The foundations of brain architecture are established early in life through a continuous series of dynamic interactions in which environmental conditions and personal experiences have a significant impact on how genetic predispositions are expressed. Because specific experiences affect specific brain circuits during specific developmental…

This report is the first of several to come from CASEL's major meta-analysis project. The report describes the strong positive effects after-school programs can have, and the conditions needed to realize these benefits. A meta-analysis to evaluate the magnitude of effects obtained from 73 programs was conducted. Outcomes were examined in three…

The increasing availability of Internet and cell phones has provided new avenues through which adolescents can bully. Electronic bullying is a new form of bullying that may threaten adolescent social and emotional development. In this study the relation between involvement in electronic and traditional bullying was examined. Eighty-four…

A major problem for developmental science is understanding how the cognitive and emotional networks important in carrying out mental processes can be related to individual differences. The last five years have seen major advances in establishing links between alleles of specific genes and the neural networks underlying aspects of attention. These…

This study assessed relations among placement instability, inhibitory control, and caregiver-rated child behavior. The sample included 33 adopted children who had experienced placement instability, 42 adopted children who had experienced 1 stable placement, and 27 children never placed in foster care. Five- and 6-year-old children completed the…

In Building Academic Success on Social and Emotional Learning: What does the Research Say? Zins and his colleagues presented a new way to conceptualize the impact of social and emotional learning programs on students' school success by broadening the concept to include students' attitudes, behaviors, and performance. To build on Zins' ideas, we…

Estimates of agreement and consistency between parent and teacher ratings of peer-interactive play and social emotional development were examined in a sample of preschool children at risk for academic difficulties. Eighty-three pairs of parents and teachers of 4-year-old children completed the Penn Interactive Peer Play Scale (PIPPS) and 69 of…

Hormone levels and changes in hormone levels were evaluated three times across a 1-year period as concurrent and predictive correlates of the socio-emotional functioning of 56 boys 10- to 14-years-old and 52 girls 9- to 14-years-old who represented the five stages of Tanner's criteria of pubertal development. The hormone measures were serum levels…

Results do not offer consistent support for the body-image hypothesis as related to self-esteem in the Draw-A-Person-Test. (RB)

ACCORDING TO N.E.A. (1958), ONLY ONE IN EVERY FIVE SCHOOL DISTRICTS HAD EXCEPTIONS TO AN ARBITRARY ADMISSION SCHOOL AGE, AND ADMISSION WAS USUALLY DUE TO PARENT INITIATIVE. A FIELD DEMONSTRATION OF EARLY ADMISSION WAS INITIATED IN WARREN, PENNSYLVANIA (TO LAST FOR TWO YEARS), TO ASSURE THAT THE TESTED PROCESSES AND FAVORABLE RESULTS OF EARLY…

THE PURPOSES OF THIS STUDY WERE TO DETERMINE (1) WHAT PROBLEMS THE ADVICE COLUMNS AND ARTICLES IN THE TEEN MAGAZINES PRESENT, (2) THE NATURE OF THE ADVICE GIVEN, (3) WHETHER THEY WERE DIRECTED PRIMARILY TOWARD GIRLS, BOYS, OR BOTH, AND (4) WHO THE AUTHORS ARE. OVER A 10-MONTH PERIOD, 84 ISSUES OF DIFFERENT TEEN MAGAZINES WERE EXAMINED BY USING A…

An author reflects on memory, language, the real, children's literature, myths, icons, and the interplay between structure and freedom. (IRT)

Reinforces the notion that adolescent drug use has psychosocial roots, and deemphasizes the focus on the addictive properties of drugs. Endorses the need to create a sense of opportunity for youth and to reinforce awareness of personal worth, strong values, and beliefs. (KS)

Investigated Japanese children's understanding of the difference between real and apparent emotion. Children aged four to six years listened to and answered questions about stories in which the protagonist masked strong emotions. Results showed six-year-olds understood real versus apparent emotion more systematically than did four-year-olds. (SKC)