How parenting advice assumes you’re white and middle class
Most psychology research that forms the basis of parenting advice might not apply to you. So, how do you know whether to trust it?
Academic rigor, journalistic flair
Articles on Child psychology
Displaying 1 - 20 of 22 articles
Why stable relationships are ‘poison control’ in fighting trauma and stress in kids
Childhood trauma from abuse, neglect and even divorce increases the risk for physical, mental and developmental problems. To prevent the poisonous consequences, safety and stability are essential.
How resilience can break the link between a ‘bad’ childhood and the youth justice system
Knowing why people with troubled childhoods may be more likely to engage in criminal activity is necessary to inform the development of effective prevention and early intervention initiatives.
Preparing elite athletes for transition to life after sport should begin in childhood
As retirement looms for elite sportspeople, there is a need to prepare for the transition to post-sport life. But there are also important things to consider for transition long before this.
Combatting stereotypes: How to talk to your children
For young children, how we speak is often more important than what we say. Even 'positive' generalizations can lead children to adopt negative stereotypes.
Why children find ‘poo’ so hilarious – and how adults should tackle it
The serious science of toilet humour.
Your child probably knows the truth about Santa – they’re playing along for the presents
Kids as young as seven have a good enough sense of logic to work out the truth and why it can be better to lie.
Migrant children are often their parents’ translators – and it can lead to ill health
Migrant children often become interpreters for their parents in settings like the doctor's office, legal situations and even in parent-teacher interviews. This can be a burden and affect their health.
Adults can help children cope with death by understanding how they process it
Children's perceptions of death vary with developmental stages. Understanding these is key to helping them normalise their thoughts and feelings when someone they know dies.
Should you tell your child the truth about Santa? A psychologist’s view
Is it really all Ho, Ho, Ho? Or could believing in Santa harm your child's development?
Summer babies are schooled in low self-esteem
Britain is trying to reduce the disadvantages which burden kids born in July and August. But why does it matter so much?
Inside Out and the democracy of the modern mind
The latest Disney shows just how far psychology has come since the moralisers of the 19th century.
Could early infant screening and intervention help prevent autism?
Autism is usually diagnosed between the ages of two and five. But studies show therapies delivered earlier in childhood could help children at risk of developing autism.
Why do heavier children do worse at school? It’s not their fault
Heavier people are less likely to be hired and more likely to be fired – and some of this may begin at school.
We trust children to know what gender they are – until they go against the norm
If you want to know a child's gender, just ask them and then listen to the answer.
Eight sneaky tricks to get your children to eat healthy food
A child’s diet should be high in fruit and vegetables, high in complex carbohydrates such as brown bread, brown pasta and brown rice and relatively low in fat and sugary foods. It should also be low in…
Are doctors following best practice when prescribing antipsychotic meds to kids?
According to a study of Vermont doctors, best practice guidelines for prescribing antipsychotic medication to children are followed only half the time.
Pants on fire! Children learn to lie from the age of two – here’s how to get them to tell the truth
Lying is often seen as bad behaviour in children. Fairy tales and folk stories, from Aesop’s Peter who cried wolf to Washington’s cherry tree tell children to be honest and never lie. But what can we do…
Just because you think your children are extraordinary, doesn’t mean they are
It is natural for parents to value their child – and feeling valued is key to children’s well-being; but some parents “overvalue” their child, believing their child is more special and more entitled than…
Health Check: is controlled crying the best way to get baby to sleep?
Controlled crying has been hotly debated since it was first recommended in a 1985 book about infant sleep problems. It involves letting a baby cry itself to sleep without any interaction once it has been…
Top contributors
-
Marie Skłodowska-Curie Fellow, Stanford University
-
Professor of Psychology and Music, University of Sydney
-
Winthrop Professor, Telethon Kids Institute, University of Western Australia
-
Senior Research Fellow, and Senior Lecturer in Developmental Psychology, La Trobe University
-
Lecturer, School of Global, Urban and Social Studies, RMIT University, RMIT University
-
Senior Lecturer & Director Engagement and International, School of Social Sciences and Psychology, Western Sydney University
-
Professor of Health Psychology, University of Surrey
-
Professor in Justice and Legal Studies, School of Global, Urban and Social Studies, RMIT University
-
Scientia Professor and Professor of Educational Psychology, UNSW
-
Lecturer in Social Work, University of Bath
-
Doctoral Researcher in Psychology, University of Birmingham
-
Research fellow for Security, Department of Psychology, Lancaster University
-
Associate Professor, Psychiatry and Pediatrics, University of Vermont
-
Director of Mental Health at the Child and Adolescent Gender Center, University of California, San Francisco
-
Lecturer in Social Psychology, Lancaster University
Most read on The Conversation
Would impeaching Trump restore the rule of law? Lessons from Latin America
Don’t hate your gut: It may help you lose weight, fight depression and lower blood pressure
Do poor people eat more junk food than wealthier Americans?
Inside the minds of Trump’s ‘true believers’
How do the chemicals in sunscreen protect our skin from damage?
What an artificial intelligence researcher fears about AI
American slavery: Separating fact from myth
Why can’t we fix our own electronic devices?
Why some are applauding Donald Trump Jr’s ‘win at all costs’ attitude