A new study suggests that mothers who give birth naturally bond more strongly with their babies than mothers who have caesarean sections. This may be due to the flood of hormones, such as oxytocin that are realeased during natural childbirth. The study was published by Yale School of Medicine researchers in the October issue of Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry.

Children who are surrounded by peers who are overweight are less likely to realise that they are also overweight according to a new study by researchers from the Université de Montréal, McGill University, Concordia University and the Ste. Justine Hospital Research Centre.

New research relevant to the Developmental Psychology ( attachment),  stress and the Debates sections of the AQA-A A Level Psychology specification,shows that maternal sensitivity can reduce the negative effects of genes that predispose children to respond poorly to stress.

Piaget's famous 3 mountains task apparently showed that children under the age of 8 are egocentric, that is they do not realise that other people see things differently to themselves. In the three mountains task a child is seated in front of a papier mache model of 3 mountains and a doll is seated on one of the other 3 sides of the model. The child then has to choose from a series of photographs, the one that shows the dolls view - children under 8 usually choose the photograph that shows their own perspective. Other examples of egocentrism include children hiding by burying their heads in the sofa - if they can't see you then you can't see them. However, new research by psychologists at the University of Washington's Institute for Learning and Brain Sciences indicates that even 12- and 18-month-old babies not only are observing what is going on around them but also are using their own visual self-experience to judge what other people can and cannot see.