UC Davis experts: Infants and young children

The following University of California, Davis, faculty members are available to comment on aspects child development and psychology for infants and children. If you need assistance on similar topics, please call Claudia Morain, News Service, (530) 752-9841, cmmorain@ucdavis.edu.

SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Early emotional problems

UC Davis psychologist Ross Thompson can talk about early psychological/emotional problems and their potential long-term consequences. He says: "In the professional world, there is a lot of interest in what we call early childhood mental health -- which looks a lot different than mental health services for older children. But in public speaking, I more often describe it as promoting early emotional well-being. The latter is threatened when young children grow up in troubled families, and people worry about this when they read news reports about preschoolers being 'expelled' from childcare programs and indications of conduct problems in very young children." Thompson has worked on the applications of his field to public policy problems concerning children and families, such as divorce and child custody, child maltreatment, grandparent visitation rights, and research ethics. His books include Preventing Child Maltreatment Through Social Support: A Critical Analysis, The Postdivorce Family and Toward a Child-Centered, Neighborhood-Based Child Protection System. Contact Ross Thompson, Psychology, (530) 754-6663, rathompson@ucdavis.edu.

The culture of childhood

American studies professor Jay Mechling, considered one of the most influential academics in American studies, has devoted himself to studying the culture of American children. He can discuss broad issues in popular culture, ranging from children's programs on television and in films to the real impact of video games. Besides the broader topic of American childhood, Mechling writes and teaches about the construction of masculinity in American culture, from the socialization of boys in families and organizations to the representations of masculinity in film and television. His book, On My Honor: The Boy Scouts and the Making of American Youth, was published in fall 2001 by the University of Chicago Press. Contact: Jay Mechling, American Studies, (530) 752-9043 (office) or (510) 865-8858 (home), jemechling@ucdavis.edu.

Self-esteem

Self-esteem across a life span can be like riding a roller coaster, starting with an inflated sense of self-approval in late childhood, dropping precipitously in adolescence and then rising steadily through adulthood only to plummet to the lowest point in late old age, according to psychologist Richard Robins. He has looked at the issue from the time children are 5 years old. In perhaps the largest global study of self-esteem, Robins and other researchers have also created the most comprehensive picture to date of differences in self-esteem from ages 9 to 90. More than 350,000 participants completed a questionnaire by visiting a Web site in 1999 and 2000. Women, in general, had lower self-esteem than men, although both genders have identical high levels between the ages of 9 and 12. "During adolescence, girls' self-esteem dropped about twice as much as boys'," Robins says. Contact: Richard Robins, Psychology, (530) 754-8299, rwrobins@ucdavis.edu.

Children's understanding of mind and emotion

UC Davis psychologist Kristin Lagattuta researches how young children come to understand connections between people's emotions, their thoughts and their personal experiences. "As adults, we know that negative emotions such as sadness can often been elicited by thinking about an upsetting past experience, or that worry can be caused by having negative expectations for the future," she says. Lagattuta's research shows that starting around the ages of 3 to 4 years old, children also understand how emotions such as fear, worry, sadness, and anger can be caused by merely thinking about the past or the anticipated future -- and by one's imagination itself. This work has important implications for teaching children how to cope with negative emotions in everyday situation as well as for treating young children with depression or anxiety, Lagattuta says. Contact Kristin Lagattuta, Psychology, 530) 754 9438, khlaga@ucdavis.edu.

Precious children and genius

Dean Keith Simonton, professor of psychology, who has devoted over a quarter century to studying the relation between age and creative achievement in the arts and sciences. Simonton, who conducts retrospective studies of well-known geniuses such as Mozart, Pascal and J. S. Mill, can talk about the relation between precocious children and adulthood success.Among his books are: Origins of Genius, Why Presidents Succeed: A Political Psychology of Leadership, Scientific Genius: A Psychology of Science, Greatness: Who Makes History and Why, Origins of Genius: Darwinian Perspectives on Creativity and Great Psychologists and Their Times: Scientific Insights into Psychology's History. Contact: Dean Keith Simonton, Psychology, (530) 752-1677, dksimonton@ucdavis.edu.

How children develop self-control and conscience

UC Davis assistant psychology professor Kristin Lagattuta studies the differences between how 3- and 4-year-olds and 6- and 7-year-olds understand and feel when somebody "breaks the rules." She is looking at the socialization of will power, and how children can feel "good" by not getting what they want. She can link this to how parents can work with their children to develop will power and a sense of morality. Her research focuses on the development of young children's knowledge about people in terms of their inner, mental lives—what a person desires, intends, believes, thinks about and feels emotionally. Results of her research show that children develop numerous sophisticated insights about mental causes of emotions during the preschool and early grade-school years. Contact Kristin Lagattuta, Psychology, 530) 754 9438, khlaga@ucdavis.edu.

Developing social behavior

UC Davis human development professor Larry Harper looks at how young children deliberately plan strategies and use self-control. "Too often, we just dismiss the infant as waiting to be shaped and formed. There's still a lingering sense that somehow children can't control themselves -- as though they weren't fully assembled." He has spent his career researching the early development of intentional motor, cognitive and social behaviors. Harper also looks at how children are able to develop increasingly sophisticated understandings of social rules, such as in sports. Contact: Larry Harper, Human and Community Development, (530) 752-3624, lharper@ucdavis.edu.

LEARNING, MEMORY AND BRAINS

Memory and court-room testimony

UC Davis psychologist Gail Goodman researches memory development and children's abilities and experiences as victim/witnesses. In the memory development area, her work explores the relationship between trauma and memory, attachment and memory, implicit and explicit memory, and semantic associates and memory, as well as the relationship between emotion and memory. In the victim/witness area, her research focuses on children's ability to provide testimony about events they have experienced or witnessed, especially events related to child abuse, and on the psychological effects of testifying in court. She is also currently studying the effects of child abuse on emotional adjustment/psychopathology and relations between child maltreatment, revictimization and juvenile delinquency. Her studies have been cited in U.S. Supreme Court decisions. Contact Gail Goodman, Psychology, (530) 752-6981, ggoodman@ucdavis.edu.

Discovery learning

UC Davis human development professor Zhe Chen studies children's thinking and learning styles. Currently, he is looking at how infants and toddlers solve problems through "discovery learning," which is the hot topic in child studies these days. Chen says you can teach very young children sophisticated problem-solving strategies. Chen's current research interests include scientific reasoning and analyses of strategy acquisition. Contact: Zhe Chen,Human and Community Development, (530) 754-6750, zhechen@ucdavis.edu.

Infant brains and behavior

UC Davis psychologist Susan Rivera conducts research on the origins and development of symbolic representation in both infants and children. She uses classic behavioral studies as well as neuroimaging (fMRI) techniques to investigate such things as language acquisition, concept formation, object representation and numerical cognition. Rivera also conducts research contrasting typical development with that of children with neurodevelopmental disorders, including autism and fragile X syndrome. Contact: Susan Rivera, (530) 754-9447, srivera@ucdavis.edu.

Memory and understanding symbols

Joanne Deocampo, academic administrator for the UC Davis Center for Child and Family Studies, is also a child development researcher who focuses on helping to broaden our understanding of 2- to 6- year-olds' abilities to give eyewitness testimony, long-term memory capabilities, and understanding of symbols and symbolic media such as photographs and video images on TV. She is conducting a study at the center investigating how children and parents behave when they watch television and whether watching television with parents or peers influences how preschoolers understand what they see on television. Contact: Joanne Deocampo, Center for Child and Family Studies, (530) 752-2959, jadeocampo@ucdavis.edu.

How the brain matures

Silvia Bunge, an assistant professor of psychology and neuroscientist at the UC Davis Center for Mind and Brain, uses fMRI scans to examine brain development in late childhood and adolescence. The scans allow her to visualize how the brain matures. In particular, Bunge studies how the brain uses rules to guide decisions and actions. She can discuss how the brains of children and adolescents differ from adults in areas such as working memory and cognitive control. Bunge is also exploring brain development for children who have Tourette's syndrome and other related disorders. Contact: Silvia Bunge, Psychology, (530) 297 4411, sabunge@ucdavis.edu.

THE CARETAKERS' ROLE

Enriching the early childhood experience

Julie Lawis the UC Davis Early Childhood Laboratory's academic coordinator in charge of the lab's Infant and Toddler Program. Janet Thompson is associate director of the Early Childhood Laboratory and Kelly Twibell is a preschool program coordinator in the program. They can talk about the UC Davis approach to providing an enriching early childhood experience through working closely with parents and families — a social contextual approach to early childhood programming. Contact: Julie Law, Early Childhood Laboratory, (530) 752-6737, jclaw@ucdavis.edu; Janet Thompson, Early Childhood Laboratory, (530) 754-4000, jethompson@ucdavis.edu; Kelly Twibell, (530) 752-6239, kktwibell@ucdavis.edu.

Better child rearing

Parents are critical in helping their babies and toddlers learn to interact with others. Lenna Ontai-Grzebik, a specialist in Cooperative Extension for family and early childhood, can talk about the factors that predict success for children socializing with others, based on how their parents are raising them. Ontai-Grzebik works throughout the state with professional educators in county-based family resource centers as well as in other public service agencies, such as Women, Infants and Children. Based in the UC Davis Department of Human and Community Development, Ontai-Grzebik offers practical applications of the latest research on how to improve child rearing in California. She also can talk about how parents can set limits on eating and provide healthy choices at a young age to instill good habits and to avoid future issues with obesity. Contact: Lenna Ontai-Grzebik, Human and Community Development, (530) 752-6410, lontaigrz@ucdavis.edu.

Best practices for child care

Joanne Deocampo, academic administrator for the Center for Child and Family Studies, Janet Thompson, associate director of the Early Childhood Laboratory and Kelly Twibell, a preschool program coordinator can give a broad picture of what is happening at the center and its importance to child care throughout the Sacramento region. UC Davis' Early Childhood Lab runs three programs aimed at providing the "best practices" for kids 6 months to 6 years old. The lab is also helping to train child-care providers throughout Yolo County, using Proposition 10 funding to improve the quality of day care. Contact: Joanne Deocampo, Early Childhood Laboratory, (530) 752-2959, jadeocampo@ucdavis.edu; Janet Thompson, Early Childhood Laboratory, (530) 754-4000, jethompson@ucdavis.edu; Kelly Twibell, (530) 752-6239, kktwibell@ucdavis.edu.

Claudia Morain at the UC Davis News Service, (530) 752-9841, cmmorain@ucdavis.edu.

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Last updated March 27, 2006

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Social and emotional development Early emotional problems The culture of childhood Self esteem Children's understanding of mind and emotion Precocious children and genius How children develop self-control and consciences Developing social behavior Learning, memory and brains Memory and court-room testimony Discovery learning Infant brains and behavior Memory and understanding symbols How the brain matures The caretakers' role Enriching the early childhood experience Better child rearing Best practices for child care SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT Early emotional problems UC Davis psychologist Ross Thompson can talk about early psychological/emotional problems and their potential long-term consequences. He says: "In the professional world, there is a lot of interest in what we call early childhood mental health -- which looks a lot different than mental health services for older children. But in public speaking, I more often describe it as promoting early emotional well-being. The latter is threatened when young children grow up in troubled families, and people worry about this when they read news reports about preschoolers being 'expelled' from childcare programs and indications of conduct problems in very young children." Thompson has worked on the applications of his field to public policy problems concerning children and families, such as divorce and child custody, child maltreatment, grandparent visitation rights, and research ethics. His books include Preventing Child Maltreatment Through Social Support: A Critical Analysis, The Postdivorce Family and Toward a Child-Centered, Neighborhood-Based Child Protection System. Contact Ross Thompson, Psychology, (530) 754-6663, rathompson@ucdavis.edu. The culture of childhood American studies professor Jay Mechling, considered one of the most influential academics in American studies, has devoted himself to studying the culture of American children. He can discuss broad issues in popular culture, ranging from children's programs on television and in films to the real impact of video games. Besides the broader topic of American childhood, Mechling writes and teaches about the construction of masculinity in American culture, from the socialization of boys in families and organizations to the representations of masculinity in film and television. His book, On My Honor: The Boy Scouts and the Making of American Youth, was published in fall 2001 by the University of Chicago Press. Contact: Jay Mechling, American Studies, (530) 752-9043 (office) or (510) 865-8858 (home), jemechling@ucdavis.edu. Self-esteem Self-esteem across a life span can be like riding a roller coaster, starting with an inflated sense of self-approval in late childhood, dropping precipitously in adolescence and then rising steadily through adulthood only to plummet to the lowest point in late old age, according to psychologist Richard Robins. He has looked at the issue from the time children are 5 years old. In perhaps the largest global study of self-esteem, Robins and other researchers have also created the most comprehensive picture to date of differences in self-esteem from ages 9 to 90. More than 350,000 participants completed a questionnaire by visiting a Web site in 1999 and 2000. Women, in general, had lower self-esteem than men, although both genders have identical high levels between the ages of 9 and 12. "During adolescence, girls' self-esteem dropped about twice as much as boys'," Robins says. Contact: Richard Robins, Psychology, (530) 754-8299, rwrobins@ucdavis.edu. Children's understanding of mind and emotion UC Davis psychologist Kristin Lagattuta researches how young children come to understand connections between people's emotions, their thoughts and their personal experiences. "As adults, we know that negative emotions such as sadness can often been elicited by thinking about an upsetting past experience, or that worry can be caused by having negative expectations for the future," she says. Lagattuta's research shows that starting around the ages of 3 to 4 years old, children also understand how emotions such as fear, worry, sadness, and anger can be caused by merely thinking about the past or the anticipated future -- and by one's imagination itself. This work has important implications for teaching children how to cope with negative emotions in everyday situation as well as for treating young children with depression or anxiety, Lagattuta says. Contact Kristin Lagattuta, Psychology, 530) 754 9438, khlaga@ucdavis.edu. Precious children and genius Dean Keith Simonton, professor of psychology, who has devoted over a quarter century to studying the relation between age and creative achievement in the arts and sciences. Simonton, who conducts retrospective studies of well-known geniuses such as Mozart, Pascal and J. S. Mill, can talk about the relation between precocious children and adulthood success.Among his books are: Origins of Genius, Why Presidents Succeed: A Political Psychology of Leadership, Scientific Genius: A Psychology of Science, Greatness: Who Makes History and Why, Origins of Genius: Darwinian Perspectives on Creativity and Great Psychologists and Their Times: Scientific Insights into Psychology's History. Contact: Dean Keith Simonton, Psychology, (530) 752-1677, dksimonton@ucdavis.edu. How children develop self-control and conscience UC Davis assistant psychology professor Kristin Lagattuta studies the differences between how 3- and 4-year-olds and 6- and 7-year-olds understand and feel when somebody "breaks the rules." She is looking at the socialization of will power, and how children can feel "good" by not getting what they want. She can link this to how parents can work with their children to develop will power and a sense of morality. Her research focuses on the development of young children's knowledge about people in terms of their inner, mental lives—what a person desires, intends, believes, thinks about and feels emotionally. Results of her research show that children develop numerous sophisticated insights about mental causes of emotions during the preschool and early grade-school years. Contact Kristin Lagattuta, Psychology, 530) 754 9438, khlaga@ucdavis.edu. Developing social behavior UC Davis human development professor Larry Harper looks at how young children deliberately plan strategies and use self-control. "Too often, we just dismiss the infant as waiting to be shaped and formed. There's still a lingering sense that somehow children can't control themselves -- as though they weren't fully assembled." He has spent his career researching the early development of intentional motor, cognitive and social behaviors. Harper also looks at how children are able to develop increasingly sophisticated understandings of social rules, such as in sports. Contact: Larry Harper, Human and Community Development, (530) 752-3624, lharper@ucdavis.edu. LEARNING, MEMORY AND BRAINS Memory and court-room testimony UC Davis psychologist Gail Goodman researches memory development and children's abilities and experiences as victim/witnesses. In the memory development area, her work explores the relationship between trauma and memory, attachment and memory, implicit and explicit memory, and semantic associates and memory, as well as the relationship between emotion and memory. In the victim/witness area, her research focuses on children's ability to provide testimony about events they have experienced or witnessed, especially events related to child abuse, and on the psychological effects of testifying in court. She is also currently studying the effects of child abuse on emotional adjustment/psychopathology and relations between child maltreatment, revictimization and juvenile delinquency. Her studies have been cited in U.S. Supreme Court decisions. Contact Gail Goodman, Psychology, (530) 752-6981, ggoodman@ucdavis.edu. Discovery learning UC Davis human development professor Zhe Chen studies children's thinking and learning styles. Currently, he is looking at how infants and toddlers solve problems through "discovery learning," which is the hot topic in child studies these days. Chen says you can teach very young children sophisticated problem-solving strategies. Chen's current research interests include scientific reasoning and analyses of strategy acquisition. Contact: Zhe Chen,Human and Community Development, (530) 754-6750, zhechen@ucdavis.edu. Infant brains and behavior UC Davis psychologist Susan Rivera conducts research on the origins and development of symbolic representation in both infants and children. She uses classic behavioral studies as well as neuroimaging (fMRI) techniques to investigate such things as language acquisition, concept formation, object representation and numerical cognition. Rivera also conducts research contrasting typical development with that of children with neurodevelopmental disorders, including autism and fragile X syndrome. Contact: Susan Rivera, (530) 754-9447, srivera@ucdavis.edu. Memory and understanding symbols Joanne Deocampo, academic administrator for the UC Davis Center for Child and Family Studies, is also a child development researcher who focuses on helping to broaden our understanding of 2- to 6- year-olds' abilities to give eyewitness testimony, long-term memory capabilities, and understanding of symbols and symbolic media such as photographs and video images on TV. She is conducting a study at the center investigating how children and parents behave when they watch television and whether watching television with parents or peers influences how preschoolers understand what they see on television. Contact: Joanne Deocampo, Center for Child and Family Studies, (530) 752-2959, jadeocampo@ucdavis.edu. How the brain matures Silvia Bunge, an assistant professor of psychology and neuroscientist at the UC Davis Center for Mind and Brain, uses fMRI scans to examine brain development in late childhood and adolescence. The scans allow her to visualize how the brain matures. In particular, Bunge studies how the brain uses rules to guide decisions and actions. She can discuss how the brains of children and adolescents differ from adults in areas such as working memory and cognitive control. Bunge is also exploring brain development for children who have Tourette's syndrome and other related disorders. Contact: Silvia Bunge, Psychology, (530) 297 4411, sabunge@ucdavis.edu. THE CARETAKERS' ROLE Enriching the early childhood experience Julie Lawis the UC Davis Early Childhood Laboratory's academic coordinator in charge of the lab's Infant and Toddler Program. Janet Thompson is associate director of the Early Childhood Laboratory and Kelly Twibell is a preschool program coordinator in the program. They can talk about the UC Davis approach to providing an enriching early childhood experience through working closely with parents and families — a social contextual approach to early childhood programming. Contact: Julie Law, Early Childhood Laboratory, (530) 752-6737, jclaw@ucdavis.edu; Janet Thompson, Early Childhood Laboratory, (530) 754-4000, jethompson@ucdavis.edu; Kelly Twibell, (530) 752-6239, kktwibell@ucdavis.edu. Better child rearing Parents are critical in helping their babies and toddlers learn to interact with others. Lenna Ontai-Grzebik, a specialist in Cooperative Extension for family and early childhood, can talk about the factors that predict success for children socializing with others, based on how their parents are raising them. Ontai-Grzebik works throughout the state with professional educators in county-based family resource centers as well as in other public service agencies, such as Women, Infants and Children. Based in the UC Davis Department of Human and Community Development, Ontai-Grzebik offers practical applications of the latest research on how to improve child rearing in California. She also can talk about how parents can set limits on eating and provide healthy choices at a young age to instill good habits and to avoid future issues with obesity. Contact: Lenna Ontai-Grzebik, Human and Community Development, (530) 752-6410, lontaigrz@ucdavis.edu. Best practices for child care Joanne Deocampo, academic administrator for the Center for Child and Family Studies, Janet Thompson, associate director of the Early Childhood Laboratory and Kelly Twibell, a preschool program coordinator can give a broad picture of what is happening at the center and its importance to child care throughout the Sacramento region. UC Davis' Early Childhood Lab runs three programs aimed at providing the "best practices" for kids 6 months to 6 years old. The lab is also helping to train child-care providers throughout Yolo County, using Proposition 10 funding to improve the quality of day care. Contact: Joanne Deocampo, Early Childhood Laboratory, (530) 752-2959, jadeocampo@ucdavis.edu; Janet Thompson, Early Childhood Laboratory, (530) 754-4000, jethompson@ucdavis.edu; Kelly Twibell, (530) 752-6239, kktwibell@ucdavis.edu. Claudia Morain at the UC Davis News Service, (530) 752-9841, cmmorain@ucdavis.edu. Top of page Last updated March 27, 2006

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