Regulation, emotionality, and preschoolers' socially competent peer interactions

In this study, the relations of regulatory control to the qualities of children's everyday peer interactions were examined. Effortful control (EC) and observations of peer interactions were obtained from 135 preschoolers (77 boys and 58 girls, mean ages = 50.88 and 50.52, respectively). The results generally confirmed the prediction that children who are high in EC were relatively unlikely to experience high levels of negative emotional arousal in response to peer interactions, but this relation held only for moderate to high intense interactions. Socially competent responding was less likely to be observed when the interaction was intense or when negative emotions were elicited. Moreover, when the interactions were of high intensity, highly regulated children were likely to evidence socially competent responses. The relation of EC and intensity to social competence was partially mediated by negative emotional arousal. The results support the conclusion that individual differences in regulation interact with situational factors in influencing young children's socially competent responding.     

Trace conditioning as an inhibitory procedure

Virtually no evidence of excitatory CR acquisition is observed in rabbit eyelid conditioning with a trace-conditioning procedure if the CS-UCS trace interval is greater than a few seconds. The lack of overt CRs following training with a trace-conditioning procedure has traditionally been interpreted as due to the passive decay of the CS stimulus trace over time. However, it is conceivable that a trace interval sufficiently long to preclude CR acquisition may be sufficiently long to teach the subject that the CS signals a UCS-free period, thereby producing an inhibitory CS. To test this proposal, eyelid conditioning in rabbits was conducted in two experiments with a 10-sec trace interval (there being no evidence of excitatory conditioning with this procedure). The trace-CS was then tested for evidence of inhibition with retardation-of-acquisition and summation tests. The trace-CS was shown to have conditional inhibitory properties. These results indicate that the interstimulus interval function in trace conditioning may be determined, in part, by inhibitory associations.     

Prediction of elementary school children's externalizing problem behaviors from attentional and behavioral regulation and negative emotionality

The purpose of this study was to examine the moderating role of individual differences in negative emotionality in the relations of behavioral and attentional (emotional) regulation to externalizing problem behaviors. Teachers' and one parent's reports of children's regulation (attentional and behavioral), emotionality, and problem behavior were obtained when children were in kindergarten to grade 3 and two years later (N = 169; 146 in major analyses); children's behavioral regulation also was assessed with a measure of persistence. According to the best fitting structural equation model, at two ages behavioral dysregulation predicted externalizing behavior problems for children both high and low in negative emotionality, whereas prediction of problem behavior from attentional control was significant only for children prone to negative emotionality. There were unique, additive effects of behavioral and attentional regulation for predicting problem behavior as well as moderating effects of negative emotionality for attentional regulation.     

The relations of parental warmth and positive expressiveness to children's empathy-related responding and social functioning: a longitudinal study

This study examined the concurrent and cross-time relations of parental observed warmth and positive expressivity to children's situational facial and self-reported empathic responding, social competence, and externalizing problems in a sample of 180 elementary school children. Data was collected when the children were in second to fifth grades (age: M = 112.8 months), and again 2 years later. Cross-sectional and longitudinal structural equation models supported the hypothesis that parents' (mostly mothers') positive expressivity mediated the relation between parental warmth and children's empathy, and children's empathy mediated the relation between parental positive expressivity and children's social functioning. These relations persisted after controlling for prior levels of parenting and child characteristics. Moreover, concurrent and cross-time consistencies were found on measures of parenting, children's situational empathic responding, and social functioning.     

The relations of regulation and emotionality to children's externalizing and internalizing problem behavior

The purpose of this study was to examine the relation of different types of negative emotion and regulation and control to 55- to 97-month-olds' internalizing and externalizing problem behaviors. Parents and teachers provided information on children's (N = 214) adjustment, dispositional regulation and control, and emotion, and children's regulation was observed during several behavioral tasks. Internalizing was defined in two ways: as social withdrawal (to avoid overlap of items with measures of emotionality) or, more broadly, as anxiety, depression, and psychosomatic complaints. In general, children with externalizing problems, compared with children with internalizing problems and nondisordered children, were more prone to anger, impulsivity, and low regulation. Children with internalizing symptoms were prone to sadness, low attentional regulation, and low impulsivity. Relations between internalizing problems and emotionality were more frequent when the entire internalizing scale was used. Findings suggest that emotion and regulation are associated with adjustment in systematic ways and that there is an important difference between effortful control and less voluntary modes of control.     

What the Marketplace Has Brought Us: Item-by-Item Teaching With Little Instructional Insight

School districts across the country have adopted interim and benchmark assessments in response to NCLB pressures to raise student achievement, despite the lack of a research base. Thus, it is especially important that well-conceived, empirical studies of the effects of such programs be carried out. Various theoretical frames can help understand how teams of teachers might begin to use data to reflect upon and adjust their instructional practices. At issue is whether an idealized data-based decision-making theory of action will play out in practice. Or, will teaching-the-test practices instead be exacerbated? What we learn from the empirical studies reviewed here is that positive examples, where assessment results were coherently linked to curriculum and instruction, were facilitated by highly committed principals and teacher leaders. But, these examples were rare. More frequently, interim assessments results appeared to be used, item by item, to reteach steps in problems that were missed without attending to underlying concepts or gaining diagnostic insights.     

Logical propositions and debate resolutions

The argument that “it is unethical to argue both sides of a debate resolution”; is unsound insofar as the argument assumes that factual and logical considerations are relevant to resolutions and that convictions are relevant to argument.     

Inflated Test Score Gains: Is the Problem Old Norms or Teaching the Test?

What explanations have been provided for spurious test score gains? Are states and districts narrowing the curriculum and teaching the test? What effect does teaching the test have on the norms themselves? What alternatives must be sought to protect the integrity of instruction and the validity of scores?     

National survey of career development functions of practicing school psychologists

Three hundred sixty-four (364) practicing school psychologists were surveyed about involvement in career development functions. Responses were analyzed using multiple regressions and correlated t-tests. Findings reveal school psychologists to be interested in career development functions, with particular interest in career counseling; they are minimally involved in career assessment, counseling, and consultation. Ninety percent of respondents felt unprepared to participate in vocationally related job responsibilities. School psychology should prepare its members for involvement in career development. Means of accomplishing greater participation were discussed.