Developmental Psychology

Groundbreaking research spanning 14 years and eight countries reveals that warm parenting during childhood strongly predicts young adults’ beliefs that the world is good, safe, and enticing—while material hardship and harsh discipline showed little effect on worldview.

New research suggests that the shift from handwriting to digital tools in early education may come at a cost. In an experiment with 5-year-olds, those who practiced writing by hand showed better letter naming, spelling, and word reading than those...

A new study suggests that the way the brain responds to mistakes could help explain how depression is passed from mothers to daughters. Researchers found that certain neural signals related to error processing were altered in mothers with depression and...

New research suggests that diverse childhood friendships—especially those across gender—can encourage kindness not just within friendships, but toward peers from other social groups.

A new cross-cultural study reveals that by 10 months of age, babies show both physiological and behavioral signs of emotional contagion.

A new study finds preschoolers’ brains respond differently when hearing a story read aloud versus hearing it from a screen, highlighting how live reading engages social brain networks more strongly than solitary screen time.

A new study finds that early life experiences can influence whether people high in psychopathy engage in criminal behavior.

A large study finds that asexuality in women and men is associated with different sibling configurations, offering new insight into potential developmental influences.

A study from rural Bangladesh links prenatal fluoride exposure to lower cognitive abilities in children, even at levels below global safety guidelines.

Better emotional skills in childhood are linked to stronger reading comprehension years later, according to new research.

Teens who develop gratitude during middle school may be better protected from depression, thanks to improved self-esteem, according to a recent study.

Children tested during the COVID-19 pandemic show reduced sensitivity to emotional expressions, particularly happiness—highlighting possible effects of limited social exposure in early development.

A new study finds that brain connectivity patterns can predict different types of mental health symptoms, with distinct features linked to internalizing and externalizing behaviors across development.

Children with social anxiety struggle to refocus after making mistakes, but this difficulty fades with age, a new study finds, highlighting key changes in cognitive development.