Getting help with parenting makes a difference -- at any age

    New Oxford University study finds that parenting interventions(育儿干预)for helping children with behavior problems are just as effective in school age, as in younger children.

    There is a dominant view among scientists and policy-makers. They believes, for the greatest effect, interventions need to be {#blank#}1{#/blank#} early in life, when children's brain function and behavior are thought to be more flexible. However, according to the new research, it's time to stop focusing on when we intervene with parenting, and just continue helping children in need of all ages.

    Just published in Child Development, the study is one of the first to {#blank#}2{#/blank#} this age assumption. Parenting interventions are a common and effective tool for reducing child behavior problems, but studies of age effects have produced different results until now.

    A team led by Professor Frances Fardner {#blank#}3{#/blank#}data from over 15,000 families from all over the world, and found no evidence that earlier is better.  Older children benefited just as much as younger ones from parenting interventions for reducing behavior problems. There was no evidence that earlier interventions are more powerful. This was based on {#blank#}4{#/blank#} data from more than 150 different experiments.

    What's more, their economic analysis found that interventions with older children were {#blank#}5{#/blank#} more likely to be cost-effective.

    Professor Gardner commented: “When there is {#blank#}6{#/blank#} about behavioral difficulties in younger children, our findings should never be used as a reason to delay intervention, otherwise, children and families will suffer for longer.” She continued, “As for {#blank#}7{#/blank#} parenting interventions for reducing behavior problems in childhood, we should stick to the principle, 'it's never too early, never too late', rather than 'earlier is better'.”

    The study draws the conclusion that it makes sense to invest in parenting interventions for children at all ages with behavioral difficulties, because they are no more likely to be {#blank#}8{#/blank#} in younger than older children, at least in the pre-adolescents.

    Of course, there's more work to be done. The experiments conducted were {#blank#}9{#/blank#} to pre-adolescents, to shorter-term effects, and parent-reported assessment of child outcomes. Future studies are needed that focus on adolescents, longer-term outcomes, and using multiple sources for {#blank#}10{#/blank#} child behavior problems.

    The brain is a seemingly endless library, whose shelves house our most precious memories. To allow new memories to form, old information is sometimes pushed out of the brain.

    Previous studies have shown that learning new information can lead to {#blank#}1{#/blank#}. But in a new study, researchers showed for the first time how this effect {#blank#}2{#/blank#} in the brain.

    In daily life, forgetting actually has clear {#blank#}3{#/blank#}. Imagine, for instance, that you lost your bank card. The new card you receive will come with a new personal identification number (PIN). Each time you remember the new PIN, you gradually forget the old one. This process improves access to {#blank#}4{#/blank#} information, without old memories interfering.

    And most of us may sometimes feel {#blank#}5{#/blank#} when old memories interfere with new, relevant memories. Consider trying to remember where you parked your car in the same car park you were at a week earlier. This type of memory is particularly interfering.

    When we get new information, the brain automatically tries to combine it with existing information by {#blank#}6{#/blank#} associations. And when we retrieve（检索）information, both the desired and {#blank#}7{#/blank#} but irrelevant information is recalled.

    The majority of previous research has focused on how we learn and remember new information. But current studies are beginning to put greater {#blank#}8{#/blank#} on the conditions under which we forget, as its importance begins to be more appreciated.

    A very small number of people are able to remember almost every detail of their life. Though it may sound like an advantage to many, people with this rare condition often find their {#blank#}9{#/blank#} ability troublesome. In a sense, normal forgetting may help to ensure our brain doesn't become too full.

When his grandchildren came, they promised him they would find the watch which was given by their grandma.

One granddaughter asked," Grandpa, do you remember when you saw it the {#blank#}1{#/blank#}time? "I guess when I was cleaning the{#blank#}2{#/blank#}!" he replied.

The children looked for more than two hours with Joe, but they couldn't find it. The kids were now also sad, but they tried to comfort their grandpa.

One grandson went back to the garden to look again. He was there for about 15 minutes and rushed back with a(n) {#blank#}3{#/blank#} look on his face.

Then everyone was very surprised to see the watch in his hand. They asked how he was able to find it. The little boy replied, "I sat there without making a noise. After a few minutes, I heard the ‘tick, tick' sound and found the watch. "

Joe hugged and {#blank#}4{#/blank#} the little boy.

This is the power of silence. If we stay calm (冷静), we are more able to find the ways of solving problems.