Two studies examined U.S. mothers' (N=1130) and child development professionals' (N=99) beliefs about the relationship between play and learning. Study 1 investigated relationships among maternal conceptualizations of play, perceived learning value, and frequency of children's play behaviors. All Play mothers viewed activities ranging from…

This paper focuses on the role of Sigel's (1993) [Sigel, I.E. (1993). The centrality of a distancing model for the development of representational competence. In Cocking, R. & Renninger, A. (Eds.), The development and meaning of psychological distance (pp. 141-158). Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.] psychological distancing activities (PDA) in the process…

The development and evaluation of a parenting intervention based on Sigel's distancing theory and conceptualization of intervention processes is described. An iterative program development strategy was comprised of 3 studies: (1) Results of interviews with lower-income parents of Grades 1-4 children regarding views of children's futures and…

This study investigated the roles of sex, age, and parent-child communication in moderating the association between digital game violence and direct aggression in a two-year longitudinal study. Finnish 12- and 15-year-old adolescents (N = 316) participated in the follow-up survey. As hypothesized, digital game violence was linked to direct…

Irving Sigel's distancing theory and his cognitive and educational research has led to an understanding of the importance of ''encompassing'' educational settings and the promotion of positive developmental outcomes in the area of Jewish education. This paper describes how distancing theory provides a basis for understanding the effects of…

Research has informed practice since the origins of developmental psychology, but only recently has basic science and practice begun to be consistently integrated with one another. In addition, considerable research documents the utility of empirically-supported interventions, yet it has been difficult to implement such interventions outside of…

Irving Sigel's work, particularly his two volumes and numerous papers on parental beliefs, has left a strong mark on theoretical developmental work, applied research, and clinical research and practice. This article focuses on the impact that a cognitive perspective on parenting has had on our understanding of maladaptive parenting and practice.…

In multicultural societies with working parents, large numbers of children have caregivers from more than one culture. Here we have explored this situation, investigating culturally-based differences in caregiving beliefs and practices between nannies and the parents who employ them. Our guiding hypothesis was that U.S. born employers and Latina…

There now appears to be widespread agreement that early childhood mathematics education (ECME) should be implemented on a wide scale, particularly for disadvantaged children. Yet little is known about the teaching of early mathematics. The goal of this paper is to demystify the process. We analyze one early childhood teacher's work as she attempts…

Parent and teen MySpace user pairs completed online surveys administered in June (N = 266) and September 2006 (N = 341) to assess relationships between parenting styles and limit setting and monitoring of online behaviors, the prevalence of Internet dangers and pre-teen and teen MySpace behaviors. Cross-comparison measures of MySpace usage,…

A longitudinal analysis of panel data from users of a popular online social network site, Facebook, investigated the relationship between intensity of Facebook use, measures of psychological well-being, and bridging social capital. Two surveys conducted a year apart at a large U.S. university, complemented with in-depth interviews with 18 Facebook…

Social networking sites (e.g., MySpace and Facebook) are popular online communication forms among adolescents and emerging adults. Yet little is known about young people's activities on these sites and how their networks of "friends" relate to their other online (e.g., instant messaging) and offline networks. In this study, college students…

Within the cultural context of MySpace, this study explores the ways emerging adults experience social networking. Through focus group methodology, the role of virtual peer interaction in the development of personal, social, and gender identities was investigated. Findings suggest that college students utilize MySpace for identity exploration,…

This study examined the cognitive effects of an educational early childhood television program in Turkey that was designed to enhance basic cognitive skills and socio-emotional development of 5-year-old children. The program targeted children with low socioeconomic status who had limited access to formal preschool education. The program was…

Two studies investigated associations between family instability (changes in parents' intimate partners, work hours, residence, children's schools) and adolescent adjustment. In Study 1 (N = 141, M age = 15.23 years), instability was associated with increased caregiver-reported externalizing and internalizing behaviors (including youth-reported…