• What are the primary dimensions of parenting?
• What are the 4 major parental styles identified by Baumrind? What are the child outcomes associated with each style?
• What other variables (stress, cultural values, child temperament, etc.) affect parents' interactions with their children?
• How do children affect their parents' parenting style?
• How do mothers and fathers differ in their interactions with children?
• Do children become attached to siblings?
• How do sibling relationships change as children grow older: What determines how well children will get along?
• What are the short-term and long-term effects of divorce on children?
• How do effects of divorce vary by age of the child, sex of the child, and other situational variables?
• Discuss the direct and indirect effects of divorce that contribute to children's adjustment.
• What does the research by Cherlin et al. suggest regarding effects of divorce on children?
• What are the effects of being raised by gay or lesbian parents on children's development?
• How does maternal employment affect children's development?

According to Harry Stack Sullivan, why are peer relations important to development? Discuss the differences between reciprocal and complementary relations and what children learn from peer interactions that they can't learn from parents.

In Harlow's research, what were the effects of being raised without peer interaction (mother only) on rhesus monkeys' development? What about being raised with peers, but no contact with a mother (peers only)?

Describe the development of peer interactions from nonsocial play to cooperative play.

How do children's friendships change with age?

What are the important features of groups in childhood? How do groups influence individuals?

How is popularity studied? What are the major categories derived from this research?

What makes some children more popular than others?

What are the long-term consequences of popularity, neglect, and rejection?

According to Patterson et al., what are the antecedents and the consequences of peer rejection? What can be done to intervene?

According to Judith Rich Harris, how do peer groups socialize children differently from parents? In her view, which influence is more important?

How does Harris reinterpret research by Baumrind on parenting styles, research by  Maccoby on gender segregation in children, research on effects of divorce, and research on "wild" children to support her theory?

What are the counter-arguments to Harris' theory of group socialization?

How do attachment to parents and the quality of parent-child interaction affect children's peer relationships?

Explain the how parents use gatekeeping, coaching, and modeling to influence children's peer interactions?

How does family stress affect children's social competence?

 

• How did Piaget  propose that moral understanding develops?
• Describe the 3 levels and 6 stages of moral reasoning according to Kohlberg.
• What research supports Kohlberg's theory?
• What are some of the criticisms of Kohlberg's theory?
• Describe Gilligan's views on sex differences in moral reasoning. To what degree is this position supported by research( e.g. meta-analysis by Walker)?
• What factors contribute to the ability to reason at a higher level about moral issues?
• What are social conventional judgments and how do these change with age?
• How does altruism or prosocial behavior change with age?
• Explain how individual and situational factors influence prosocial responding.
• What skills are involved in prosocial behavior?
• How can parents foster the development of prosocial behavior?
• What are the different types of aggression and how does aggressive behavior change with age?
• What causes aggression? Be able to discuss the role of biological factors, parental punitiveness, SES status, and peer influences.
• How does viewing television violence influence the development of aggression in children?
• Why was the study by Eron et al. so important in the debate over effects of viewing violent television on the development of aggressive behavior?
• How does viewing violence affect children's acceptance of violence?
• How does playing violent video games affect aggression in children?

• What are the seven themes in child development that were introduced in the first chapter?
• Be able to give examples of research that addresses each of these themes.