International Journal of Behavioral Development This is an RSS file. You can use it to subscribe to this data in your favourite RSS reader or to display this data on your own website or blog.

Patterns of romantic involvement among emerging adults: Psychosocial correlates and precursors
The present study examined patterns of romantic involvement in 100 Israeli emerging adults (54 males) who were followed from age 22 to 29 years. Analyses of interviews at age 29 yielded four distinctive relational patterns that are associated with different levels of concurrent wellbeing: Intimately committed, Intimate, Non- intimately committed, and Non-stable. Low efficacy, immature dependency and low parental support, measured 7 years earlier, predicted less optimal romantic relational patterns—non-stable or non-intimately committed. Continued pursuit of studies predicted a delay in entering a committed relationsh...
Source: International Journal of Behavioral Development - September 4, 2013 Category: Child Development Authors: Shulman, S., Scharf, M., Livne, Y., Barr, T. Tags: Articles Source Type: research

Attention and language as mediators of academic outcomes following early psychosocial deprivation
This study examined cognitive and behavior problems as mediators of the association between early psychosocial deprivation and academic functioning. Participants were 8–17-year-old children adopted from psychosocially-depriving Russian institutions after 14 months of age (n = 34) and before 9 months of age (n = 39). Children completed a cognitive assessment, while their parents completed questionnaires on child behavior problems and use of learning support services in school. Children adopted after 14 months were found to have significantly lower vocabulary, higher levels of attention problems, and higher rates of us...
Source: International Journal of Behavioral Development - September 4, 2013 Category: Child Development Authors: Merz, E. C., McCall, R. B., Wright, A. J. Tags: Articles Source Type: research

Adoptees' curiosity and information-seeking about birth parents in emerging adulthood: Context, motivation, and behavior
This study provides important support for the ACP, which describes context, motivation, and behavior relating to seeking new adoption-related information. (Source: International Journal of Behavioral Development)
Source: International Journal of Behavioral Development - September 4, 2013 Category: Child Development Authors: Wrobel, G. M., Grotevant, H. D., Samek, D. R., Korff, L. V. Tags: Articles Source Type: research

The influence of attachment security on preschool children's empathic concern
The current study examined the direction of the association between children’s attachment security and empathic responding. At 42 and 48 months of age, 69 children’s empathic concern was observed, and mothers reported the children’s attachment. Results indicated that attachment at 42 months predicted empathic concern at 48 months even after controlling for the influence of previous empathic concern. Similar analyses to predict attachment at 48 months from previous empathic concern were not significant, implying that a secure attachment predicted empathic concern and not the reverse. The findings suggest t...
Source: International Journal of Behavioral Development - September 4, 2013 Category: Child Development Authors: Murphy, T. P., Laible, D. J. Tags: Articles Source Type: research

Predictors of intentions to participate in politics and actual political behaviors in young adulthood
Drawing on data from a three-wave longitudinal study, the present research examined predictors of young adults’ intentions to participate in politics and their actual political activities while referring to the broader assumptions of the theory of planned behavior. The analyses were based on a sample of university students from the federal state of Thuringia, Germany. The results showed that attitudes toward political behaviors and internal political efficacy beliefs explained changes in students’ intentions to participate in politics. However, the perceived meaning that political participation has for importan...
Source: International Journal of Behavioral Development - September 4, 2013 Category: Child Development Authors: Eckstein, K., Noack, P., Gniewosz, B. Tags: Articles Source Type: research

Perceptions of love across the lifespan: Differences in passion, intimacy, and commitment
This study investigated perceptions of love across the lifespan using Sternberg’s triangular theory of love, which distinguishes between passion, intimacy, and commitment. The study aimed to (a) investigate the psychometric properties of the short Triangular Love Scale (TLS-short) in adolescents and adults (see Appendix), and (b) track age and gender differences in the three love components of the TLS-short in a sample of 12- to 88-year-olds (N = 2791). The three-factor structure of the TLS-short was confirmed in both the adolescent and adult sample. Adolescents (12–17 years) reported lower levels of all love c...
Source: International Journal of Behavioral Development - September 4, 2013 Category: Child Development Authors: Sumter, S. R., Valkenburg, P. M., Peter, J. Tags: Articles Source Type: research

The prevalence, types and perceived outcomes of crisis episodes in early adulthood and midlife: A structured retrospective-autobiographical study
The objective of the study was to gain data on the prevalence, types and perceived outcomes of crisis episodes in three age decades of adult life: 20–29, 30–39 and 40–49. A further aim was to explore the relationship between crisis occurrence and empathy. A retrospective-autobiographical survey instrument and an empathy questionnaire were administered to 1023 UK-based adults. Prevalence data showed that crisis in the 20–29 decade was reported by 39% of men and 49% of women, while in the 30–39 decade 47% of men and 51% of women reported a crisis, and 46% of men and 59% of women reported a crisi...
Source: International Journal of Behavioral Development - September 4, 2013 Category: Child Development Authors: Robinson, O. C., Wright, G. R. T. Tags: Articles Source Type: research

The quality of self, social, and directive memories: Are there adult age group differences?
The quality of functional autobiographical memories was examined in young, middle-aged, and older adult Trinidadians (N = 245). Participants wrote about an event that served a self, social, and directive function, and reported on the memory’s quality (e.g., significance, vividness, valence, etc.). Across age groups, directive memories were the most negative, and social function memories were the most positive. Social function memories were also talked about most. Compared to younger adults, older adults’ functional memories, regardless of the type of function, were positive and talked about often, and middle-ag...
Source: International Journal of Behavioral Development - September 4, 2013 Category: Child Development Authors: Alea, N., Arneaud, M. J., Ali, S. Tags: Articles Source Type: research

Mothers' beliefs about children's learning in Hong Kong and the United States: Implications for mothers' child-based worth
Chinese and American mothers’ beliefs about children’s learning and parents’ role in it were examined using notions salient in Chinese culture. Mothers from Hong Kong (n = 66) and the United States (n = 69) indicated their endorsement of the ideas that children’s learning reflects children’s morality, and parents’ support of children’s learning reflects parents’ love and duty. Mothers also reported on the extent to which their worth is based on children’s performance. Chinese (vs. American) mothers believed more that children’s learning reflects morality and paren...
Source: International Journal of Behavioral Development - September 4, 2013 Category: Child Development Authors: Ng, F. F.-Y., Pomerantz, E. M., Lam, S.-f. Tags: Articles Source Type: research

Age-related differences in evaluating developmental stability
Two studies examined the hypothesis that the evaluation of developmental stability changes across adulthood. Results of Study 1 (N = 119) supported the expectation that older adults (M age = 65.29 years)—compared to younger (M age = 23.38 years) and middle-aged adults (M age = 38.68 years)—evaluate developmental stability more positively and losses less negatively across all life domains included in this study (subjective well-being, social relationships, cognition, physical functioning). Replicating and extending these findings, Study 2 (N = 182, age-range: 18&nd...
Source: International Journal of Behavioral Development - July 10, 2013 Category: Child Development Authors: Mustafic, M., Freund, A. M. Tags: Methods and Measures Source Type: research

Measurement and associations of pregnancy risk factors with genetic influences, postnatal environmental influences, and toddler behavior
This study demonstrates the unique contributions of perinatal risk and genetic and environmental influences on child behavior using data from 561 domestic US adoption triads (birth mothers, adopted child, and adoptive parents). Findings show distinct patterns of associations among genetic (birth mother psychopathology), prenatal (six maternal reported aggregate scores characterizing total obstetric complications, perinatal internalizing symptoms, pregnancy complications, exposure to toxins, substance use, and neonatal complications), and postnatal influences (adoptive parent 18-month internalizing symptoms and over-reactiv...
Source: International Journal of Behavioral Development - July 10, 2013 Category: Child Development Authors: Marceau, K., Hajal, N., Leve, L. D., Reiss, D., Shaw, D. S., Ganiban, J. M., Mayes, L. C., Neiderhiser, J. M. Tags: Articles Source Type: research

Female pubertal timing and problem behaviour: The role of culture
We tested the peer-socialization/contextual-amplification explanation for the link between early female puberty and problem behaviour. We propose that in cultures with high tolerance for adolescent heterosexual involvement, early puberty should be linked with problem behaviour—not in other cultures. We compared girls in two cultures (Slovakia and Sweden) that differ in acceptance of adolescent girls’ heterosexual involvement. Findings supported the hypothesis by showing that in Sweden, a culture that facilitates adolescent heterosexual involvement, early-maturing girls reported more problem behaviours than in S...
Source: International Journal of Behavioral Development - July 10, 2013 Category: Child Development Authors: Skoog, T., Stattin, H., Ruiselova, Z., Ozdemir, M. Tags: Articles Source Type: research

Young Chinese children's anger and distress: Emotion category and intensity identified by the time course of behaviors
A hierarchical cluster analysis of the time course of the videotaped reactions of 75 Chinese 2–4-year olds to mothers’ toy-removal identified Distress, Low Anger, and High Anger behavior clusters. Anger often begins at low intensity; some children then escalate. The face-validity of Low and High Anger-cluster classifications was supported in that High Anger was displayed by a subset of the children who had first showed Low Anger. The three clusters had different and interpretable correlations with mothers’ temperament ratings. Developmentally, 2-year-olds displayed more Distress, including crying; 3-year-...
Source: International Journal of Behavioral Development - July 10, 2013 Category: Child Development Authors: He, J., Qiu, P., Park, K. Y., Xu, Q., Potegal, M. Tags: Articles Source Type: research

The intergenerational congruence of mothers' and preschoolers' narrative affective content and narrative coherence
Intergenerational congruence of mothers’ and preschoolers’ narratives about the mother–child relationship was examined in a sample of 198 Hispanic (59.1%), Black (19.2%), and White (21.7%) mothers and their preschool child. Mothers’ narratives were obtained with the Five Minute Speech Sample and were coded for negative and positive affective content and narrative coherence. Preschoolers’ narratives were collected with the MacArthur Story Stem Battery and were coded for the portrayal of the mother-child relationship and narrative coherence. Across ethnoracial groups, maternal narrative coherenc...
Source: International Journal of Behavioral Development - July 10, 2013 Category: Child Development Authors: Sher-Censor, E., Grey, I., Yates, T. M. Tags: Articles Source Type: research

Parental employment and child behaviors: Do parenting practices underlie these relationships?
This study examined whether hours of parental employment were associated with child behaviors via parenting practices. The sample included 2,271 Australian children aged 4–5 years at baseline. Two-wave panel mediation models tested whether parenting practices that were warm, hostile, or characterized by inductive reasoning linked parent’s hours of paid employment with their child’s behavior at age 6–7 years. There were significant indirect effects linking mother employment to child behavior. No paid employment and full-time work hours were associated with more behavioral problems in children through...
Source: International Journal of Behavioral Development - July 10, 2013 Category: Child Development Authors: Hadzic, R., Magee, C. A., Robinson, L. Tags: Articles Source Type: research