A longitudinal study was used to examine age differences in the role of body mass index (BMI) and sociocultural pressures in predicting changes in body image and strategies to both lose weight and increase muscles among 443 children aged between 8 and 12 years (207 boys, 236 girls) over a 16-month period. The strongest predictors of body image and…

The present study investigated pathways that might explain the observed linkage between participation in early intervention programs and later educational attainment using a sample from the Chicago Longitudinal Study, an on-going investigation of low-income minority children growing up in high-poverty neighborhoods in Chicago. A review of…

Two minimal group studies (Ns=150, 123) examined the impact of emotional empathy on the ethnic attitudes of 5 to 12-year old white Anglo-Australian children. Study 1 evaluated the relationship between empathy and attitudes towards a same (Anglo-Australian) versus different ethnicity (Pacific Islander) outgroup. A significant empathy x outgroup…

96 Spanish and Latin American children from 3 grades in Madrid reported their knowledge of positive and negative stereotypes regarding Spaniards, Gypsies, Latin American and Chinese people. Their personal beliefs about these four ethnic groups were also assessed. Stereotypes about Spaniards were perceived as overwhelmingly positive and least…

The present study examined ethnically Dutch preadolescents' understanding and reasoning about asylum seeker peers and friendships. The description of an asylum seeker was compared with that of a Moroccan and a Dutch peer. The findings suggest that asylum seekers were described more negatively than peers from the other two groups. Additionally, we…

Perceptions of intragroup and intergroup similarity were assessed in 1st grade (M=6.78 years, SD=.42) and 4th grade (M=9.79, SD=.51) boys and girls (N=382) who attended either ethnically homogeneous or ethnically heterogeneous schools. Children's evaluations of same-race and cross-race friendships were also assessed. European-American children…

This paper examined the influence of interracial contact and racial constancy on the racial intergroup bias of young Anglo-British children. This multi-site study was conducted in areas of Great Britain that varied in terms of racial diversity. The study also investigated whether preschool children express bias on positive, but not negative,…

This experiment examined the impact of messages about uniqueness and similarity between groups of people on Black and Latino children's social attitudes. Children (ages 11-14) read two brief science books embedded with a similarities message ("all people are basically the same"), unique message ("each person is unique"), combined similar-unique…

The present study examined multiple measures of parenting (i.e., nurturance reported by parents themselves, child-centered behavior rated by trained observers, and child-reported parenting and family atmosphere) and their association with parents' personality trait of extraversion (E). The study was part of the Jyvaskyla Longitudinal Study of…

This study examined differences in understanding the technical and social complexity of the Internet across four age groups, 5-8-year-olds, 9-10-year-olds, 11-12-year-olds, and adults. The major findings indicated overall age differences in understanding across the four groups, particularly between 9-10- and 11-12-year-olds, and fewer differences…

This study examined whether specific parental beliefs and behaviors were related to the maintenance of preschoolers' early interests in conceptual domains. Assessments of home environments and interest support between ages 4 and 5 years were used to predict different types of child interest profiles over an ensuing 24-month period. Subtle…

This study reports early impacts on youth's outcomes from the Yonkers Project, a quasi-experimental study in which low-income Black and Latino families who resided in economically and racially segregated neighborhoods were selected via lottery to relocate to middle-class, primarily White neighborhoods. Youth 8-18 years old who moved (n=147) as…

The relation between maternal behavior and child attachment security is weaker among low SES samples, but it is unclear how stressors/risks associated with low SES alter the dynamics of attachment relationships. Results of this study of 63 low income mothers and their 24-36-month-old children indicated that the influence of multiple economic risks…

The aim of this study was to investigate the development of young children's brand awareness, and the relative influence of environmental factors (e.g., television, parents, peers) on brand awareness. We presented 196 two- to eight-year-olds with 12 brand logos. After exposure to these logos, we asked children to mention the brand name (brand…

This longitudinal study assessed the emergence of gender differences in over 300 children's academic competency beliefs from kindergarten or first grade through fifth grade. Children, their parents and their teachers rated the children's competencies in math and literacy and their math and literacy skills were also assessed directly. Beginning in…