On the Record

“Any parent who thinks a spelling program is educational for that age is missing the whole idea of how the preschool brain grows. What children need at that age is whole body movement, the manipulation of lots of objects and not some opaque technology.”

—Jane M. Healy, PhD, an educational psychologist in Vail, Colo., in an article about the popularity of smartphone apps among children.
The New York Times, Oct. 18

“One dynamic I’ve seen is that women don’t want to put up with a controlling or abusive husband because they’re afraid to model this as an acceptable form of marriage to their daughters.”

—Susan Heitler, PhD, a Denver-based clinical psychologist, on the finding that couples with daughters are more likely to divorce.
ABCNews.com, Oct. 6

“The more you keep the ball in focus, the better off you’ll be .... Our peripheral vision is not just a blurry version of our central vision.”

—American University psychologist Arthur Shapiro, PhD, whose study confirmed age-old advice: Keep your eye on the ball.
USA Today, Oct. 14