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UNIT 1. Conception to Birth
1. Brave New Babies, Claudia Kalb, Newsweek, January 26, 2004
Advances in fertility technology are giving couples the power to choose the sex of their baby. Claudia Kalb discusses the technology and ethics of “sex selection.”
2. Inside the Womb, J. Madeleine Nash, Time, November 11, 2002
The author gives a detailed description of development from conception to birth and what it means for the expectant mother. By examining the link between mother and child, the article emphasizes the importance of prenatal care to the growth of a healthy fetus.
3. Treating the Tiniest Patients, Claudia Kalb, Newsweek, June 9, 2003
Medical advances in surgical procedures for in utero patients are changing the way people view the earliest stages of life. Due to such improvements in science and medicine, unborn babies are now considered treatable patients, though there are ethical complications as to whether the benefits outweigh the costs.
4. Grade A: The Market for a Yale Woman’s Eggs, Jessica Cohen, The Atlantic Monthly, December 2002
Jessica Cohen, a college undergraduate, describes a first-hand account of her unsettling experience in the egg donation process. The secret behind this solution to infertility is the highly competitive industry of donor selection. Cohen learned that not only is the physical process grueling, but the selection process can be just as painful.
UNIT 2. Cognition, Language, and Learning
Part A. Early Cognition and Physical Development
5. Crib Death: A Biobehavioral Phenomenon?, Lewis P. Lipsitt, Current Directions in Psychological Science, October 2003
More babies die from SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome) in developed countries than from all other causes combined. Prominent psychological scientist Lipsitt describes neurobehavior transitions during the first year of life, especially between 2 and 5 months of age, that affect infants’ vulnerability to SIDS.
6. Long-Term Recall Memory: Behavioral and Neuro-Developmental Changes in the First 2 Years of Life, Patricia J. Bauer, Current Directions in Psychological Science, August 2002
This leading scientist describes research demonstrating that babies have long-term memory to recall past events well before their verbal skills develop. Babies’ memory skills may be based in their brain development.
7. Gender Bender, Sadie F. Dingfelder, APA Monitor on Psychology, April 2004
The author describes recent research evidence on the role of genes and prenatal hormones in gender identity and gender-related behaviors. These findings help illuminate the interplay between nature and nurture in boys’ and girls’ behavior.
8. Representation of Objects and Events: Why Do Infants Look So Smart and Toddlers Look So Dumb?, Rachel Keen, Current Directions in Psychological Science, June 2003
Is it possible that children regress in their knowledge of the physical world? This question arose due to the recent and counterintuitive finding that 2- and 3-year-olds’ knowledge of continuity and solidity laws was worse than infants’ knowledge. Developmental scientists are trying to determine what causes such a surprising discrepancy.
9. The Origins of Pictorial Competence, Judy S. DeLoache, Sophia L. Pierroutsakos, and David H. Uttal, Current Directions in Psychological Science, August 2003
When do children understand what pictures represent? The authors describe experimental research on the emergence of young children’s pictorial competence and the crucial role of dual representation in this form of symbolic development.
Part B. Learning in School
10. Preschool: The Most Important Grade, W. Steven Barnett and Jason T. Hustedt, Educational Leadership, April 2003
The benefits of preschool education have gained recent attention from parents, educational experts, and public policy makers. From a reduction in special education placement to better jobs and a lower crime rate, a quality preschool education is an increasingly valued commodity. The challenge remains, however, to make such programs available to all children.
11. The ‘Re-Engineered’ Child, Andrea Petersen, The Wall Street Journal, April 8, 2003
Children misbehave, but which behaviors should a parent or teacher allow and which should be monitored or eliminated? Recent studies on the lasting effects of teasing have prompted some schools to crack down on such behaviors as mean looks and name-calling in order to “make childhood nicer.”
UNIT 3. Social and Emotional Development
Part A. The Child’s Feelings: Emotional Development
12. Emotional Intelligence: What the Research Says, Casey D. Cobb and John D. Mayer, Educational Leadership, November 2000
Success in life may have more to do with how we understand ourselves and others, whether we have empathy, and how well we interact with others. This emotional intelligence—EQ—is more important than IQ, some say, and the authors present the debate on whether EQ really exists, how it is measured, and whether it can be taught in schools?
Part B. Entry Into the Social World: Peers, Play, and Popularity
13. Friendship Quality and Social Development, Thomas J. Berndt, Current Directions in Psychological Science, February 2002
Do childhood friendships dictate future success in the social world? Recent research suggests that they do. Interestingly, when examining social development in children, the quality of a friendship does not appear to be an indicator of how much friends influence each other.
14. Loneliness and Peer Relations in Childhood, Steven R. Asher and Julie A. Paquette, Current Directions in Psychological Science, June 2003
Some children are chronically lonely. Research shows this dimension of children’s social development is linked to being rejected and victimized by peers. The authors discuss how loneliness is related to children’s emotional maladjustment and school problems.
15. Playing Ye Olde Way, Claudia Kalb, Newsweek, September 8, 2003
Children’s lives are filled more than ever with videogames, TV, and technology. The author discusses research on children’s imagination, playful social interaction, and the role of creativity in problem solving.
16. Gender and Group Process: A Developmental Perspective, Eleanor E. Maccoby, Current Directions in Psychological Science, April 2002
This psychologist describes how much of children’s gender socialization occurs within same-sex social groups. Interestingly, many sex-related qualities and behaviors emerge within a group setting more than when children are alone.
17. Girls Just Want to Be Mean, Margaret Talbot, New York Times.com, February 24, 2002
This article describes girls’ cliques: Queen Bees, Alpha Girls, and the Really Mean Girls. Although boys are often viewed as the more aggressive sex because of their overt physical aggression. Research is discussed on verbal and interpersonal aggression that is more common in girls.
18. A Profile of Bullying at School, Dan Olweus, Educational Leadership, March 2003
Bullying involves the repeated exposure to negative actions by one or more peers toward an individual. In the past two decades, a 50 percent increase in the occurrence of bullying has been documented. Leading expert Dan Olweus outlines the typical process involved with bullying and gives supporting data for a prevention program that he has developed over the past 20 years.
UNIT 4. Parenting and Family Issues
19. The Case for Staying Home, Claudia Wallis, Time, March 22, 2004
Many women struggle to balance the demands of work and family. The author describes national trends and many case studies on the increasing numbers of mothers who choose to stay home rather than be employed.
20. Contemporary Research on Parenting: The Case for Nature and Nurture, W. Andrew Collins, Eleanor E. Maccoby, Laurence Steinberg, E. Mavis Hetherington, and Marc H. Bornstein, American Psychologist, February 2000
This distinguished team of leading developmental psychologists summarizes research on parenting related to the interaction of nature and nurture, children’s temperament, and the roles of peers and the neighborhood.
21. In (Self-) Defense of the Fanatical Sports Parent, Gordon Marino, New York Times Magazine, January 26, 2003
Drawing on his own personal experiences, Gordon Marino sheds new light on the sports-obsessed parent. However, Marino seems to concede that for children to grow up “normally” it is important for the parent to recognize that the child’s life is not the parent’s but the child’s.
22. Spanking Children: Evidence and Issues, Alan E. Kazdin and Corina Benjet, Current Directions in Psychological Science, June 2003
Disciplinary measures, especially spanking, have always generated controversy. Alan Kazdin and Corina Benjet discuss how spanking should be defined and offer three different views of spanking. This article describes research on spanking and the impact of such punishment on developmental processes.
23. Raising a Nation of Crybabies?, Laura Sessions Stepp, Washington Post National Weekly Edition, January 20–26, 2003
Fear is an ever-increasing characteristic in today’s society, and it can be seen in the way parents are raising their children. Laura Stepp examines the possibility that overprotective parents may be encouraging kids to be timid and avoid risks.
24. Why Our Kids Are Out of Control, Jacob Azerrad and Paul Chance, Psychology Today, September/October 2001
Is it possible that our modes of discipline actually reinforce bad behaviors? American children are notorious for their aggressive behaviors. Jacob Azerrad and Paul Chance reason that it is due to the attention they receive when misbehaving. Case studies illustrate how bad behavior is reinforced through attention.
25. Family Poverty, Welfare Reform, and Child Development, Greg J Duncan and Jeanne Brooks-Gunn, Child Development, January/February 2000
According to research, the effects of poverty in early childhood are persistent over time, making normal growth and development difficult.
26. The Environment of Childhood Poverty, Gary W. Evans, American Psychologist, February/March 2004
Poverty is linked to many risk factors in childhood, from family instability and violence to academic difficulties. Poor children are also exposed to more polluted environments and neighborhood crime. The author describes research evidence on the unhealthy impact of poverty, especially the cumulative effect of multiple environment risks.
UNIT 5. Cultural and Societal Influences
Part A. Social and Cultural Issues
27. Why, Isn’t He Just the Cutest Brand-Image Enhancer You’ve Ever Seen?, Margaret Talbot, New York Times Magazine, September 21, 2003
For years, children have been targeted by corporations as consumers. The author describes a recent trend toward using children to market sports products, with the bizarre scenario of preschoolers having agents and business sponsors.
28. The Culture of Affluence: Psychological Costs of Material Wealth, Suniya S. Luthar, Child Development, November/December 2003
Most people assume that only poor children are at-risk for developmental problems. The author describes ample evidence showing the perils associated with wealth—including anxiety, depression, and substance abuse.
29. Parents or Pop Culture? Children’s Heroes and Role Models, Kristin J. Anderson and Donna Cavallaro, Childhood Education, Spring 2002
The media offer children countless role models in TV, music, movies, and comic books. Interesting differences emerged when the authors surveyed African American, Asian American, Latino, and white children on whether children admire people they know—parents, for example—or media figures.
30. How Many Fathers Are Best for a Child?, Meredith F. Small, Discover, April 2003
Through an anthropological study of the Bari tribe of Venezuela, the American concept of a normal family unit is challenged. Questions of culture and evolution are raised and lead to an intriguing question: Is one father enough?
Part B. Special Challenges
31. The Medication Merry-Go-Round, Kathryn Brown, Science, March 14, 2003
Kathryn Brown explains that most drugs prescribed for children have not been tested in young children. Brown reviews commonly prescribed medications comparing risks to rewards, and she also addresses the importance of drug testing to see what really is safe for our young people.
32. Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder in Very Young Children: Early Signs and Interventions, Rebecca R. Fewell and Barbara Deutscher, Infants and Young Children, January 2002
ADHD is the most common neuropsychiatric syndrome in children. Included in this article are tables outlining detection signs, medical treatment possibilities, and coping mechanisms, all to promote normal childhood development.
33. Where Living is Lethal, Geoffrey Cowley, Newsweek, September 22, 2003
In tragic circumstances around the world, millions of children die early in childhood. The causes include contaminated water, hunger, and easily-treatable diseases. International economic and political efforts are needed to remedy this horrible problem.
34. Young and Bipolar, Jeffrey Kluger and Sora Song, Time, August 19, 2002
This article, an examination of the disorder once known as manic depression and thought to primarily afflict adults, describes the recent increase in childhood diagnosis of bipolar depression through six different accounts of children.
35. Girls, Boys, and Autism, Geoffrey Cowley, Newsweek, September 8, 2003
The author describes cutting-edge research that views autism as an imbalance between two kinds of intellectual skills: empathizing and systemizing. Systemizing is more common in males in general, and autistic people—male or female—seem to have ultra-developed systemizing skills.
