New evidence suggests that adolescent bullying and victimization may have origins in the home. Many bullies have parents who are hostile, punitive and rejecting. A unique longitudinal study provides a more complete understanding of how parents’ belittling and critical interactions with adolescents thwart their ability to maintain positive relationships with peers. Derisive parenting precipitates a…

Parents may fear that if their high school student isn’t motivated to do well in classes, there’s nothing that will change that. But a new study that followed more than 1,600 students over two years found that students’ academic motivation often did change — and usually for the better. Results showed that increasing students’ sense…

When children are overtired, their facial expressions can forecast social problems years later, according to a new report published by a psychologist. «Sleep problems in children are routinely linked with lower social competence and more problems in peer relationships, but we really don’t understand what drives these associations,» reports Alfano. Based on findings from some…

Greater sports participation among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children is linked with better academic performance, according to new research from the University of South Australia. Conducted in partnership with the University of Sydney and the University of Technology Sydney, the world-first study found that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children who played organised sports…

A recent study finds that an online intervention taking less than 30 minutes significantly increased interest in computer science for both male and female undergraduate students. However, when it comes to the intervention’s impact on classroom performance, the picture gets more complicated. «Our focus was on determining how and whether a ‘growth mindset’ intervention would…

Understanding how others think, including the ability of other people to hold false beliefs, is important for social interaction. Called theory of mind, this ability has been thought to occur in children around age 4 years. New research suggests otherwise and shows that children do not understand others’ false beliefs until age 6 or 7…

A new study has definitively shown that regular exposure to THC, the main psychoactive ingredient in cannabis, during pregnancy has significant impact on placental and fetal development. The study, published today in Scientific Reports, uses a rat model and human placental cells to show that maternal exposure to THC during pregnancy has a measurable impact…

If and how babies recall what they have learned depends on their mood: what they’ve learned when feeling calm is inaccessible when they’re acitive and vice versa. This was shown in a study with 96 children aged nine months. One minute happy, next minute sad The mood of infants is unpredictable: they may be playing…

The benefits of good education and lifelong learning extend into old age. The initial findings of a long-term study show that certain degenerative processes are reduced in the brains of academics. Their brains are better able to compensate age-related cognitive and neural limitations. A good education is an excellent way to embark on a successful…

For decades, neuropsychologists have used the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children test as the gold-standard intelligence quotient (IQ) test to determine the intellectual abilities of children with special needs. However, this comprehensive test can take up to 2 hours to complete, and many children with special needs have a difficult time participating in such long…