Research conducted in the aftermath of the September 11th terrorist attacks (9/11) suggests that, except for those who directly witnessed or suffered loss from the attacks, for most children the emotional impact was relatively transitory. We review this literature as well as consider other ways in which the attacks may have played a role in the…

Relations among effortful control/low negative emotionality, immediate reactions in a situation that usually calls for the masking of disappointment (i.e., the use of display rules), and social competence/adjustment were investigated for 78 preschool children (mean age=4.87 years). Parents, teachers, and peers rated children on negative…

Examined the relations of teachers' and parents' reports of children's shyness at ages 6-8, 8-10, and 10-12 years to dispositional regulation, emotionality, and coping. The overall pattern of findings was partially consistent with the conclusion that parent-rated shyness reflected primarily social wariness with unfamiliar people, whereas…

Assessed parental characteristics; children's physiological and self-reported reactions to a sympathy-inducing film; and children's dispositional traits. Parental sympathy was related to low distress in same-sex children, and to sons' sympathy. Same-sex parental restrictiveness of hurtful emotional displays was related to children's sympathy. (BC)

Discusses research concerning individual differences in children that appear to be associated with vicarious emotional responses and a tendency to engage in prosocial behavior. Focuses on research concerning parents' influence on children's methods for coping with their own and others' emotions and children's social behavior. (BB)