A Label Superiority Effect in Children's Categorization of Facial Expressions

In three studies (N's = 360, 68, 160), children (2 to 7 years of age) were asked to categorize various facial expressions. The emotion category was specified to the child by its label (such as happy), its facial expression (such as a smile), or both. From the youngest to the oldest children and for all 3 emotion categories examined (happiness, anger, and sadness), results showed a Label Superiority Effect: emotion labels resulted in more accurate categorization than did the corresponding facial expression. Errors conformed to a structural model emphasizing the dimension of pleasure‐displeasure.     

The protection of children exposed to marital violence

A review of the available research shows that children who witness violence between their parents have emotional and behavioural difficulties that mirror those of children currently identified as being abused. It is not clear whether these difficulties stem from the violence itself or the insecurity common in such families. However, current understanding of the experience of trauma suggests that some of these children are traumatized by the scenes they witness. Thus they fulfil the criteria for suffering from ‘significant harm’, within the guidelines of the Children Act. Current models of intervention in other areas of identified abuse could be applied to these children, offering adequate protection from further harm.     

Street children in Trinidad and Tobago: understanding their lives and experiences

A community-based action research process, over a three-year period, employed interviews and participant observations with five children living on the streets in Port of Spain, the capital of Trinidad and Tobago. Data revealed violence in the family to be a contributing factor to children's presence on the streets: it was also a feature of their lives on the streets. A complex pattern emerged of violence, hostility, and distorted social interactions amidst negative attitudes and disdainful behaviour all around them. It is argued that, although it is not easy, more people – professionals and citizens – would do well to listen to, and understand the lives of, street children in order to be motivated for change.     

Homelessness as one component of housing instability and its impact on the development of children in poverty

The number of families with children living in poverty and experiencing housing instability and homelessness has increased dramatically over the last two decades. Current public policy decisions will lead to further increases. Understanding the impact of this instability on the emotional, behavioral, and cognitive development of children is imperative. Few studies critically examine the effects of instability on both domiciled and homeless children. This research examined the effects of homelessness and housing instability on 133 children 8 to 12 years of age living in poverty. Results indicate that whether a child is currently homeless is not as significant as overall stability which may have a long ranging effect on a child's future development.     

中国大陆幼儿园统整课程的理念与设计--以重庆市幼儿园为例

本研究以中国大陆重庆市幼儿园作为脉络,探讨了幼儿园统整课程的涵义、理论基础与设计,提出幼儿园统整课程目标旨在增进幼儿真正了解自己及其世界,积极主动地参与实践,并把所学知识用以解决实际问题;在课程内容上,强调与幼儿的真实生活与社会经验相结合,根据幼儿的年龄特点与身心发展水平设计课程,并注重课程之间的统整性、综合性;在课程的组织上,强调教师的引导作用,幼儿是主动积极的学习者,教师与幼儿之间是平等的合作关系;课程评价方式上强调多元化、弹性化,采用多种评价方式,培养幼儿的自主性、独立性和创造性,以促进幼儿的全面发展.     

Giving Memory a Hand: Instructing Children to Gesture Enhances their Event Recall

To investigate the influence of different kinds of gesture on children’s memory, 60 6- to 7-year-old children participated in an event conducted by the experimenters (“visiting the pirate”) and were interviewed to assess memory for the event approximately 2 weeks later. Children were assigned to 1 of 4 conditions; in 3 conditions, gesture was possible (gesture-instructed, gesture-modelled, gesture-allowed) whereas in the fourth condition (gesture-not allowed), children’s hands were constrained. The amount of gesture engaged in was limited but was greatest in the gesture-instructed condition. Children in the gesture-instructed condition, who were asked to gesture during the interview, recalled more than did those in the other conditions. Further, relative to children in the gesture-modelled and gesture-allowed conditions, children in the gesture-instructed condition conveyed significantly more information in gesture that had not also been reported verbally. Although further research is necessary to understand the underlying mechanism, the findings suggest that instructing children to gesture as well as verbally recall an experience has cognitive and communicative benefits. Elizabeth Stevanoni and Karen Salmon are affiliated with the School of Psychology, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia. We thank the children, parents, teachers and principals at the participating schools, St Michaels and Villa Maria Primary Schools, and acknowledge Kay Pegg for help with data collection.     

Structural Analyses Of The Quality Of Life Of Children At Risk

Quality of life (QOL) is usually assessed in terms of levels. This paper, in contrast, examines the structure of the quality of life of its subjects: two groups of children at risk, children who were kept at home and those who were removed from home. The social workers who made the decisions were asked to assess the children’s quality of life using Shye’s Systemic Quality of Life Model. The study’s main finding is that the QOL structure of the two groups of children differs both from the theoretical “ideal” (or “healthy” structure) and from each other. The QOL structure of the children who were kept at home was closer to the ideal than that of the children who were removed. The difference from the ideal in both groups is consistent with the fact that both groups of children at risk, whose QOL is compromised by definition. The greater proximity to the “ideal” of the QOL structure of the children who were kept at home suggests that the social workers who made the decisions viewed these children as having a healthier QOL than the children who were removed from home.     

Abuse and deaf children: Some factors to consider

Deaf children are uniquely disadvantaged in terms of access to information on safety and abuse. This is often due to misunderstood linguistic and cultural needs which relate to the deaf community. Consequently, a greater number of children who are deaf are placed in potentially abusive situations when compared to their non-deaf peer group. A high percentage of deaf children have also acquired negative self-concepts. This is often due to external influences such as educational experiences and family communication. Many deaf children believe that abuse is part of their being deaf. The implications of this are that deaf children are at risk of neglect and abuse as well as long-term damage to their emotional development and self-esteem. A number of survivors of physical and sexual abuse have been referred to the National Centre for Mental Health and Deafness, Preston. Some of these referrals have been inappropriate and due to a dearth of local resources. Extremely little support is available for deaf people who have been or are being abused. There are few appropriately trained counsellors equipped with the necessary skills in communicating with deaf people and even fewer trained in deaf awareness. A number of risk factors have been identified and are illustrated in this article. Three case studies are described to highlight the issues involved.     

幼儿好奇心基本结构的研究

好奇心作为幼儿性格特点和创造性人格的特征,其本身的认知性与情感性的结合已经成为教学活动中具有动机力量的因素.本研究通过自编的《幼儿好奇心发展教师问卷》,对全国7个省市4 394名3～5岁的幼儿进行调查,在此基础上进行了探索性与验证性因素分析,结果表明,幼儿好奇心主要由敏感、观察、兴趣、探索、提问、解决问题、幻想与专注等8个因素组成.     

彝族儿童民间游戏"老虎抱蛋"的发源和变迁

探讨了彝族儿童民间游戏"老虎抱蛋"的发源和变迁,论证了该游戏起源于彝族的虎图腾崇拜."老虎抱蛋"游戏名称和游戏方式的不同,是一个从反映图腾崇拜和神话传说到反映当地人们社会生产生活方式再到直接而纯粹的游戏的变迁过程.