Parenting styles: An evidence-based, cross-cultural guide
Is your parenting style authoritative, authoritarian, permissive, or uninvolved? Learn how researchers classify parents, and how parenting affects kids.
The Parenting Science News Feed
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Can babies sign before they can speak?
Can babies sign before they can speak? Signing is stimulating and fun, but there’s little evidence that it’s easier to master than speech.
The effects of video games on altruism: Can role-playing make us more generous, helpful, or self-sacrificing?
Does playing helpful, even heroic characters make kids more prosocial? Research on the effects of video games suggests that it might.
Video game addiction: A parent’s evidence-based guide
Does your child have a video game addiction? Researchers use several different terms to describe this problem, but whatever the label, it can have serious consequences, and a disturbing number of kids are symptomatic. Learn the signs of pathological gaming, and how we can help kids lead more balanced lives.
The authoritarian parenting style: What does it look like?
The authoritarian parenting style sets high standards for children to follow. But how does it differ from other approaches to child-rearing? How can you tell if your own style is authoritarian or authoritative? And, given that authoritarian caregiving isn’t linked with the best child outcomes, why do some parents keep practicing it?
Spaced learning: What’s the best schedule for children’s lessons?
What is the “spaced learning” effect? If your child needs to learn something — and you want that learning to stick — the best approach is to space learning sessions apart in time. A single, long lesson is usually less effective than multiple, shorter lessons. Moreover, the ideal duration of a lesson may be much briefer than we realize — particularly for young children.
The effects of praise on kids: 10 Evidence-based tips for better outcomes
The effects of praise aren’t always good. What can we do to maximize the benefits of praise – and avoid undermining children’s motivation?
Parenting stress: What causes it, and how does it change us?
Parenting stress damages our well-being, and it may alter the course of a child’s development. What causes it? How does it change us? What can we do to cope?
Kids who feel connected with nature are happier — and more likely to befriend, help, and share
Studies suggest that kids have fewer emotional problems – and behave more prosocially – when they feel connected with nature.
Why kids rebel (and how we can encourage cooperation)
Most kids are ready to be cooperative. But they recognize limits to our power. When we overreach, kids reject our authority as illegitimate.
Working memory in children: What parents and teachers need to know
Share Facebook Twitter Pinterest Linkedin Working memory is often likened to RAM in a computer. The more you have, the more information you can juggle at once — allowing for faster processing. But of course we humans can’t improve our memory capacity by installing a new RAM stick. Nor can we expect new humans to … Continue reading
Inductive discipline: Why it pays to explain the reasons for rules
Inductive discipline is linked with better child outcomes. What does it look like, and how do we know that it makes a difference?