According to Egan and Perry's (2001) multidimensional model of gender identity, gender typicality should be positively related to, and feeling pressure to conform to gender norms should be negatively related to, well-being. In a cross-sectional study of 6- to 11-year-old girls (N = 120), measures of gender typicality (i.e., gender similarity),…

Parent-teacher conferences are considered an important bridge between home and school, but there are little data on what teachers discuss during these conferences and whether it is linked to parents' involvement in children's schooling. Parent-teacher conferences (N = 431) with parents of young elementary school children (mean age 7.68 years) were…

This study investigated associations of early adolescents' (N = 190, median age = 12) subjectively experienced emotions and psychophysiological reactions in achievement situations. Self-reported questions assessed adolescents' experienced emotions. Additionally, adolescents' autonomic nervous system (ANS) reactions were recorded; skin-conductance…

Peer victimization has been assessed by using various methods, with little attention to methodological variance. Peer victimization assessments of 238 girls (M age = 9.77 years; 50% Black, 50% White) made by peers, teachers, and self in school, and peers and observers in afterschool playgroups, enabled examination of context and reporter effects…

Childhood peer victimization is prevalent and harmful; thus, it is critical to carefully assess this construct. We extended an existing measure to create the Forms of Peer Victimization Scale (FPVS), which assesses multiple forms of peer victimization via self and teacher report. Participants included 1,440 fourth- and fifth-grade children (50%…

The goal of the present study was to test the hypothesis that, when children respond to peer provocation assertively, their physiology at that moment will be marked by high levels of respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA). Participants were 35 European American (66%), African American (27%), Latino American (3%), and mixed race/ethnicity (3%) children…

Although existing research has shed much light on the development of ethnic minority children, many studies focus on maladjustment, such as behavioral problems, without also speaking to positive experiences in children's lives, such as friendship. An aspect of development that predicts both positive and negative outcomes for children is…

The goals of the present study were (a) to explore different aspects of children's participation in structured performing arts activities (e.g., dance and music); and (b) to examine links between participation in performing arts and indices of socioemotional functioning. Participants were N = 166 children (75 boys and 91 girls) in Grade 1 (n = 70,…

Peer nominations and teacher ratings were used to examine age and sex differences in behaviors associated with perceived coolness during middle childhood. Participants were 470 students in Grades 1, 3, and 5. Participants nominated peers whom they perceived as cool; separate scores were calculated for samesex coolness and cross-sex coolness (i.e.,…

This study examined the friendship processes around prosocial and aggressive behaviors and the moderating role of early adolescents' perceived relatedness with teachers. Differences between fifth graders in elementary school and sixth graders in middle school were examined. The sample was from 48 classrooms (N = 879, 51% girls at Wave 1, N = 859,…

Studies examining the link between psychological control and peer victimization are limited. The current study extends knowledge of the role of parental psychological control in predicting children's experiences of peer victimization by longitudinally evaluating the moderating role of emotion inhibition. Gender differences in this effect were also…

This study investigated patterns of reasoning regarding different types of moral transgressions and different measures of moral development in children 6-8 years of age (N = 130). The findings documented different patterns of reasoning for each measure and for transgressions including different moral principles. Children distinguished between…

Although the effect of physical and relational (i.e., traditional) victimization on psychopathology is established, the interdependent contribution of cybervictimization is unclear. We test a longitudinal path model theorizing that (a) children's physical and relational victimization in Grade 4 or 5 is associated with more cybervictimization…

The purpose of the current investigation was to examine if autonomic nervous system reactivity moderated the association between relational victimization and two established outcomes of peer maltreatment, anxious/depressive symptoms and anxious rejection sensitivity. A total of 119 female (M[subscript age] = 12.47, SD[subscript age] = 1.96)…

This study examined the prospective links between maladaptive anger regulation and aggressive behavior in middle childhood over a 10-month period, analyzing the mediating influence of peer problems. Participants were 599 elementary school children in Germany, aged 6-10 years at Time 1 (T1) and 7-11 years at Time 2 (T2). Anger regulation at T1 was…