Developmental Psychology

Scientists have developed a new method to understand autism by studying individual variations in brain connectivity.

A large study failed to replicate previous findings suggesting infants prefer "helpers," questioning the idea of innate moral understanding and raising "blank slate" possibilities.

Childhood neglect, but not abuse, is linked to slower working memory development from adolescence into young adulthood. While executive functions improve generally, those neglected show a more gradual increase in working memory. This study highlights the unique impact of neglect...

Preschoolers with poor emotional regulation are more likely to develop ADHD symptoms, conduct problems, and anxiety by age seven, highlighting the importance of early emotional development for preventing future mental health challenges.

Children exposed to cannabis before birth showed weaker attention, self-control, and planning skills in lab tests, along with more aggressive behavior.

Parents who use food to manage their child’s emotions or behavior may harm their child’s ability to regulate emotions, leading to emotional overeating.

Reducing leisure screen time for two weeks improved children’s mental health by decreasing emotional and peer-related difficulties while boosting positive social behaviors, highlighting the benefits of taking short breaks from screen media use.

Children with consistent sleep schedules show better emotional regulation, reduced impulsivity, and stronger social skills. Irregular sleep timing was linked to poorer behavior, but early parenting interventions mitigated these negative effects.

A study published in Pediatrics has shown that exercise doesn’t just benefit physical health—it can also boost intelligence in children and adolescents.

A recent study found that 18-month-old infants adapt their pointing gestures based on their partner’s knowledge, providing clearer signals to uninformed or misinformed partners, showcasing early development of mentalization.

Newborns can detect non-adjacent dependencies in sound patterns, relying on the frontal cortex, while six-month-olds engage broader, language-related brain networks, highlighting early developmental shifts in auditory and cognitive processing.

A recent study found a link between secure attachment and lower PTSD symptoms, while insecure attachment correlated with higher symptoms. These findings emphasize the potential importance of attachment styles in understanding responses to childhood trauma.

Teen binge drinking disrupts brain development, affecting white and grey matter, functional connectivity, and neurodevelopmental processes like myelination.

Higher stress during pregnancy is linked to increased inflammation in children at age 9 and more severe anxiety and depression in adolescence.

A recent study found that fussy eating is highly heritable (60–84%), stable from toddlerhood to adolescence, and influenced by shared environments only in early life.