Pub Date : 2026-01-29DOI: 10.1016/j.appdev.2026.101928
Mary Bratsch-Hines , Laura Kuhn , Amanda Witte , Ximena Franco-Jenkins , Maria Abdul-Masih , Arya Ansari , Natalie Koziol , Tzu-Jung Lin , Kelly Purtell , Meghan McCormick , Early Learning Network (ELN) Key Investigators
The number of children attending prekindergarten (pre-K) in public elementary schools has substantially increased in the last two decades. Yet, limited research has associated school-level characteristics with pre-K achievement. Data collected from 2389 pre-K students (43% with Spanish as a home language) in 147 public schools across four U.S. states were combined with nationally available school-level data. Distal school-level characteristics were related with reading, language, or math scores during pre-K. Moderation by Spanish as a home language was explored. Two-level hierarchical linear models were employed, which included random intercepts for schools and controlled for multiple covariates, including children's pretest scores from the fall of pre-K. School-level characteristics were generally not associated with residualized gains in reading, language, or math scores, except for school-level teacher absenteeism being associated with lower language scores, but only for students with Spanish as a home language. Implications and future directions are discussed.
{"title":"Associations of distal elementary school characteristics with prekindergarten student","authors":"Mary Bratsch-Hines , Laura Kuhn , Amanda Witte , Ximena Franco-Jenkins , Maria Abdul-Masih , Arya Ansari , Natalie Koziol , Tzu-Jung Lin , Kelly Purtell , Meghan McCormick , Early Learning Network (ELN) Key Investigators","doi":"10.1016/j.appdev.2026.101928","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.appdev.2026.101928","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The number of children attending prekindergarten (pre-K) in public elementary schools has substantially increased in the last two decades. Yet, limited research has associated school-level characteristics with pre-K achievement. Data collected from 2389 pre-K students (43% with Spanish as a home language) in 147 public schools across four U.S. states were combined with nationally available school-level data. Distal school-level characteristics were related with reading, language, or math scores during pre-K. Moderation by Spanish as a home language was explored. Two-level hierarchical linear models were employed, which included random intercepts for schools and controlled for multiple covariates, including children's pretest scores from the fall of pre-K. School-level characteristics were generally not associated with residualized gains in reading, language, or math scores, except for school-level teacher absenteeism being associated with lower language scores, but only for students with Spanish as a home language. Implications and future directions are discussed.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48168,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology","volume":"103 ","pages":"Article 101928"},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2026-01-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146078423","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-01-19DOI: 10.1016/j.appdev.2026.101927
Zhuoling Xiong, Zhihua Li
Economic inequality is a pervasive global issue with consequences that extend beyond societal structures to affect individuals across socioeconomic strata and developmental stages. Although recent research has shown that perceived economic inequality significantly influences risk-taking behavior in adults, its impact on adolescents, particularly within the Chinese cultural context, remains underexplored. Across four studies, we investigated the psychological mechanisms linking perceived economic inequality to adolescent risk-taking in China, and tested the boundary conditions of this effect by examining the moderating role of subjective socioeconomic status (SSS). Studies 1a and 1b employed questionnaire and experimental methods to establish the association between perceived economic disparity and adolescent risk-taking. Study 2 introduced measures of desire for wealth and status and sense of control to further explore the mediating mechanisms. Study 3 simultaneously manipulated participants' SSS to test this moderated relationship. We found that perceived economic inequality positively influenced Chinese adolescents' risk-taking behavior, with increased desire for wealth and status and reduced sense of control serving as parallel mediators. This effect is moderated by SSS, being stronger at lower levels of SSS and weaker at higher levels. Thus, economic inequality, as a crucial socioenvironmental factor, profoundly influences Chinese adolescents' risk-taking behavior through their subjective perceptions of social disparity. The parallel mediation model provides a novel perspective on the psychological pathways linking perceived economic inequality to adolescent risk, while the moderated parallel mediation model extends the dual systems framework. These findings offer practical implications for interventions targeting adolescent risk behaviors.
{"title":"Effects of perceived economic inequality on adolescent risk-taking behavior: A dual-systems model in a Chinese cultural context","authors":"Zhuoling Xiong, Zhihua Li","doi":"10.1016/j.appdev.2026.101927","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.appdev.2026.101927","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Economic inequality is a pervasive global issue with consequences that extend beyond societal structures to affect individuals across socioeconomic strata and developmental stages. Although recent research has shown that perceived economic inequality significantly influences risk-taking behavior in adults, its impact on adolescents, particularly within the Chinese cultural context, remains underexplored. Across four studies, we investigated the psychological mechanisms linking perceived economic inequality to adolescent risk-taking in China, and tested the boundary conditions of this effect by examining the moderating role of subjective socioeconomic status (SSS). Studies 1a and 1b employed questionnaire and experimental methods to establish the association between perceived economic disparity and adolescent risk-taking. Study 2 introduced measures of desire for wealth and status and sense of control to further explore the mediating mechanisms. Study 3 simultaneously manipulated participants' SSS to test this moderated relationship. We found that perceived economic inequality positively influenced Chinese adolescents' risk-taking behavior, with increased desire for wealth and status and reduced sense of control serving as parallel mediators. This effect is moderated by SSS, being stronger at lower levels of SSS and weaker at higher levels. Thus, economic inequality, as a crucial socioenvironmental factor, profoundly influences Chinese adolescents' risk-taking behavior through their subjective perceptions of social disparity. The parallel mediation model provides a novel perspective on the psychological pathways linking perceived economic inequality to adolescent risk, while the moderated parallel mediation model extends the dual systems framework. These findings offer practical implications for interventions targeting adolescent risk behaviors.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48168,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology","volume":"103 ","pages":"Article 101927"},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2026-01-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146023140","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-01-14DOI: 10.1016/j.appdev.2026.101926
Fanlong Wang , Yihao Hu , Zeyi Shi , Yan Sun , Jie Gong , Junsheng Liu , Dandan Cheng
The present study examined the moderating role of intrinsic interpersonal emotion regulation on the longitudinal associations between peer victimization and depressive symptoms among Chinese children. A two-wave longitudinal study spanning one year was conducted. Participants included 894 children at Time 1 (56% boys, Mage = 9.87 years) in Jinan, People’s Republic of China. Peer victimization, intrinsic interpersonal emotion regulation, and depressive symptoms were measured through self-report questionnaires. The results revealed that peer victimization was positively related to depressive symptoms one year later. More importantly, the longitudinal relationship between peer victimization and depressive symptoms were moderated by intrinsic interpersonal emotion regulation. Specifically, the longitudinal association between peer victimization and depressive symptoms became weaker among children with higher levels of intrinsic interpersonal emotion regulation. The findings highlight the protective role of intrinsic interpersonal emotion regulation in preventing victimized children from developing depressive symptoms and point out the path for improving victimized children’s mental health. Intervention programs should implement targeted strategies to provide more opportunities for victimized children to seek interpersonal interaction to regulate emotions.
{"title":"Intrinsic interpersonal emotion regulation moderates longitudinal associations between peer victimization and depressive symptoms among Chinese children","authors":"Fanlong Wang , Yihao Hu , Zeyi Shi , Yan Sun , Jie Gong , Junsheng Liu , Dandan Cheng","doi":"10.1016/j.appdev.2026.101926","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.appdev.2026.101926","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The present study examined the moderating role of intrinsic interpersonal emotion regulation on the longitudinal associations between peer victimization and depressive symptoms among Chinese children. A two-wave longitudinal study spanning one year was conducted. Participants included 894 children at Time 1 (56% boys, <em>M</em><sub>age</sub> = 9.87 years) in Jinan, People’s Republic of China. Peer victimization, intrinsic interpersonal emotion regulation, and depressive symptoms were measured through self-report questionnaires. The results revealed that peer victimization was positively related to depressive symptoms one year later. More importantly, the longitudinal relationship between peer victimization and depressive symptoms were moderated by intrinsic interpersonal emotion regulation. Specifically, the longitudinal association between peer victimization and depressive symptoms became weaker among children with higher levels of intrinsic interpersonal emotion regulation. The findings highlight the protective role of intrinsic interpersonal emotion regulation in preventing victimized children from developing depressive symptoms and point out the path for improving victimized children’s mental health. Intervention programs should implement targeted strategies to provide more opportunities for victimized children to seek interpersonal interaction to regulate emotions.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48168,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology","volume":"103 ","pages":"Article 101926"},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2026-01-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145978320","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-01-14DOI: 10.1016/j.appdev.2026.101923
Jingjing Zhu , Yanqi Li , Siyuan Zhu , Yan Li
This study examines the dynamic relationship between parent-child relationships and callous-unemotional (CU) traits in Chinese preschoolers, addressing a gap in non-Western cultures. A longitudinal survey of 492 children (48 % girls, Mage = 52.44 months, attrition rate = 1.01 %) and their mothers from Shanghai kindergartens was conducted at two time points (1.5 years apart). Cross-lagged analyses revealed bidirectional associations: mother-child conflict at Time 1 (T1) positively predicted CU traits at Time 2 (T2), while mother-child closeness at T1 negatively predicted CU traits at T2. Conversely, CU traits at T1 positively predicted mother-child conflict and negatively predicted closeness at T2. Sex differences emerged, with mother-child closeness at T1 significantly predicting CU traits at T2 for boys but not girls. These findings underscore the critical role of early parent-child relationships in shaping CU traits, offering insights for promoting healthy family dynamics and child development in Chinese cultural contexts.
{"title":"Bidirectional associations between callous-unemotional behavior and parent-child relationship in Chinese children","authors":"Jingjing Zhu , Yanqi Li , Siyuan Zhu , Yan Li","doi":"10.1016/j.appdev.2026.101923","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.appdev.2026.101923","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study examines the dynamic relationship between parent-child relationships and callous-unemotional (CU) traits in Chinese preschoolers, addressing a gap in non-Western cultures. A longitudinal survey of 492 children (48 % girls, <em>M</em><sub>age</sub> = 52.44 months, attrition rate = 1.01 %) and their mothers from Shanghai kindergartens was conducted at two time points (1.5 years apart). Cross-lagged analyses revealed bidirectional associations: mother-child conflict at Time 1 (T1) positively predicted CU traits at Time 2 (T2), while mother-child closeness at T1 negatively predicted CU traits at T2. Conversely, CU traits at T1 positively predicted mother-child conflict and negatively predicted closeness at T2. Sex differences emerged, with mother-child closeness at T1 significantly predicting CU traits at T2 for boys but not girls. These findings underscore the critical role of early parent-child relationships in shaping CU traits, offering insights for promoting healthy family dynamics and child development in Chinese cultural contexts.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48168,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology","volume":"103 ","pages":"Article 101923"},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2026-01-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145978318","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-01-14DOI: 10.1016/j.appdev.2026.101924
Aashna Doshi , Sabine Weinert , Wei Huang
Children's self-regulatory abilities in preschool significantly contribute to social development from preschool to primary school. However, few studies have included both emotionally neutral executive functions and emotion-related facets of preschool self-regulation as predictors of children's social development. This study analyses the role of a broad range of self-regulatory facets (inhibitory control, cognitive flexibility, phonological working memory, delay of gratification, and parent-reported effortful control at 3–5 years) in the development of prosocial behavior and peer relationships at ages 5, 7, and 9, while accounting for factors such as negative affectivity, surgency, receptive vocabulary and previous social development, among others. We used data from a large-scale longitudinal sample of 1898 German children (49.72 % females) and conducted growth curve modeling. Prosocial behavior and peer relationships showed a linear as well as a quadratic growth trend. When analysing the association of various self-regulatory facets to social development, cognitive flexibility, delay of gratification, and parent-reported effortful control were found to be significantly associated with the growth pattern of prosocial behavior, even after including controls and accounting for previous social development. Furthermore, these self-regulatory facets also predicted the development of peer relationships in models that treated emotionally neutral and emotion-related facets of self-regulation separately. Yet, in the overall model, the development of peer relationships was only predicted by parent-reported effortful control and this relation also did not remain significant when accounting for controls and previous social development. Overall, the results suggest a complex relation between self-regulatory facets and social development, requiring further investigation.
{"title":"Social development from preschool to primary school: Contribution of self-regulatory abilities during the preschool years","authors":"Aashna Doshi , Sabine Weinert , Wei Huang","doi":"10.1016/j.appdev.2026.101924","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.appdev.2026.101924","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Children's self-regulatory abilities in preschool significantly contribute to social development from preschool to primary school. However, few studies have included both e<em>motionally neutral executive functions</em> and <em>emotion-related</em> facets of preschool self-regulation as predictors of children's social development. This study analyses the role of a broad range of self-regulatory facets (inhibitory control, cognitive flexibility, phonological working memory, delay of gratification, and parent-reported effortful control at 3–5 years) in the development of prosocial behavior and peer relationships at ages 5, 7, and 9, while accounting for factors such as negative affectivity, surgency, receptive vocabulary and previous social development, among others. We used data from a large-scale longitudinal sample of 1898 German children (49.72 % females) and conducted growth curve modeling. Prosocial behavior and peer relationships showed a linear as well as a quadratic growth trend. When analysing the association of various self-regulatory facets to social development, cognitive flexibility, delay of gratification, and parent-reported effortful control were found to be significantly associated with the growth pattern of prosocial behavior, even after including controls and accounting for previous social development. Furthermore, these self-regulatory facets also predicted the development of peer relationships in models that treated emotionally neutral and emotion-related facets of self-regulation separately. Yet, in the overall model, the development of peer relationships was only predicted by parent-reported effortful control and this relation also did not remain significant when accounting for controls and previous social development. Overall, the results suggest a complex relation between self-regulatory facets and social development, requiring further investigation.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48168,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology","volume":"103 ","pages":"Article 101924"},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2026-01-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145978319","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-01-09DOI: 10.1016/j.appdev.2026.101925
Pedro Henrique Ribeiro Santiago , Gustavo Soares , Kym McCormick , Tess Gregory , Alyssa Sawyer , Lisa Smithers , Lisa Jamieson
The understanding of children's social and emotional development in middle childhood is critical to promote well-being throughout the life course. Children who fail to develop social and emotional competencies are more likely to experience difficulties in adulthood and, in the worst case, psychopathology. The current study will employ Cross-Lagged Network Models to investigate children's social and emotional development among Australian children aged 6 to 10 years. Data were from the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children (LSAC). Children's social and emotional development was measured with the caregiver-informant Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ). The complete case sample (n = 4070) included children aged 0 to 1 (in the LSAC B Cohort) and 4 to 5 (in the LSAC K Cohort) years at study baseline, who participated in the three study follow-ups (i.e., follow-ups at ages 6, 8, and 10) and had complete responses to all 25 SDQ items. The findings indicated that certain behaviours, such as reducing fights at age 6 years and improving peer relationships at age 8 years, were important intervention targets to promote healthy social and emotional development during middle childhood.
{"title":"The longitudinal network of social and emotional development in middle childhood","authors":"Pedro Henrique Ribeiro Santiago , Gustavo Soares , Kym McCormick , Tess Gregory , Alyssa Sawyer , Lisa Smithers , Lisa Jamieson","doi":"10.1016/j.appdev.2026.101925","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.appdev.2026.101925","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The understanding of children's social and emotional development in middle childhood is critical to promote well-being throughout the life course. Children who fail to develop social and emotional competencies are more likely to experience difficulties in adulthood and, in the worst case, psychopathology. The current study will employ Cross-Lagged Network Models to investigate children's social and emotional development among Australian children aged 6 to 10 years. Data were from the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children (LSAC). Children's social and emotional development was measured with the caregiver-informant Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ). The complete case sample (<em>n</em> = 4070) included children aged 0 to 1 (in the LSAC B Cohort) and 4 to 5 (in the LSAC K Cohort) years at study baseline, who participated in the three study follow-ups (i.e., follow-ups at ages 6, 8, and 10) and had complete responses to all 25 SDQ items. The findings indicated that certain behaviours, such as reducing fights at age 6 years and improving peer relationships at age 8 years, were important intervention targets to promote healthy social and emotional development during middle childhood.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48168,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology","volume":"103 ","pages":"Article 101925"},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2026-01-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145927622","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-01-08DOI: 10.1016/j.appdev.2025.101920
Ji-Young Choi , Shinyoung Joen , Ye Rang Park , Ashley Boros , Craig Van Pay , Kathleen C. Gallagher
Using data from 341 children in 79 classrooms within an urban Head Start program, we examined how children's initial developmental skills related to their classroom verbal interactions and play behaviors during mid-preschool year, and how these classroom experiences predicted their development over the preschool year. In both examinations, we compared children by language status: English monolinguals (EMs), dual language learners at an early stage of English acquisition (DLL-Early), and DLLs with stronger English proficiency (DLL-Proficient). Overall, we observed low levels of verbal interactions, with children speaking 5–6 % of the time each to teachers or peers, and most verbal interactions (about 20 %) involved listening to teachers. We found that higher conceptual expressive vocabulary skills predicted more frequent talking to teachers among EMs and to peers among EMs and DLL-Early. For DLL-Proficient children, higher social-emotional (S-E) skills predicted more frequent talking to teachers and peers as well as more listening to peers, whereas higher executive function (EF) skills predicted less frequent talking but more listening to peers. Children's play behaviors mostly did not differ by initial developmental skills, and classroom interactions and behaviors were largely unrelated to later outcomes, though a few EF-related links appeared among DLL groups. These findings highlight the need to consider cognitive and S-E factors, in addition to language, when supporting classroom verbal interactions, especially for DLLs with stronger English proficiency.
{"title":"Classroom verbal interactions and play behaviors in head start: Predictors and outcomes across child language status","authors":"Ji-Young Choi , Shinyoung Joen , Ye Rang Park , Ashley Boros , Craig Van Pay , Kathleen C. Gallagher","doi":"10.1016/j.appdev.2025.101920","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.appdev.2025.101920","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Using data from 341 children in 79 classrooms within an urban Head Start program, we examined how children's initial developmental skills related to their classroom verbal interactions and play behaviors during mid-preschool year, and how these classroom experiences predicted their development over the preschool year. In both examinations, we compared children by language status: English monolinguals (EMs), dual language learners at an early stage of English acquisition (DLL-Early), and DLLs with stronger English proficiency (DLL-Proficient). Overall, we observed low levels of verbal interactions, with children speaking 5–6 % of the time each to teachers or peers, and most verbal interactions (about 20 %) involved listening to teachers. We found that higher conceptual expressive vocabulary skills predicted more frequent talking to teachers among EMs and to peers among EMs and DLL-Early. For DLL-Proficient children, higher social-emotional (S-E) skills predicted more frequent talking to teachers and peers as well as more listening to peers, whereas higher executive function (EF) skills predicted less frequent talking but more listening to peers. Children's play behaviors mostly did not differ by initial developmental skills, and classroom interactions and behaviors were largely unrelated to later outcomes, though a few EF-related links appeared among DLL groups. These findings highlight the need to consider cognitive and S-E factors, in addition to language, when supporting classroom verbal interactions, especially for DLLs with stronger English proficiency.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48168,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology","volume":"103 ","pages":"Article 101920"},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2026-01-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145927820","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-01-05DOI: 10.1016/j.appdev.2025.101922
Giulia Crisci, Tiziana Pozzoli, Irene C. Mammarella
Sharing is a key aspect of social lives and varies across social interactions, yet the individual factors underlying children's sharing with unfamiliar peers remain poorly understood. This study examines the extent to which demographic variables, prior established relationships (as measured by sociometric status among classmates), and emotional competence (specifically emotion understanding, which includes emotional state, emotion recognition, and Callous-Unemotional traits) are associated with sharing behaviors across three distinct conditions representing social interactions with unfamiliar peers: inclusion, observing exclusion, and direct exclusion.
A sample of 185 middle-class Italian children (55 % males) aged 8–13 years (M = 10.11, SD = 1.3) completed three versions of a Cyberball task and a Dictator Game. Results showed that sharing differed across conditions, with significantly lower sharing following direct exclusion than inclusion or observing exclusion. Hierarchical linear regressions underlined as higher sociometric status explained greater sharing behaviors with unfamiliar peers, particularly after social exclusion, whereas no sex differences emerged. A more positive emotional state following the interaction explained higher sharing after both inclusion and direct exclusion. In contrast, better emotion recognition abilities and lower Callous-Unemotional traits specifically contributed after observing exclusion.
Our findings indicate that children's sharing with unfamiliar peers is supported by distinct individual mechanisms depending on the interaction context, highlighting the importance of context-specific approaches to fostering prosocial behavior in middle childhood.
{"title":"The role of emotional competence in youth sharing during positive and negative interactions with unfamiliar peers","authors":"Giulia Crisci, Tiziana Pozzoli, Irene C. Mammarella","doi":"10.1016/j.appdev.2025.101922","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.appdev.2025.101922","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Sharing is a key aspect of social lives and varies across social interactions, yet the individual factors underlying children's sharing with unfamiliar peers remain poorly understood. This study examines the extent to which demographic variables, prior established relationships (as measured by sociometric status among classmates), and emotional competence (specifically emotion understanding, which includes emotional state, emotion recognition, and Callous-Unemotional traits) are associated with sharing behaviors across three distinct conditions representing social interactions with unfamiliar peers: inclusion, observing exclusion, and direct exclusion.</div><div>A sample of 185 middle-class Italian children (55 % males) aged 8–13 years (<em>M =</em> 10.11, <em>SD =</em> 1.3) completed three versions of a Cyberball task and a Dictator Game. Results showed that sharing differed across conditions, with significantly lower sharing following direct exclusion than inclusion or observing exclusion. Hierarchical linear regressions underlined as higher sociometric status explained greater sharing behaviors with unfamiliar peers, particularly after social exclusion, whereas no sex differences emerged. A more positive emotional state following the interaction explained higher sharing after both inclusion and direct exclusion. In contrast, better emotion recognition abilities and lower Callous-Unemotional traits specifically contributed after observing exclusion.</div><div>Our findings indicate that children's sharing with unfamiliar peers is supported by distinct individual mechanisms depending on the interaction context, highlighting the importance of context-specific approaches to fostering prosocial behavior in middle childhood.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48168,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology","volume":"103 ","pages":"Article 101922"},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2026-01-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145927753","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-12-29DOI: 10.1016/j.appdev.2025.101921
Meng Dai , Shengwen Zhu , Zhen Sun , Genyue Fu , Liyang Sai , Gail D. Heyman
One way to gain insight into longstanding theoretical debates about the nature of people's decisions to be dishonest is to examine their default tendencies. Recent evidence suggests that adults show individual differences in these tendencies. The present research builds on these findings by testing the default tendencies of 8- to 15-year-old Han Chinese children from China (total N = 439, 45 % female). Using a spot-the-difference paradigm, we assessed children's honest and dishonest responses, indexing default tendency through a comparison of reaction time between honest and dishonest trials. Study 1 showed evidence of individual differences in default tendencies that are linked to lying rates. Study 2, which only included 9- and 11-year-olds, showed that social comparison information systematically influenced both lying rates and default tendencies within individual. These results provide evidence of inter- and intra-induvidual flexibility in default tendencies that are linked to lying rate.
{"title":"Inter- and intra-individual flexibility in honesty default tendencies in children and adolescents","authors":"Meng Dai , Shengwen Zhu , Zhen Sun , Genyue Fu , Liyang Sai , Gail D. Heyman","doi":"10.1016/j.appdev.2025.101921","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.appdev.2025.101921","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>One way to gain insight into longstanding theoretical debates about the nature of people's decisions to be dishonest is to examine their default tendencies. Recent evidence suggests that adults show individual differences in these tendencies. The present research builds on these findings by testing the default tendencies of 8- to 15-year-old Han Chinese children from China (total <em>N</em> = 439, 45 % female). Using a spot-the-difference paradigm, we assessed children's honest and dishonest responses, indexing default tendency through a comparison of reaction time between honest and dishonest trials. Study 1 showed evidence of individual differences in default tendencies that are linked to lying rates. Study 2, which only included 9- and 11-year-olds, showed that social comparison information systematically influenced both lying rates and default tendencies within individual. These results provide evidence of inter- and intra-induvidual flexibility in default tendencies that are linked to lying rate.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48168,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology","volume":"103 ","pages":"Article 101921"},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2025-12-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145885577","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-12-26DOI: 10.1016/j.appdev.2025.101918
Lela Rankin , Linnea B. Linde-Krieger
Infant carrying (carrying a baby in a cloth carrier that is worn on the body) enhances close physical proximity, increases mothers' awareness of her infants' needs, and promotes positive maternal behavior. This study assessed whether an infant carrying intervention for adolescent mothers can reduce risk for attachment disorganization in early childhood through attuned and responsive caregiving. Sixty-seven mothers (M= 19.3 years, SD = 2.3), randomly assigned to an intervention (infant carrying, n = 34) or control (reading, n = 33) condition, completed four in-home assessments: Wave 1 (3.2 weeks), Wave 2 (3.6 months), Wave 3 (6.7 months), Wave 4 (3.6 years). Maternal caregiving behaviors, including positive engagement, hostility, and withdrawal were measured using the Still Face Paradigm in infancy, and children's attachment disorganization was measured using Story Stems in early childhood. Infant carrying predicted lower attachment disorganization, which was fully mediated through greater maternal positive engagement and lower maternal hostility and withdrawal. Infant carrying is a culturally attuned parenting tool that can be integrated into existing parenting programs to mitigate the risk of infant attachment disorganization.
{"title":"Can infant carrying prevent disorganized attachment? An intervention trial of adolescent mothers","authors":"Lela Rankin , Linnea B. Linde-Krieger","doi":"10.1016/j.appdev.2025.101918","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.appdev.2025.101918","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Infant carrying (carrying a baby in a cloth carrier that is worn on the body) enhances close physical proximity, increases mothers' awareness of her infants' needs, and promotes positive maternal behavior. This study assessed whether an infant carrying intervention for adolescent mothers can reduce risk for attachment disorganization in early childhood through attuned and responsive caregiving. Sixty-seven mothers (<em>M</em> <em>=</em> 19.3 years, <em>SD</em> = 2.3), randomly assigned to an intervention (infant carrying, <em>n</em> = 34) or control (reading, <em>n</em> = 33) condition, completed four in-home assessments: Wave 1 (3.2 weeks), Wave 2 (3.6 months), Wave 3 (6.7 months), Wave 4 (3.6 years). Maternal caregiving behaviors, including positive engagement, hostility, and withdrawal were measured using the Still Face Paradigm in infancy, and children's attachment disorganization was measured using Story Stems in early childhood. Infant carrying predicted lower attachment disorganization, which was fully mediated through greater maternal positive engagement and lower maternal hostility and withdrawal. Infant carrying is a culturally attuned parenting tool that can be integrated into existing parenting programs to mitigate the risk of infant attachment disorganization.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48168,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology","volume":"103 ","pages":"Article 101918"},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2025-12-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145842776","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
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