Abstract thinking, 171–172
Acceptance, 300
Acid reflux, 275
Adrenaline, 65
Adult sleep, 254–255
Aerobic exercise
in reducing stress, 289
Affect detection in empathy, 81
Affective intent, 109
Age
chronological, 95
digital, 140–143
mental, 95
sleep needs by, 252–253
television watching and, 143–147
Alcohol
brain development and, 30
sexual abuse and, 183
Allergic reactions, 44
Alley, Kirstie, 96–97
Alliance for the Lost Boys of Sudan, 182
Altruism, 221–222
Alzheimer’s disease, ginkgo biloba in, 43
American Academy of Pediatrics
on breast-feeding, 125
on television watching, 144
American College of Obstetricians on exercise, 51
American Idol (TV show), 15
American Sign Language, 112–113
Amniotic fluid, smell of, 36
Amniotic sac, 25
Andreasen, Nancy, 106
Anencephaly, 27
continual, as toxic stress, 154–155
Animal rights movement, 60
Anorexia nervosa, 173
Antisocial personality disorder, 183
Anxiousness in baby, 179–181
Appealing to fixed mindsets, 137
Application, punishment by, 239
Aristotle, 161
Association cortices, 106
Associative data, 7–8
Harlow’s experiments on, 60–61
time as factor in, 193
Atem, Jacob, 182
Attention-deficit disorders, risk for, 44
Attention span, 24
television and, 145
Attentive parenting, 122, 190–191
Auditory perception, origin of, 34
Authoritarian parenting, 199
Authoritative parenting, 199, 236, 245
Authority, respect for, 221
Autistic children, 176
Autobiographical memory, 106
Avoidance behaviors, fetus’s display of, 32
Awareness, 78
increasing your, 207
Axonal migration, 1
B
Babies
anxiousness in, 179–181
attention span of, 24
bonding in providing safety for, 65–66
bringing home, 55–56
cognition in, 63–64
crying of, 55–56
reasons for, 169–174
disruption of normal, 159–160
exploratory behavior of, 100–103
exposure to new things, 179
food preferences of, 37–38
fussiness in, 180
having first, 2
hypnotic effect, on fathers, 128
imitation by, 62
impact of, on marriage, 1, 57–60
leaving alone in pregnancy, 287–288
limbic system in, 48
moral sensibilities in, at birth, 220–225
need for face time, 113
need of, to relate to others, 14–15
prewiring of, for learning, 62
prior to birth (See Fetus)
sensitivities in, 159–160
social contract with parents, 56
stress-response system in, 47–48, 66–68
struggle of, in learning to sleep independently, 276–277
teaching impulse control to, 4
temperament in, 160–165
tracking of language in, 109–110
Baby Blues (comic strip), 280
The Baby Book: Everything You Need to Know about Your Baby from Birth to Age Two (Sears), 262, 274
Baby Einstein (DVD), 146
Baby Prodigy (DVD), 23
Background components of human behavior, 80
Bakermans-Kranenburg, Marian, 236–237
Balanced emotional surveillance, 202
Balance in fetus, 36–37
Baldwin, James, 78
Bargh, John, 142
Barney & Friends (TV show), 146
Basic Rest Activity Cycle (BRAC), 258
Baumrind, Diana, 197, 198, 200, 236, 248
Bedtime routines, 259
Behavior
avoidance, 32
background components of, 80
as choice, 209–210
decision making and, 107
exploratory, 100–103
foreground components of, 80
mirroring of, 175
praising in absence of bad, 235–236
Presbyterian, 101
taking critical look at your, 296
visible, 48–49
Behavior modification, 300
Biochemical rhythms in mothers, 255
Bipolar depression, risk for, 44
Birth defects
causes of, 27
DNA and, 27
environmental toxins in, 27
Birth weight
brain volume and, 40
IQ and, 40
Blended families, 15
Bliss, prediction of, in marriage, 59
Blogging, 3
Bloom, Paul, 221
Bobo the clown, learning from, 226–227
Body language, interaction of, with speech, 112
Body maps, development of, in baby’s brain, 32
Body Mass Index (BMI), 40
Bonding in providing safety, 65–66
Bone mineralization, stress hormones and, 67
Boundary formation in empathy, 82
Bradlee, Ben, 162
Brain
desire for safety, 60–66
early development immaturity of, 13
fixation on safety, 123–124
gray matter in, 92
hemispheres in, 171
job description of, 12
learning and, 122–123
response to external environment, 6
role of, in bridging facts and emotions, 230–232
sensory system of, 30–31
structural abnormalities of, 91
survival as priority of, 12–15, 64
white matter in, 92
Brain boosters
advertising of ginkgo biloba as, 43
breast-feeding as, 124–125, 293
talking to baby as, 125–129
Brain-derived neurotrophic factor, 51
Brain development
alcohol in, 30
answering questions about, 1–2
in children, 9–10
creativity in boosting, 4
drugs in, 30
exercise in, 49–51
exposure to hostility and, 57
folic acid in aiding in, 27
impact of television on, 4
iron in, 42
male versus female, 29
neurons in, 22
nicotine and, 30
overstimulation and, 127
parenting and, 3
Paré on, 27
pregnancy weight gain and, 40–41
stress and, 45–49
timetable for, 151–153
Brain science, inadequacies of, 5–8
Brain size, IQ scores and, 40
Brain volume, birth weight and, 40
Breast-feeding
as brain booster, 124–125, 293
length of, 293
nocturnal, 267
oxytocin in stimulating lactation in, 73
Breast milk, omega-3s in, 125
Bullying, 280–281
television and, 144
Bundy, Ted, 237–238
Burnett, Carol, 280
Burns, Robert, 80
Buscaglia, Leo, 81
C
California Achievement Test, performance on, 9
Calories in diet, 288
CAP (rules), 300
explaining rationale behind, 300
Career, guiding children toward high income, 300
Cathepsin D, link to intelligence, 92–93
The Cat in the Hat, reading to fetus, 33–34
Causal data, 7–8
Ceausescu, Nicolae, 64–65
Cell phones, texting on, 149–151
Cells
embryonic, 28
migration of, 28–29
nerve, 2
Child rearing
gay parents in, 15
grandparents in, 15–16
length of time in, 11
role of nature in, 10
teamwork in, 14
in two-parent household, 6–7
Children
boosting confidence of, 4
brain development in, 9–10
career guidance for, 300
charting emotional landscape of, 297
controlling digital activities of, 297
developing empathy reflex with, 298–299
development of moral reasoning in, 225–232
differences in, 6
in doing right thing, 222–223
effect of divorce on, 67–68
encouragement of, 121–122
feelings in, 169–170
fighting in front of, 292
in finding happiness, 5
getting to know individually, 6
giving gift of emotional regulation to, 165–170, 215
goal in raising happy, 160–161
helping make friends, 298
influences on, 7
instilling moral awareness in, 300
listening to parents, 78
lying by, 223–224
mental-health issues for, 166, 293
monitoring emotions of, 297
morning sickness in mother and gifted, 22–23
obesity in, 148
opinions of parenting styles, 247–248
praising efforts of, 4, 136–140
problem-solving skills in, 131–132
reconciling in front of, 68, 292
resilience in, 181–183
rules and discipline in raising moral, 232–245
source of happiness in, 196–197
television watching by, 143–147
use of language by, 131
vulnerability of, 13
Choices, willingness to make right, 223
Chore charts, 300
Chronicles of Narnia series, 211
Chronological age, 95
Circadian rhythm, 258
Clarity, 300
Clinical depression
parenting and, 58
social isolation as cause of, 71
Cognition
in babies, 63–64
learning sign language in boosting, 112–113
Cognitive neurosciences, 80
Cognitive tests, breast-feeding and, 125
Cold, distinguishing hot from, 32
“Cold” decision-making behaviors, 107
College-degree parents, 153
Comfortable, being, with emotions, 200–201
Common fate, principle of, 63
Common value signals, 104
Communication
neural, 29
nonverbal, 5, 100, 108–111, 150, 205
Competition, 154
COMT (catechol-O-methyl transferase), link to short-term memory, 92
Conferences, learning, 135
Confidence, boosting, 4
Conscience, 222–223
Consequences, considering the, 226
Contraception in Romania, 64–65
Control, loss of, as toxic, 154
Cooperative social groups, survival and formation of, 14
Cortex, 171–172
Cosby, Bill, 223
Cowan, Carolyn, 292
Cowan, Philip, 292
Cravings, 41
cognitive gadgets in, 106
impact on brain development, 4
intelligence and, 105–108
in play, 131
predicting, 107–108
risk taking and, 106–107
Crisis, as teachable moment, 211
Cross-modal transfer, 93
Crying in baby, 55–56
reasons for, 169–174
Cry-It-Out (CIO) style of sleep consolidation, 260
camping out, 275
choosing between NAP style and, 275
Ferber on, 263–265
graduated extinction, 275
Crystallized intelligence, 99
Curiosity, pressure in extinguishing, 154
D
Damasio, Antonio, 229–230
Darwin, Charles, 94
Data
associative versus causal, 7–8
sources of, 16–17
Decision making, emotions and, 229–230
Decoding in nonverbal communication, 5, 281
Deferred imitation, 141–142
Delay, as enemy, 293
Demandingness, 198–199
Depression, 166, 184. See also Clinical depression
learned helplessness as gateway to, 155
marital conflict and, 59, 76–77
in new parents, 293
postpartum, 76
risk for, 44
Developmental psychology, 160
Diamond, Adele, 294
Diet. See also Food preferences
calories in, 288
fruits and vegetables in, 288
of lactating mothers, 38
paleo, 42
Digital age, 140–143
Digital experiences, dividing, into categories, 297
Digital games, 297
Direct intervention, 207
Disappointment, continual, as toxic stress, 154–155
Discipline. See also Punishment
inductive, 244–245
spanking as, 245–247
Disney, Baby Einstein DVDs and, 146
Distress, 192
Divorce
effect on children, 68
Django Unchained, 251
DNA, birth defects and, 27
Dopamine, 183
Dopamine receptor, genes of, 92
Dora the Explorer (TV show), 146
Dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, 104, 231
Down syndrome, 97
DRD4 (dopamine receptor D4), 183
DRD4-7, 183
Drowse/arouse cycle, 258
Drugs
brain development and, 30
divorce and abuse of, 68
Duchamp, Marcel, 105
Dweck, Carol, 139
Dyslexia, risk for, 44
E
Ectoderm, 26
Educational videos, claims of, 145–146
EEGs, 268
Effort, praising, 136–140, 155, 296
brain of, 90–91
Ekman, Paul, 114–115
Eliot, Lise, 36
Embryonic cells, 28
Emotional changes
describing, 83
sources of, 83–84
Emotional intimacy, loss of, 290
Emotional landscape
charting for children, 297
Emotional reactions as reflexive, 209–210
Emotional regulations, 165–170, 215
Emotional safety, punishment and, 242
Emotional surveillance, 203–204
Emotions
attitudes toward, 209
being comfortable with, 200–201
as central, 197–198
comparing, to Post-it notes, 167–168, 169
as contagious, 213
crying and, 168–169
decision making and, 229–230
defined, 166–167
difficulty regulating, 67–68
empathy and, 212–214
examining, 206–207
expressing, 189–190
happiness as, 160–161
judging, 209
labeling, 205–206
memories and, 172
monitoring in child, 297
punishment and negative, 240
role of the brain in bridging facts and, 230–232
running toward, 208–211
tracking, 201–204
verbalizing, 204–205
Empathy, 221
affect detection in, 81
boundary formation in, 82
in calming nerves, 213–214
defining, 81–82
emotions and, 212–214
enabling, 280–282
in forming friendships, 173–176, 281–282
imaginative transposition in, 82
mirror neurons in, 175–176
practice in projecting, 214–215
developing with children, 298–299
developing with partner, 291
in stabilizing marriage, 281
success of, 82–83
winning contest on, 80–81
Encouragement of children, 121–122
Endoderm, 26
Entin, Esther, 131
Environment
importance of, in HighScope Perry Preschool Study, 10–11
learning about through self-corrected ideas, 101
response of brain to external, 6
role of, in sleep, 253
Environment toxins, birth defects and, 27
Epinephrine, 65
Episodic memory, 106
Eudaimonia, 161
Evolutionary biology, 11
Executive function, 104, 105, 135, 223
improving, 294
testing, 148–149
Exercise
brain development and, 49–51
effect of overstrenuous, 51
need for balance in, 51
strengthening, 148
stress and, 51
Expectations
effect of extreme on higher-level thinking, 153–154
from experiences, 143
Experiences, expectations from, 143
Experimental psychology, 178
Exploration, 117
babies’ desire for, 101–103
Exquisite sensitivity, 142–143
External environment, brain’s response to, 6
External sensory information, processing, 172
Extinction, 122–123
Extrospective information, 80, 112, 150
F
Face blindness, 115
Face time, babies’ need for, 113
Face-to-face communication, 112
Facial Action Coding System (FACS), 114–115
Facial recognition, research on, 114–115
Facts, role of the brain in bridging emotions and, 230–232
Fairness, 221
Families
blended, 15
changes in defining, 15–16
gay, 16
reading as tradition in, 298
single-parent, 15
sleep and, 267–268
Fathers. See also Husbands; Males
clinical depression in, 58
depression in, 77
hypnotic effect of bodies on, 128
TV depiction of, 57
Feelings
in children, 169–170
verbalizing, 299
Females. See also Mothers; Wife/wives
brain development in, 29
release of oxytocin in stress response in, 72–73
risk taking in, 107
unequal workload of, 59, 73–75, 292
Ferber, Richard, 255, 263–265, 271, 275, 276
Fetus
active mental life of, 21–22
balance in, 36–37
brain development in, 23–26, 287
desire for lack of simulation, 22–23, 28, 287–288
display of avoidance behaviors in, 32
hearing in, 33–35
heart rate of, 33
learning by, 1
memory and, 31
reading to, 33–35
sensitivity to temperature, 32
sight in, 33
smell in, 35–36
strategic development of senses in, 30–31
taste in, 37–38
touch in, 32
Fighting
effect of, on babies, 66–68
in front of children, 292
“Fight or flight” responses, 65
Firmness in punishment, 241, 301
First-person stories, source of, 16
Fish
mercury in, 45
omega-3s in, 44–45
Fitzgerald, F. Scott, 272–273
5-HTT in stress resistance, 184
Five years and older, television viewing by, 146
Fixed mindset praise, 139
Flavor programming, 37–38, 288
Flay, Bobby, 197
Fluid intelligence, 99, 100, 131
Fluid intelligence tests, 294
Flynn, James, 97
Flynn Effect, 97
Focus, ability to, television and, 145
Folic acid, 44
Food preferences. See also Diet
of baby, 37–38
establishment of, in womb, 38
during pregnancy, 41–45
Forbidden Toy paradigms, 242–243
Ford, Harrison, 257
Foreground component of human behavior, 80
Foreign languages, speaking to baby, 110–111, 287
Forgiveness reflex, happiness and, 164
Fowler, William, 129
Friendships
empathy in forming, 173–176, 281–282
helping children make, 165, 298
in predicting happiness, 5, 163
social competency in forming, 165
Frontopolar prefrontal cortex, 230
Fructose, 42
Fruit in diet, 288
Frustration, 206
Functional impulsiveness, 107
Fusiform gyrus, 115
Fussiness in babies, 180
G
Gage, Phineas, 229
Galinsky, Ellen, 295
Galton, Francis, 94–95
Gaming, 140–143
Gardner, Howard, 98
Gauss, Carl, brain of, 90
Gay couples, child rearing and, 15–16
Gender. See also Females; Males
high-school graduation and, 9
General cognition, measuring, 96
Genes
resiliency, 182–184
searching for smart, 92–93
in twin studies, 181
Genetics
happiness and, 177–180
on psychiatric disorders, 3
in sleep, 253
temperament and, 181–184
Gesture, interaction of, with speech, 112
Gifted children, morning sickness in mother and, 22–23
Gilbert, Daniel, 161
Gill arches, 28
Ginkgo biloba, advertising of, as brain booster, 43
“Giving” response, 76
Glennie, Evelyn Elizabeth Ann, 136
Glucocorticoids, 47–48, 51, 65, 288
Glucose, 42
“Goldilocks and the Three Bears,” story of, 38–39
Goldilocks Effect, 39, 45, 127, 204
Go the F**k to Sleep (Mansbach), 252
Gottman, John, 82, 83, 197, 201, 212, 213, 215, 292, 299
Gottman, Julie, 292
Gourmet parents, 153
Graduated extinction, 275
Grandparents, child rearing by, 15–16
Grant, W. T., 162
Gratefulness, happiness and, 163
Gratitude, 163
Gray, Peter, 131
Gray matter in brain, 92
Great Kids (Greenspan), 214–215
Greenspan, Stanley, 214
Gregersen, Hal, 102–103
Grief, 210
Grim, Patrick, 230
Growth mindset praise, 139
Grump factor, 3
Guilt, 192
Gustatorial sensations, 37
H
Handbook of Child Psychology, 299
behaviors in predicting, 163–164
defining, 160–161
finding, in children, 5
forgiveness reflex in, 164
friendships in predicting, 5, 163
genetics and, 177–180
gratefulness and, 163
judgmental, 161
link between socialization and, 163
marriage and, 163
money and, 164
moral, 161
in romantic relationships, 163
secret of, 162–165
“set point” in, 177
sources of, in children, 196–197
temperament and, 160
Happiness Equation, 178
Harlow, Harry, 60
monkey experiments of, 60–61
Harm, 221
Harry Potter series, 300
Harvard Study of Adult Development, 162–163
Harvey, Thomas Stoltz, 90–91
Head Start, 9
Hearing in fetus, 33–35
Hecht, Joan, 182
Hemispheres, 171
Higher-level thinking, effect of extreme expectations on, 153–154
High-reactive temperament, 179, 184
High-risk decision-making behaviors, 107
High-school graduation, gender and, 9
HighScope Perry Preschool Study
environment in, 10–11
tracking children in, 9–10
Hippocampus, 183
Hoffman, Dustin, 240
Home, bringing baby, 55–56
Home schooling, 121–122
Hope, marital conflict and, 59–60
Hostility, sustained exposure to, and brain development, 57
Hot, distinguishing from cold, 32
“Hot” decision-making behaviors, 107
Housework load, balancing, 59, 73–75, 292
Hrdy, Sarah, 72
Human behavior, as complicated, 8
Human conflict, Big Bang of, 80
Human learning, 111
Human relationships, importance of, 165
Hume, David, 228
Husbands. See also Fathers; Males
cherishing of pregnant wives, 289
Hypercortosolism, 66
dangers of, 153–155
Hypnotic effect of babies on fathers, 128
Hypocortisolism, 66