The goal of the study was to examine the impact of parental facilitation on children's play with an unfamiliar peer. Pairs of preschoolers and their parents (mothers and fathers on separate occasions) were videotaped under two conditions in an ABABA design. In one condition, (A) parents were instructed to remain passive, while in a second condition, (B) parents were asked to `help the children play together'. Children were rated as higher in social competence with their peers under conditions of parental facilitation than under conditions where parents were passive. Younger preschoolers benefited from parental assistance more than older preschoolers; younger children were less able to maintain peer interaction without parental assistance. There was little evidence that parental supervision facilitated peer interaction among older preschoolers. Fathers and mothers were equally competent facilitators in the lab. Interview data suggest that mothers are more likely to perform this direct facilitatory role in home settings. The implications of the findings for models of family-peer linkage are discussed.

Mothers and fathers from 100 first‐generation, Gujarati, Indian immigrant families were interviewed about their socialization values and practices. Adolescents provided data about their parents' behavior as well. 3 predictors of parental attitudes and behavior were examined: modernity, acculturation, and time in the United States. The effects of the predictors varied as a function of parent and child gender. Whereas modernity and acculturation predicted socialization values for fathers of girls, only time in the United States predicted the socialization values of mothers. Parental modernity, acculturation, and time in the United States predicted the use of induction and psychological control, but differently as a function of parent and child gender. Implications for understanding the selective nature of acculturation are considered.

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This study investigates the association between home computer experience and cognitive development among preschool children in inner-city Head Start programs. Approximately 200 children enrolled in four Head Start centers in Detroit, Michigan were recruited to participate in this study. Data was collected from parents regarding the children's experience with computers in the home environment, including their access to a computer, the amount of time spent on the computer, and types of programs used on the computer. Each child was assessed using the McCarthy Scales of Children's Abilities (MSCA) and the Boehm Test of Basic Concepts, Third Edition Preschool (Boehm-3). Results suggest that using a computer is positively correlated with some aspects of cognitive development. After controlling for parent's education and household income, children who had access to a computer in their home had significantly higher scores of the Verbal, Perceptual-Performance, and General Cognitive scales of the MSCA. Furthermore, frequency of children's computer use was related to scores on the Boehm-3. These results suggest that early computer use at home may be a positive influence in young children's cognitive development. 97