Developmental Psychology

A study found that women’s responses to baby faces vary based on nurturing tendencies and oxytocin sensitivity, with more pronounced baby schema features eliciting stronger neural and automatic reactions, suggesting both conscious and unconscious caregiving sensitivity.

Researchers recently published a study in the journal Biological Psychology investigating how infants respond to eye contact from both humans and humanoid robots.

Changes in personality traits, particularly neuroticism, extraversion, and openness, appear to influence shifts in self-esteem during adolescence, with traits like extraversion and openness boosting self-esteem and neuroticism lowering it.

A study found that adolescents exposed to more parental conflict experienced lower sleep efficiency and more wake episodes in emerging adulthood, linking family stress during adolescence to long-term sleep problems. The findings highlight lasting impacts of parental conflict on sleep.

Recent research found that more tablet use at age 3.5 slightly increased frustration by age 4.5, and higher frustration at 4.5 was linked to increased tablet use by age 5.5, suggesting a small bidirectional relationship.

Children breastfed for 1 to 8 months generally had higher cognitive test scores, suggesting a connection between breastfeeding and cognitive abilities.

Shorter sleep and late bedtimes in children, especially those from low-income families, are linked to smaller amygdala size and weaker brain connections, potentially affecting emotional regulation and increasing the risk of stress-related mental health problems.

High-quality foster care reduces irritability in adolescents with early psychosocial deprivation, while longer institutional care and lack of family placement by age 16 are linked to higher irritability, emphasizing the importance of stable family environments.

Children's ability to recognize ambiguity in conversations strengthens between ages 7 and 11. A study shows older kids are better at using disagreement between others to understand when something isn't clear, revealing key cognitive development.

Adolescents with insecure attachment to their fathers are more likely to develop internalizing and externalizing mental health symptoms, which can lead to increased alcohol use. Attachment to mothers did not show a similar association with these outcomes.

Bed-sharing with infants at 9 months old does not appear to negatively impact their emotional or behavioral development later in childhood, providing reassurance for parents who choose this practice.

New research reveals that even young children recognize coincidences, but their understanding evolves with age, becoming more refined as they distinguish between mere coincidences and causally linked events.

A recent study found that prenatal exposure to cannabis components THC and CBD in rodents led to reduced birth size, behavioral changes, and disrupted brain activity, indicating potential long-term neurodevelopmental risks for offspring.

Scientists uncovered that sex and gender are linked to different brain connectivity patterns in children, with sex associated with localized networks and gender with more dispersed areas. However, there is an important caveat to these findings.

A study found that higher prenatal fluoride exposure is linked to nearly double the risk of neurobehavioral problems in children at age three, highlighting potential risks even at levels considered safe for preventing dental cavities.