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Article 1: Rodriguez, C. M. (2016). Predicting-parent child aggression risk. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, online ahead of print. doi: 10.1177/0886260516629386

Learning Objective: 2.4 Understand the way parents, families, and peers can contribute to childhood problems or protect youths from developing disorders.

Summary: Because physical abuse impacts children in so many significant ways, it is important to understand what factors increase the likelihood of physical aggression by parents. In this article, the researcher used a multiple-indicator approach to study cognitive and affective factors that may predict risk in a sample of 110 mothers. Results supported the influence of maternal attributions and anger in predicting aggression.

Questions to Consider:

1. What is the Social Information Processing model? Why is it potentially important to understanding parent–child aggression?
2. This study investigated different dimensions of attributions and found that two of the three were in keeping with hypotheses and prior research, but the third was not. Describe these results. Why might this be? How would further research investigate this further?
3. How might these results be used to inform treatment and prevention approaches with parents at risk of physical abuse?
    

Article 2: Blasco, P. M., Saxton, S., & Gerrie, M. (2014). The little brain that could: Understanding executive function in early childhood. Young Exceptional Children, 17, 3–18. doi: 10.1177/1096250613493296

Learning Objective: 2.2 Describe the structure and function of major brain regions and their relationship to childhood disorders.

Summary: Executive function deficits are common in many disorders, including ADHD and learning disabilities. This review article examines the importance of the development of executive function skills, the components of executive functions, and how adults can help strengthen these skills in young children.

Questions to Consider:

1. What are executive functions? How are executive functions and self-regulation related?
2. Describe the components of executive functioning.
3. Given what you know about children’s behavior disorders, what types of executive function deficits would you expect to see in the various disorders?