Scientific American Article Review

The article entitled "Taming Baby Rage: Why Are Kids So Angry?" was a very interesting one. Researchers stated that studies have shown that it may not be the cartoons which lead your children to hit or be rough with other children at school. Research is supporting the theology that our children are born with these intuitions and, through training, they learn to express those emotions/ feelings in a more positive way.

"...It's surprising that the idea that children and adolescents learn aggression from the media is still relevant," according to Richard Tremblay (a professor of pediatrics, psychiatry and psychology at the University of Montreal). He has been doing continuous research on 35, 000 Canadian children to find out what the root of their behavior is. So far, Tremblay has found out that the peak of children's violent behavior is around 18 months and it begins to tamper off between 2-5 years old when they learn manners and other mature ways to communicate their wants and needs better.

Tremblay and his team want to further look into what extent does gene expressions play a part into the aggressiveness of our children. He stated that “individuals that are chronically aggressive have…more genes that are not expressed. The fact that a gene can be silenced or the level of protein it encodes reduced is an indication that the problem is at a very basic level." This was a very interesting observation. Since studies done with animals show that an unfit environment (from day one) can hinder the child from learning that violence is wrong, they are further testing to see if, what is done while the baby is in the womb, can affect the children neurologically once it is born. Some possible factors, which could have an affect on the child (if they are done during pregnancy), are drinking, stress, poor nutrition, and smoking. Taking a closer look into these factors & their affect on the child can help for early detection and interventions.

I found this article very interesting since I am very fascinated by children and their neurological development (I guess that is the maternal instincts in me). So much work has been put in so far to obtain these results and, as more is found out, more questions arise. It is very fascinating how we once though that what are child watches on TV could be the root of malicious behavior but, now, we are seeing that it could be more than that...possibly even a combination of the too. I believe that many of our behaviors are natural and innate but I also think that nurture has a big part to play in it as well. They work together. To know that there is a possibility that are genes could play a role in our aggressive behavior is remarkable and worth looking into for future analysis.

Articles Related to the Subject:

Neurobiological determinants of violence
http://www.gnxp.com/MT2/archives/002591.html


TV Violence May Spur Aggression in Boys
http://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=85006

Baby Bullies
http://www.sesameworkshop.org/parents/advice/article.php?contentId=90561