Impact of parental discipline methods on the child's internalization of values: A reconceptualization of current points of view.

It is generally argued that parental use of specific discipline techniques (e.g., reasoning vs power assertion) differentially affects a child's internalization. This article offers an expanded formulation. Internalization as a result of discipline is proposed to be based on a child's accurate perception of the parental message and acceptance or rejection of it. Mechanisms promoting acceptance are perceptions of the parent's actions as appropriate, motivation to accept the parental position, and perception that a value has been self-generated. Features of the misdeed, discipline technique, child, and parent that affect accurate perception and acceptance–rejection are outlined. Other goals besides internalization, such as movement beyond the parent's position, maintenance of the child's self-esteem, and maintenance of the parent–child relationship, are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Censoring of self-reactive B cells with a range of receptor affinities in transgenic mice expressing heavy chains for a lysozyme-specific antibody

Transgenic mice carrying a rearranged Ig gene encoding the H chain of a lysozyme-specific antibody were used to examine the effect of antigen binding affinity on elimination of self-reactive B cells. In H chain transgenic mice, B cells expressed surface IgM and IgD composed of lysozyme-specific H chains and many different possible L chains from endogenous L chain genes. Immunofluorescent staining and flow cytometry revealed a distinct subset comprising approximately 1% of spleen B cells that bound lysozyme with a high affinity comparable with the original lysozyme-specific antibody. Additional subsets accounting for a total of 5-6% of spleen B cells bound lysozyme more weakly, with the weakest requiring 10,000-fold higher concentrations of monomeric hen egg lysozyme to attain 50% receptor saturation. When the various B cell subpopulations were allowed to develop in animals expressing lysozyme as a membrane-bound antigen on autologous cells, both low and high affinity lysozyme-binding B cells were undetectable in peripheral lymphoid organs. These findings demonstrate the efficacy with which low affinity self-reactive B cells can be eliminated in vivo, consistent with the notion that this cellular mechanism accounts for the absence of natural IgM antibodies against self antigens on the surface of blood cells. The data also illustrate the potential use of Ig transgenic mice for analyzing and selecting novel receptor-ligand interactions.     

Summing up and looking to the future.

In response to commentaries on the model of discipline effectiveness proposed by J. E. Grusec and J. J. Goodnow (see record 1994-25033-001), it is noted that the model places as much emphasis on affect as on cognition and that it is certainly applicable to the preschool years. The development of a sense of self, ability to self-regulate, and attachment are discussed as important precursors of internalization. Further developmental considerations are offered in response to the commentaries, along with reiteration of the argument that range of acceptability of a child's behavior must be included in an account of parental discipline. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Work for home, school, or labor force: The nature and sources of changes in understanding.

This review integrates and extends research on the nature and sources of changing perceptions of work in childhood and adolescence by (a) treating those perceptions as a form of social cognition, (b) considering 3 work settings (home, school, and paid work) and 3 aspects of understanding (of categories, procedures, and interconnections among forms of work), and (c) dealing with several correlates: age, gender, cohort, and social position. The review specifies changes and presents a general picture of change and variation based on the accessibility of information, the individual's ability to deal with that information, and the individual's interest. This picture, it is proposed, is extendable to changing perceptions of work at later ages and to content areas other than work. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Distributions of caregiving tasks among family members: The place of gender and availability.

To extend family-oriented approaches to caregiving, participants in 2 studies were asked to distribute tasks among a set of adult children, first with information only about gender and then with systematically varied information about commitments to paid work, marriage, and/or parenting. Making the distributions, using a computer-based program, were 2 groups of older adults (ages 60 to 90 years). In Study 1, gender composition was kept constant (2 sons and 2 daughters). In Study 2, it was varied. The results showed several ways in which people combine attention to gender and to availability. The results also pointed to the need to consider both the number and type of tasks allocated. The results are discussed in terms of implications for the way caregiving is regarded, the development of multiple-factor models for variations among family members, and the possible replications and extensions to other circumstances and populations. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Preparation and characterization of chemically derived (Pb,La)TiO (3) thin films

Ferroelectric lead lanthanum titanate (PLT) thin films with composition varying from pure PbTiO(3) to PLT 25/100 (0 to 25 mol.% La) were prepared by spin-casting 0.25M solutions containing metallo-organic precursors of Pb, La, and Ti. The dielectric and ferroelectric properties of the thin (410-nm) films were characterized. The dielectric constants of the films varied from ~80 to ~690 for La contents varying from 0 to 25 mol%, respectively. Dissipation factors varied from ~0.03 to ~0.09 over the same compositional range. The temperature dependence of the dielectric properties was also studied to determine the effects of La content on the Curie point (T(c)). As expected, T(c ) was found to decrease with increasing La concentration. Coercive field and remanent polarization also decreased with increased La concentration.     

Highly Oriented, Chemically Prepared Pb(Zr, Ti)O3 Thin Films

We have fabricated highly oriented, chemically prepared thin films of Pb(Zr_0.04Tio._0.60)O₃ (PZT 40/60) on both insulating and conducting substrates. While (100) MgO single crystals were used as the insulating substrates, the conducting substrates. were fabricated by RF magnetron sputter deposition of 100-nm-thick (100) Pt films onto (100) MgO substrates. For comparison, we also fabricated PZT 40/60 films that had no significant preferential orientation on platinized MgO substrates. Sputter deposition of an underlying amorphous Pt film was used to fabricate randomly oriented PZT 40/60 films. Highly (001) oriented PZT 40/60 films had higher remanent polarization (61 μC/cm² compared to 41 μC/cm²) and lower relative dielectric constant (368 compared to 466) than PZT 40/60 films that were randomly oriented.     

A critical role for complement in maintenance of self-tolerance

The role of complement in the maintenance of self-tolerance has been examined in two models: an immunoglobulin transgenic model of peripheral tolerance and a lupus-like murine model of CD95 (Fas) deficiency. We find that self-reactive B lymphocytes deficient in complement receptors CD21/CD35 or transferred into mice deficient in the complement protein C4 are not anergized by soluble self-antigen. In the second model, deficiency in CD21/CD35 or C4 combined with CD95 deficiency results in high titers of anti-nuclear antibodies leading to severe lupus-like disease. These findings suggest a novel role for the complement system in B cell tolerance and provide insight into the genetic association of complement deficiency with susceptibility to systemic lupus erythematosus.