Today, we’re looking at two articles that look at migrants. First, Santhanagopalan, Hok, Shaw & Kinzler (2024) published “The Ontogeny of Attitudes Toward Migrants“ in Developmental Science. Here are some excerpts:

Immigration is among the most pressing issues of our time. Important questions concern the psychological mechanisms that contribute to attitudes about immigration. Whereas much is known about adults’ immigration attitudes, the developmental antecedents of these attitudes are not well understood.

Today, we’re looking at five articles addressing very different aspects of media use. First, we look at 3-6 year olds. Pecukonis, Yücel, Lee, Knox, Boas & Tager-Flusberg (2025) published “Do Children's Brains Function Differently During Book Reading and Screen Time? A fNIRS Study” in Developmental Science. Here’s the edited abstract:

Previous research suggests that book reading and screen time have contrasting effects on language and brain development. However, few studies have explicitly investigated whether children's brains function differently during these two activities.

Today, we‘re reviewing four articles related to emotion regulation. First, Luo, McRae & Waugh (2024) published “Committing to Emotion Regulation: Factors impacting the choice to implement a reappraisal after its generation” in Emotion. Here’s the edited abstract:

Cognitive reappraisal, changing the way one thinks about an emotional event, is one of the most effective and extensively studied emotion regulation strategies.

As we learn more about the decline in math skills, it seems worth it to examine recent research. First, Amland, Grande, Scherer, Lervåg & Melby-Lervåg (2024) published “Cognitive Factors Underlying Mathematical Skills: A systematic review and meta-analysis” in Psychological Bulletin. Here are the edited abstract and public significance statement:

In understanding the nature of mathematical skills, the most influential theories suggest that mathematical cognition draws on different systems: numerical, linguistic, spatial, and general cognitive skills. Studies show that skills in these areas are highly predictive of outcomes in mathematics.

The three studies I examine today all deal with suicide, using very different samples. First, Schafer, Wilson-Lemoine & Joiner (2024) published “Loneliness in Veterans: A commonality across multiple pathways toward suicidality” in Traumatology. Here’s the edited abstract:

Veterans are significantly more likely to experience suicidality than the general population. A substantial amount of research has centered on risk factors of suicidality among veterans, identifying associations between Military-relevant risk factors including traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) and combat exposure with suicidality. Likewise, loneliness has been shown to be a strong correlate of suicidality. Among these constructs, loneliness is proposed by multiple recent theories of suicide to contribute to the development of suicidality.

Today, we’re looking at three studies of mindfulness, each focusing on a different sample. First, Garber et al. (2024) published “A Randomized Controlled Trial of an Online Mindfulness Program for Adolescents at Risk for Internalizing Problems” in Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology. Here are the edited abstract and impact statement:

The purpose of this randomized controlled trial was to test the effects of an online, coached mindfulness intervention on momentary negative affect (mNA) for youth with high levels of trait negative affectivity.

Last time, we saw the role of parent-child attachment relationships. This time, we’re looking at adults. First, Dugan et al. (2024) published “Genetic and Environmental Contributions to Adult Attachment Styles: Evidence from the Minnesota Twin Registry” in Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. Here’s the edited abstract:

Attachment theory, as originally outlined by Bowlby, suggests that the ways people think, feel, and behave in close relationships are shaped by the dynamic interplay between their genes and their social environment

This and the next blog are going to address attachment. First, Dagan et al. (2023) published “Configurations of Mother-Child and Father-Child Attachment Relationships as Predictors of Child Language Competence: An individual participant data meta-analysis” in Child Development. Here’s the edited abstract:

An individual participant data meta-analysis was conducted to test pre-registered hypotheses about how the configuration of attachment relationships to mothers and fathers predicts children's language competence.

Those of you who’ve been reading the blog for a while, you know I like Carol Dweck’s research in general. This group of articles has two in which she’s a coauthor. Chen et al. (2025). A Strategic Mindset Enhances Children’s Generation of Effective Strategies and Delay of Gratification across Tasks” in Developmental Psychology. Here are some excerpts:

Overcoming challenges to achieve success involves being able to spontaneously come up with effective strategies to address different task demands. Research has linked individual differences in such strategy generation and use to optimal development over time and greater success across many areas of life. Yet, there is surprisingly little experimental evidence that tests how we might help young children to spontaneously generate and apply effective strategies across different challenging tasks. We test this in an area important to development: delaying gratification.

Today, I’m looking at two studies pertaining to dyslexia, each available in full text. First, McDonough (2023) “Research on dyslexia is identifying the many factors — neural to societal — that are linked to the condition” in Harvard Gazette. Here are some excerpts.

As a child, Roberto Olivardia didn’t enjoy reading. Processing the words on a page fatigued him. But Olivardia — now a psychologist at McLean Hospital and a lecturer at Harvard Medical School — never considered that he might have dyslexia.

Today, we’re looking at four articles that relate to intimate relationships. First, Lin, Chen & Guo (2025) published “Mapping the Relationships Among Bullying, Cyberbullying, Child Maltreatment, and Parental Intimate Partner Violence: A network analysis” in Psychological Trauma: Theory, Research, Practice, and Policy. Here are the edited abstract and impact statements:

Today, I am focusing on a single article. Zhan, Zhang, Gong & Geng (2025) published “Irritability in PTSD: Clinical correlates and subgroups” in Psychological Trauma: Theory, research, practice, and policy. Here is some information about and from the article:

The heterogeneity within posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) has been debated for decades, which not only limits accurate conceptualization but also poses significant challenges for interventions and treatments.

Today, I present an article available in full text. Schuurmans, Luik, de Maat, Hillegers, Arfan & Cecil (2022) published “The Association of Early Life Stress with IQ-Achievement Discrepancy in Children: A population-based study” in Child Development. Here are edited excerpts:

Early life stress (ELS) is associated with lower IQ and academic achievement; however, it remains unclear whether it additionally explains their discrepancy. In 2,401 children (54% girls, 30.2% migration background) from the population-based study Generation R Study, latent factors of prenatal and postnatal (age 0–10) ELS were estimated, and IQ-achievement discrepancy (age 12) was quantified as variance in academic achievement not explained by IQ. Results point to ELS as a potential prevention target to improve academic potential.

Each of the studies we’re examining today takes a social rather than strictly individual approach to understanding and building resilience. First, Lee et al. (2024) published, ”How Can We Build Structural Resilience? Integration of social-ecological and minority stress models” in American Psychologist. Here are the edited abstract and public significance statement:

Today, we are examining two studies that suggest rethinking ideas about ADHD. First, Baardstu, Karevold, John, De Fruyt & von Soest (2025) published “Active During Childhood: Undercontrolled or extraverted in late adolescence? A longitudinal study distinguishing different conceptions of childhood activity” in Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. Here’s the edited abstract:

The role of childhood activity level in personality development is still poorly understood.

Today, we’re looking at two different studies examining the effect of beliefs about ability. First, Muradoglu et al. (2025) published “The Structure and Motivational Significance of Early Beliefs about Ability” in Developmental Psychology. Here are the edited abstract and impact statements:

Adults hold a broad range of beliefs about intellectual ability. Key examples include beliefs about its malleability, its distribution in the population, whether high levels of it (“brilliance”) are necessary for success,

Last time, we looked at the transition to parenting. Today, we look at the same period but related to sleep. First, Hoyniac et al. (2023) published “Sleep and Circadian Rhythms during Pregnancy, Social Disadvantage, and Alterations in Brain Development in Neonates” in Developmental Science. Here’s the edited abstract:

Pregnant women in poverty may be especially likely to experience sleep and circadian rhythm disturbances, which may have downstream effects on fetal neurodevelopment.

Today, we look at three studies that begin prenatally and examine effects. First, Stürmlinger, Ray, von Krause, Nonnenmacher, Alpers & Zietlow (2025) published “Prenatal Depressive Symptoms, Infant Temperament, Parental Role Satisfaction, and Child Adjustment: A longitudinal serial mediation. Journal of Family Psychology. Here’s the abstract:

Maternal prenatal depressive symptoms (PD symptoms) pose a risk factor for child adjustment difficulties (CAD), defined as internalizing and externalizing symptoms.

I’m presenting a single article today because I found its argument compelling. Grubbs & Boness (2025) published “Thinking Beyond Substances: Why behavioral “addiction” research must move past substance use disorder paradigms” in  Journal of Psychopathology and Clinical Science. Here’s the edited abstract:

Today, I address two studies of substance use in teens and young adults. First, Carbonneau, Vitaro, Brendgen, Boivin, Côté & Tremblay (2024) published “Preadolescent Individual, Familial, and Social Risk Factors Associated with Longitudinal Patterns of Adolescent Alcohol, Cannabis, and Other Illicit Drug Use in a Population-Representative Cohort” in Developmental Psychology. Here are the edited abstract and impact statements: