The effects of violent video games: What does the research tell us?
Do violent video games have any negative effects on kids? Parenting Science takes a critical look at the research.
Social cognition & social skills
Want to make kids happy? Help them experience the warm glow of giving.
Are little kids hopelessly selfish? Many people assume so. But scientific research suggests otherwise. Like adults, children experience the warm glow of giving. And it’s a motivating force for good.
The Strange Situation test: Is your child securely attached?
Researchers use the Strange Situation procedure to measure attachment in young children. How does it work, and how can we raise secure kids?
The effects of video games on prosocial behavior: Can the right games improve social skills?
What are the effects of video games on social behavior? Research suggests that some games encourage kids to be helpful and kind.
Can babies tell when parents are fighting?
Research suggests that babies can tell when parents are fighting, and chronic conflict may affect the brain. What can we do about it?
Can babies sense stress in others? Yes they can!
Stressed-out parents often wonder: Can babies sense tension and anger? Can babies sense stress in their caregivers? Experimental research confirms that stress is contagious.
Compassionate deception: Do children tell prosocial lies?
Do children tell prosocial lies – lies intended to protect another person from harm? Fascinating experiments indicate that many kids are capable of this by the age of 7, and some children show the capacity even earlier.
Punitive environments encourage children to tell lies
It’s not unusual for kids to tell lies, but their readiness to deceive depends on how adults treat them. What can we do to foster honesty?
Emotion coaching: Helping kids cope with negative feelings
Emotion coaching is the practice of tuning into children’s feelings, and helping kids learn to cope with negative emotions like fear, anger, and sadness.
At what age do children begin to tell lies?
Most kids begin telling lies between the ages of 2 and 4, as they develop better “mind-reading” skills and self-control. But understanding the morality of lying? That comes later.
How do children respond to a mother’s voice?
© 2021 Gwen Dewar, Ph.D., all rights reserved A mother’s voice has special power. It can provide comfort — and improve outcomes — for babies hospitalized in the NICU. It can shape the way infants process language in the brain. And it can help children cope with pain and stress. What happens when a baby … Continue reading
The social world of newborns: Why babies are born to learn from our sensitive, loving care
Yes, newborns spend most of their time sleeping and eating. But babies are more than mere survival machines. At birth, they are primed and ready for social input, and our loving care has profound effects on their development.