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Share Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedinWhat’s wrong with the status quo? © 2006-2013 Gwen Dewar, Ph.D., all rights reserved Childbirth trauma in cross-cultural perspective In Western countries, parents are expected to respond to childbirth with happiness and joy. But when anthropologist Wenda Trevathan reviewed childbirth in other cultures, she discovered that joy is not very common … Continue reading
Share Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedinCompiled by Gwen Dewar (last updated 12/2013) Here is a list of references about infantile colic and inconsolable crying. I cite them in my articles “What is colic? A critical review of the scientific evidence” “The causes of colic: How disease and differences in brain chemistry can explain excessive, inconsolable crying … Continue reading
Share Facebook Twitter Pinterest Linkedin© 2008-2013 Gwen Dewar, Ph.D., all rights reserved Intelligence-boosting products are big business: Books, toys, DVDs, software, games, and educational programs designed to make your child into an intellectual prodigy. Many of these products come with claims–explicit or implicit–that their usefulness is supported by scientific evidence. Are they really? Sometimes. For … Continue reading
Should parents be friends with their kids? Surely that depends on your definition of friendship.
Share Facebook Twitter Pinterest Linkedin© 2009 -2013 Gwen Dewar, Ph.D., all rights reserved Teaching empathy? A skeptic might wonder if it makes any difference. Can’t we assume that empathy will emerge automatically, as part of the developmental process? After all, even babies show signs of empathy. For instance, experiments confirm that newborn babies are more … Continue reading
Share Facebook Twitter Pinterest Linkedin© 2009 – 2013 Gwen Dewar, Ph.D., all rights reserved Guidelines for “SIDS prevention” are like guidelines about cancer prevention. Researchers don’t claim they know how to prevent SIDS in any given individual. But they’ve identified a number of practices that appear to increase the risk of sudden infant death syndrome. … Continue reading
Share Facebook Twitter Pinterest Linkedin© 2008 – 2013 Gwen Dewar, Ph.D., all rights reserved Pure bullies are a distinctive group In Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Harry Potter learns a terrible truth: His late father had been a school bully. How disturbing. After all, Harry Potter’s father hadn’t been a social oaf—a … Continue reading
Share Facebook Twitter Pinterest Linkedin© 2006 – 2013 Gwen Dewar, all rights reserved Evidence of preschool stress You send your child to preschool, hoping she will learn better people skills. Instead, she comes back with new behavior problems–increased rudeness, defiance, or aggression. Spending lots of time with peers doesn’t seem to have improved her social … Continue reading
Share Facebook Twitter Pinterest Linkedin Evidence-based potty training tips? There haven’t been many experimental studies of toilet training, but helpful research exists. Here you will find a collection of evidence-based articles, including: What research reveals about the timing of training Signs of toilet training readiness: Should you wait? How to prepare reluctant kids for toilet … Continue reading
Share Facebook Twitter Pinterest Linkedin© 2010-2013 Gwen Dewar, Ph.D., all rights reserved Are swimming pools a health hazard? Swimming is an excellent form of exercise. But like many activities, swimming in a pool has its downside. Despite attempts to disinfect the pool, some pathogens may still lurk in the water. And research suggests that disinfectants … Continue reading
Yes, manufacturers market “girl toys” and “boy toys”. But are children’s interest in gender-typical toys entirely a matter of cultural training?
Someday, educational video games may revolutionize the way we teach our kids. Are there any good games available now?