greater than children might encounter in daily life, was…

Measured the facial expressions, heart rate variability (HRV), and skin conductance of 37 third graders and 29 sixth graders while they viewed a film about a distressed child. Found that high HRV was predictive of children's sympathetic rather than distressed reactions and that, for boys, sympathetic responsiveness positively predicted a…

Two studies investigated 4- to 7-year-olds' understanding that trait can be causal mechanisms based on desires or mere summaries of behavioral regularities. Results suggested that children change from viewing traits as behavioral regularities to understanding them as internal mediators and that advances in understanding desire underlie this…

Compared narrative representations from low SES maltreated and nonmaltreated preschoolers. Found that maltreated preschoolers portrayed parents and children as responding less often than did nonmaltreated preschoolers, yet portrayed themselves as stepping into the story more often to relieve children's distress. Abused children portrayed the most…

Assessed preschoolers' peer aggression and emotional displays outside of and during aggressive interactions, their emotion knowledge, and peer acceptance. Found that connections between affective dispositions and aggression and peer acceptance varied as a function of the emotion context and the particular emotion involved. Significant connections…

Observed face-to-face interactions between 39 mothers and their first and second-born two-month olds to evaluate within-family differences in maternal affective behavior toward siblings. Found that mothers were more positive with second-borns than firstborns, and second-borns were more positive than firstborns. Siblings' affective behaviors were…

Studied cross-cultural differences using still-face paradigm with 3- to 6-month-old Chinese infants. Found that infants looked and smiled less to both parents' still face; experimental group showed similar still-face effects to both mothers and a stranger. Comparison to archival data from Canadian infants showed that, although Chinese infants took…

Examined the relationship of kindergartners' to second graders' dispositional sympathy to individual differences in emotionality, regulation, and social functioning. Found that sympathy was associated with relatively high levels of regulation, teacher-reported positive emotionality, and general emotional intensity; and, especially for boys, high…