Infant and Child Development最新文献

The Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) has been validated across many cultural settings, yet evidence from Taiwan is scarce and derives mainly from metropolitan populations. No data are available from Changhua County, central Taiwan—an area with a strong agricultural profile and socio-demographic characteristics distinct from the more urbanised north and south. After exclusions, valid data from 1008 elementary school students (ages 7–12) were analysed. Parents and teachers completed questionnaires for all children, and students in grades 5–6 provided self-reports. Normative data and percentile-based cutoff scores were established. Reliability was generally satisfactory, though weaker for peer and conduct problem subscales, particularly in self-reports. Inter-rater correlations were modest (r = 0.15–0.48), with especially low agreement between teachers and other informants on emotional symptoms. Exploratory factor analysis partially supported the intended structure. These findings demonstrate that while the SDQ is a practical tool for school-based screening in Taiwan, peer and conduct domains require cautious interpretation and socio-demographic context should be considered when applying the instrument across different regions.

Children's early print and screen media experiences at home shape language and literacy development, but screen media can displace reading and vary by socioeconomic status (SES). This study examines how family stressors (economic strain, parent psychological distress, inter-relational stress) and protective factors (parent activity involvement, parenting self-efficacy, perceived parental impact, social support and external childcare) influence children's print and screen media experiences in lower-SES families. This study uses data from 222 mothers to child dyads (46% Black, 38% White) from the longitudinal SMALL Talk project, focusing on families experiencing poverty. Data were collected at children's age 40–44 months via interviews and online surveys. Findings will inform how family contexts can promote or hinder positive print and screen media engagement to support child development and school readiness.

Theory of mind (ToM)—the ability to attribute mental states to oneself and others—is a core social-cognitive skill that develops throughout childhood and adolescence. This systematic review synthesises 337 studies with 89,111 participants from 39 countries to organise the literature. We propose a six-domain ecological model encompassing within-child factors, family, peers, educational settings, community contexts, and culture. Research has heavily focused on within-child factors, especially executive functioning, language, and emotional understanding, which are consistently linked to preschool ToM. In contrast, advanced ToM and later developmental stages remain underexplored. Family and peer influences show meaningful but varied associations. Educational settings may promote ToM through inclusive practices and teacher behaviours, although findings are sparse. Cultural mechanisms are rarely examined beyond group comparisons, and community-based influences are nearly absent. We highlight major gaps and call for longitudinal, context-sensitive, and cross-cultural research to better inform interventions supporting children's social, emotional, and academic development.

Research indicates that when literate children and adults hear a new word that they have never seen in print, they create an expectation for how the word may be spelled. However, studies have not yet examined the extent to which orthographic knowledge plays a role in children's spoken vocabulary learning when words are taught without print. The current study used structural equation modelling to examine the relation between children's word reading ability and their ability to learn novel words from spoken instruction. Children (N = 335; 7–9 years; 52% female; < 1% American Indian/Alaskan Native, 33% Black, 1% Multiracial, < 1% Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander, 2% Other; 57% White; 6% did not report race; 2% Hispanic/Latino, 97% Not Hispanic/Latino; < 1% did not report ethnicity) completed norm-referenced language and reading assessments and experimental measures of spoken word learning. Word reading ability and vocabulary knowledge uniquely predicted spoken word learning with respective medium-small and medium-large effects after controlling for phonological memory, general language ability, and nonverbal cognition. Thus, orthographic skill has important effects on vocabulary learning, unaccounted for in previous research, that should be addressed in current theory and practice.

Emotional knowledge (EK) is broadly defined as the ability to identify and understand emotions. Despite being recognized as a foundational component of socioemotional development in childhood, early emergence of EK is seldom explored before age 3. Similarly, research has yet to explore the feasibility of assessing young children's EK via online assessment, despite the growing relevance and potential of this modality in expanding research accessibility. To address these research gaps, a sample of 92 toddlers (age range: 18–36-months, 52 female and 40 male) and their mothers (M_age = 32.6 years; 50% White Canadian) participated in this exploratory study investigating the feasibility of assessing toddler EK using virtual assessment tools. Results provide evidence for future potential assessing toddler EK online, as most toddlers (66.7%) were able to participate in at least one component of the virtual assessment task. Methodological strengths and suggestions are discussed to facilitate future research that incorporates online assessments with younger children.

Trial Registration: ClinicalTrial.gov identifier: NCT04772677