5 years ago
Intergroup attitudes among youth addressed by leading development and social psychologists
Cross-group friendships have a positive effect on intergroup attitudes among children and adolescents, according to a new issue of the International Journal of Behavioral Development, published this month. A collection of twelve wide-ranging papers from developmental and social psychologists, the themed issue addresses the establishment of intergroup attitudes and social exclusion in childhood and ... read more

5 years ago
Children's mental health, substance abuse association studied at Rutgers-Camden
CAMDEN – Research underway at Rutgers University—Camden seeks to examine links between children’s mental health problems and alcohol, nicotine, and illegal drug use over time.The National Institute on Drug Abuse at the National Institutes of Health - has awarded a highly prestigious Career Development Award to Naomi Marmorstein, an associate professor of psychology at Rutgers-Camden, who will use ... read more

Cambridge | 5 years ago
MIT reports key pathway in synaptic plasticity
Cambridge, Mass. -- Scientists are keenly studying how neurons form synapses--the physical and chemical connections between neurons--and the pruning of neural circuits during development, not least because synaptic abnormalities may partially underlie many developmental and neurodegenerative diseases.Several key molecules are involved in normal synaptic formation, but their interactions are not we ... read more

5 years ago
NIH study tracks brain development in some 500 children across US
Children appear to approach adult levels of performance on many basic cognitive and motor skills by age 11 or 12, according to a new study coordinated by the National Institutes of Health -.The NIH Magnetic Resonance Imaging - Study of Normal Brain Development is tracking brain and behavioral development in about 500 healthy American children, from birth to age 18. A report published online today ... read more

6 years ago
Should single parents stay that way?
In an age when cohabitation and divorce are common, single parents concerned about the developmental health of their children may want to choose new partners slowly and deliberately, new research from The Johns Hopkins University suggests.The reason for taking your time? The more transitions children go through in their living situation, the more likely they are to act out, Johns Hopkins sociologi ... read more

6 years ago
Preschoolers with ADHD improve with low doses of medication
The first long-term, large-scale study designed to determine the safety and effectiveness of treating preschoolers who have attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder - with methylphenidate - has found that overall, low doses of this medication are effective and safe. However, the study found that children this age are more sensitive than older children to the medication's side effects and therefore ... read more

6 years ago
Worker ants store fat to share with colony members during times of need
In a fascinating new study from the September/October 2006 issue of Physiological and Biochemical Zoology, Daniel A. Hahn - explores the ability of ants to store excess fat and pass it to colony members through lipid-rich oral secretions or unfertilized eggs. For perennial organisms, such as ant colonies, investing heavily in nutrient stores when food availability is high is a potential bet-hedgin ... read more