Birth order?×?sex interactions in child behavior problems.

The 1st of 2 experiments examined the referral rates of children to a psychology clinic. Only 2-child families were studied to avoid confounds related to family size. A multiple-contingency analysis of the frequency of referral showed a significant effect for sex, birth order, and a Sex by Birth Order interaction. Further analyses of the interaction showed there was a sex difference only among firstborns and a birth order effect only among males. In Exp II, preschool teachers who were blind to the variables under study rated 83 children from 2-child families on the Behar Preschool Behavior Questionnaire. Results of statistical analysis show no significant main effects for birth order, and a significant effect for sex was found only for the Hyperactive-Distractible factor of the questionnaire. Significant interactions between sex and birth order were found, however, for all factors (Hostile-Aggressive, Anxious-Fearful, Hyperactive-Distractible, and total score). As in Exp I, firstborn males were rated higher on all 4 scores than any other group. (24 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Mothers' and fathers' interactions with preschoolers in the home in northern Thailand: Relationships to teachers' assessments of children's social skills.

Using ecocultural theory as a guide, the authors observed some everyday activities of mothers and fathers with children for 2 hrs in the home in 53 families residing in Chaing Mai Province in northern Thailand. Teachers provided assessments of children's general social skills in preschool using the Preschool Kindergarten Behavior Scale (K. W. Merrell, 1994). Mothers were significantly more likely to engage in basic care, general conversations, and educational activities; to praise; and to use commands and reasoning as forms of discipline with children than fathers. Mothers and fathers did not significantly differ in the display of affection, teasing or joking, and modes of play interactions with children. Parents generally treated boys and girls similarly. Few associations between parent-child involvement and children's social skills in preschool were significant. Data are discussed with respect to changes in culturally driven parent-child practices. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Executive functions and social competence in young children 6 months following traumatic brain injury.

Objective: This study examined the impact of traumatic brain injury (TBI) in young children on executive functions and social competence, and particularly on the role of executive functions as a predictor of social competence. Method: Data were drawn from a prospective, longitudinal study. Participants were children between the ages of 3 years 0 months and 6 years 11 months at time of injury. The initial sample included 23 with severe TBI, 64 with moderate TBI, and 119 with orthopedic injuries (OI). All participants were assessed at 3 and 6 months postinjury. Executive functions were assessed using neuropsychological tests (Delayed Alternation task and Shape School) and parent ratings on the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function and Child Behavior Questionnaire. Parents rated children's social competence on the Adaptive Behavior Assessment System, Preschool and Kindergarten Behavior Scales, and Home and Community Social Behavior Scales. Results: Children with severe TBI displayed more negative outcomes than children with OI on neuropsychological tests, ratings of executive functions, and ratings of social competence (η2 ranged from .03 to .11). Neuropsychological tests of executive functions had significant but weak relationships with behavioral ratings of executive functions (ΔR2 ranged from .06 to .08). Behavioral ratings of executive functions were strongly related to social competence (ΔR2 ranged from .32 to .42), although shared rater and method variance likely contributed to these associations. Conclusions: Severe TBI in young children negatively impacts executive functions and social competence. Executive functions may be an important determinant of social competence following TBI. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Mothers' and fathers' perceptions of child deviance: Roles of parent and child behaviors and parent adjustment.

The mothers (n?=?120) and fathers (n?=?85) of children with conduct problems (ages?=?3–8 years) completed two measures of child adjustment (Child Behavior Checklist, Eyberg Child Behavior Inventory), three personal adjustment measures (Beck Depression Inventory, Marital Adjustment Test, Parenting Stress Index), and a Life Experience Survey and were observed at home interacting with their children. In addition, teachers (n?=?107) completed the Behar Preschool Questionnaire. Fathers' perceptions of their children's behaviors were significantly correlated with teachers' ratings, but mothers' ratings were not. Correlations showed that mothers who were depressed or stressed due to marital problems perceived more child deviant behaviors and interacted with their children with more commands and criticisms. Fathers' perceptions and behaviors were relatively unaffected by personal adjustment measures. Differences in these perceptions and behaviors between mothers and fathers are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Does Head Start work? A 1-year follow-up comparison of disadvantaged children attending Head Start, no preschool, and other preschool programs.

This article examines how successful Project Head Start has been as a preschool program for economically disadvantaged children. Most Head Start evaluations have not controlled for initial differences between Head Start and comparison groups. They have also limited comparisons to those with no preschool experience, rather than considering other preschools as an alternative comparison group. Subjects were 969 disadvantaged children attending Head Start, other preschool, or no preschool in 1969–1970, longitudinally evaluated on a variety of cognitive measures. Large initial group differences were observed between Head Start children and both comparison groups, with those in Head Start at a disadvantage on nearly every demographic and cognitive measure. Adjusting for initial background and cognitive differences, Head Start children showed significantly larger gains on the Preschool Inventory and Motor Inhibition tests than either comparison group, with Black children in Head Start (especially those of below-average initial ability) gaining the most. However, despite substantial gains, Head Start children were still behind their peers in terms of absolute cognitive levels after a year in the program. Head Start proved an impressive instrument of short-term change, even compared with other preschool experience. Gains in behaviors other than intelligence suggest that the effects may not be limited to the cognitive domain. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effects of preschool phoneme identity training after six years: Outcome level distinguished from rate of response.

Grade 5 children who had been trained in phoneme identity 6 years earlier in preschool were superior to untrained controls on irregular word reading; on a composite list of nonwords, regular words, and irregular words; and on a separate nonword test. Some of the trained children had become poor readers by Grade 5. These poor readers had made slow progress in achieving phonemic awareness in preschool even though they were eventually successful. In general, the rate at which trained children achieved phonemic awareness in preschool accounted for variance in school literacy progress in addition to that accounted for by the actual level of phonemic awareness achieved. Preschool instruction in phonemic structure had modest but detectable effects on later reading skill, but children who were slow to achieve phonemic awareness tended to be hampered in later reading growth. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Predicting adolescent cognitive and self-regulatory competencies from preschool delay of gratification: Identifying diagnostic conditions.

Variations of the self-imposed delay-of-gratification situation in preschool were compared to determine when individual differences in this situation may predict aspects of cognitive and self-regulatory competence and coping in adolescence. Preschool children from a university community participated in experiments that varied features of the self-imposed delay situation. Experimental analyses of the cognitive–attentional processes that affect waiting in this situation helped identify conditions in which delay behavior would be most likely to reflect relevant cognitive and attentional competencies. As hypothesized, in those conditions, coherent patterns of statistically significant correlations were found between seconds of delay time in such conditions in preschool and cognitive and academic competence and ability to cope with frustration and stress in adolescence. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Preschool Approaches to Learning and Their Relationship to Other Relevant Classroom Competencies for Low-Income Children.

The validity generalization of the Preschool Learning Behavior Scale (PLBS; McDermott, Green, Francis, & Stott, 2000) dimensions was assessed for low-income, urban, preschool children. A three-factor structure was found: Competence Motivation, Attention/Persistence, and Attitude Toward Learning. This structure was congruent with the PLBS structure derived from the national standardization sample. Multi-method, multi-source concurrent validity analyses further substantiated the PLBS dimensions for use with this population. Measures of interactive peer play behaviors at home and at school, dimensions of classroom self-regulation, and assessments of receptive and expressive vocabulary provided convergent validity for the PLBS dimensions, while measures of disruptive and disconnected peer play behaviors at home and at school provided divergent validity. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Changes in interpersonal distances and categories of play behavior in the early weeks of preschool.

Observations of 57 children were made using time lapse and moving film techniques in a preschool over a 10-wk period. Ss attended 5, 3, or 2 days/wk. Behavior was recorded in 5 categories: aggressive behavior, rough and tumble behavior, distance from the nearest child, distance from the teacher, and frequency of close proximity; a 6th category, play behavior, was related to the potential for social interaction in preschool play. Behavior was related to measures of attendance at preschool, preschool group, age, and sex via multiple regression analyses. Scores on all measures of social interaction except aggressive behavior increased with preschool experience. The 3 preschool groups showed different degrees of change, and this was directly related to the number of days of attendance at preschool. (20 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Kinetic analysis of transcytosis of epidermal growth factor in Madin-Darby canine kidney epithelial cells

OBJECTIVE: Treatment outcome in sexually abused preschool children was evaluated 6 and 12 months after treatment. METHOD: Forty-three sexually abused preschool children and their parents were evaluated 6 and 12 months after completion of either Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy for Sexually Abused Preschoolers (CBT-SAP) or nondirective supportive therapy (NST). Parents completed the Child Behavior Checklist, Child Sexual Behavior inventory, and Weekly Behavior Report to measure a variety of symptoms in their children. RESULTS: Repeated-measures analyses indicated that there were significant group by time interactions on several outcome measures from the beginning of the study to the end of the 12-month follow-up period, with the CBT-SAP group exhibiting significantly more improvement over time than the NST group. Clinical findings also indicated the superior effectiveness of CBT-SAP over NST in reducing sexually inappropriate behavior. CONCLUSIONS: Findings support the superior efficacy of CBT-SAP over NST in maintaining symptom reduction in the year after treatment completion. The importance of using cognitive-behavioral interventions for sexually inappropriate behaviors and including nonoffending parents in the treatment of sexually abused preschool children is discussed.     

Les enfants anxieux-isolés sont-ils inhibés dans un contexte de nouveauté sociale?

Studied correlations between social behaviors in nursery school and social behaviors in novel situations to test genetic vs environmental theories of social withdrawal in early childhood. Ss were 30 preschool children (mean age 46 mo) of average social competence, 30 socially competent preschool children (mean age 47 mo), 30 aggressive-irritable preschool children (mean age 46 mo), and 28 anxious-withdrawn preschool children (mean age 45 mo). Ss were assigned to their respective groups on the basis of socioaffective ratings provided by their nursery school teachers. Each S's social behaviors were observed in 2 novel situations involving the S's own mother as well as another mother–child dyad. Intergroup differences in measures of sociability vs social inhibition were analyzed, and the effects of the mother's behaviors toward her child were determined. A French version of the Preschool Socioaffective Profile (P. J. LaFrenière et al, 1990) was used. (English abstract) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Changes in peer-directed behaviors following preschool experience.

A preliminary study in which the play and negative behaviors of 40 preschoolers (aged 47–57 mo) indicated that Ss were reasonably adjusted to the nursery group by the 3rd wk following enrollment. Study 1 examined changes in peer interactions following preschool experience by observing 37 41–57 mo olds in 2 groups; one was observed 3 wks after beginning preschool and again 3 mo later, and one was observed only after 3 wks. Preschool experience increased social interaction with peers; increases were apparent in rates of dispensing positive and neutral behaviors and of receiving neutral behaviors. Study 2, in which 21 children (mean age 49 mo) were observed after 3 mo of preschool, confirmed these results. Findings support a mere-exposure theory of social interaction. (17 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Intellectual stability in children with unilateral brain lesions

Developmental differences in behavior and self-perception were examined in a group of 44 preschool and school-age children referred for evaluation of sexual abuse and 41 comparison children with no history of sexual abuse, matched on age and gender, and from a similar socioeconomic background. Children suspected of having been sexually abused were rated by their parents as having more internalizing and externalizing problems than comparison children. When children rated their self-competence and social acceptance, there were no group differences between children based on their abuse status; however, there was significant within-group variation among the children suspected of having been sexually abused. Preschool children had elevated scores of perceived competence and social acceptance, and school-age children had depressed scores. There were no age differences among the children in the comparison group. The results suggest that among children suspected of abuse, not only does their self-perception vary by their developmental level, but preschool children may respond with elevated perceptions of themselves. Focusing on individual differences in children's response to suspicions of sexual abuse enables us to identify risk and protective factors that contribute to the psychological outcomes of child sexual abuse.     

Correlates of Attachment at Age 3: Construct Validity of the Preschool Attachment Classification System.

This study examined correlates of attachment at age 3 to further validate preschool separation-reunion measures. Three-year-olds (N = 150) and their mothers participated in a separation-reunion protocol, the Preschool Attachment Classification System (PACS: J. Cassidy & R. S. Marvin with the MacArthur Working Group on Attachment, 1992), and a mother-child interaction session during a laboratory visit. Mothers also completed psychosocial measures and, along with teachers, evaluated child behavior problems. The secure and disorganized groups received, respectively, the highest and lowest interaction scores. Disorganized children showed a higher level of teacher-reported externalizing and internalizing problems than did secure children. Mothers of insecure children reported higher child externalizing (all insecure groups) and internalizing (avoidant group) scores, more personal distress related to emotional bonding (disorganized group), childrearing control (ambivalent group), and child hyperactivity (avoidant group). Results strongly support the validity of the PACS as a measure of attachment in 3-year-olds. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Preschool executive functioning abilities predict early mathematics achievement.

Impairments in executive function have been documented in school-age children with mathematical learning difficulties. However, the utility and specificity of preschool executive function abilities in predicting later mathematical achievement are poorly understood. This study examined linkages between children's developing executive function abilities at age 4 and children's subsequent achievement in mathematics at age 6, 1 year after school entry. The study sample consisted of a regionally representative cohort of 104 children followed prospectively from ages 2 to 6 years. At age 4, children completed a battery of executive function tasks that assessed planning, set shifting, and inhibitory control. Teachers completed the preschool version of the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function. Clinical and classroom measures of children's mathematical achievement were collected at age 6. Results showed that children's performance on set shifting, inhibitory control, and general executive behavior measures during the preschool period accounted for substantial variability in children's early mathematical achievement at school. These associations persisted even after individual differences in general cognitive ability and reading achievement were taken into account. Findings suggest that early measures of executive function may be useful in identifying children who may experience difficulties learning mathematical skills and concepts. They also suggest that the scaffolding of these executive skills could potentially be a useful additional component in early mathematics education. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Coronary reserve of high- and low-flow regions in the dog heart left ventricle

OBJECTIVE: To examine the relationship between psychopathology and health care utilization beginning in the preschool (ages 2 to 5) years. METHOD: Five hundred ten preschool children were enrolled through 68 primary care physicians. The test battery used for diagnoses included the Child Behavior Checklist, a developmental evaluation, the Rochester Adaptive Behavior Inventory, and a videotaped play session. Consensus DSM-III-R diagnoses were assigned using best-estimate procedures. Frequency of primary care visits was established through 1-year retrospective record review; mothers estimated total visits and emergency department (ED) use. RESULTS: Logistic regression models showed that a DSM-III-R diagnosis was related to increased ED use but not primary care or total visits. Greater functional impairment was associated with fewer primary care visits and more ED visits. Total, internalizing, and externalizing behavior problem scores were associated with increased primary care and total visits; ED visits were associated with increased total and internalizing problems. Child's health status consistently correlated with utilization. CONCLUSION: There is a consistent relationship between health care use and child psychopathology beginning in the preschool years.     

Relationship between preschool teachers’ reports of children’s behavior and their behavior toward those children.

The relationships between preschool children and their teachers are an important component of the quality of the preschool experience. This study used attribution theory as a framework to better understand these relationships, examining the connection between teachers’ perceptions of children’s behavior and teachers’ behavior toward those children. One hundred seven preschool children and 24 preschool teachers participated in this study. Two teachers reported on each child’s behavior using the Teacher Report Form of the Child Behavior Checklist. Commands and praise directed toward children by the teachers in the study were coded from classroom videotapes. Teachers gave more commands to children that they perceived as having greater general behavior problems, even after controlling for the shared variance in the other classroom teacher’s report of the child’s behavior. Implications for school psychologists, teachers, and researchers are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)