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 The
Transition to School Study was initiated as a pilot study to test the
feasibility of a variety of psychometric instruments for use in a larger scale,
longitudinal study of risk and resilience among Head Start children in Robeson
County, North Carolina. Information from the pilot study will contribute to
modifications in the design of a research protocol for the Robeson County
Individual Development Study (RCIDS) or
"Our Kids" project that is being proposed. Meanwhile, the Transition
to School Study is providing preliminary data on a variety of correlates of
early childhood learning and behavior patterns.
During the first wave of the study, area parents and
children were invited for a single laboratory visit to assess a variety of
personality and neurodevelopmental factors related to emotion regulation. A
range of specific skills involving attention, language development, visual/motor
integration, visual-spatial ability, memory and early childhood temperament
styles were assessed. We are planning for follow-up to study the relationship of
these domains to school readiness and concurrent social functioning in
elementary school.
 Specific
studies include:
- Multimethod convergence in the measurement of
emotion regulation
- Intraindividual variability assessment of
psychophysiological and behavioral measures
- Fluctuating dermatoglyphic assymetry and its
relationship to specific neuropsychological abilities
- Heart rate variability patterns in behavioral
inhibition
- The relationship between parental dysphoria and
children's behavior problems and temperament
- Vagal tone and school task attention
- Parental expectancy about school quality and
available services in the prediction of school readiness
 
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