Pub Date : 2025-01-21DOI: 10.1016/j.jecp.2024.106186
Alexa Ellis , Connor D. O’Rear , Jimena Cosso , David J. Purpura
The home learning environment (HLE) is an important context for fostering early development. Literature supports four subdomains of the HLE: home literacy, numeracy, executive function, and science environments. The current study examined the factor structure of the HLE with all four domain-specific established scales. Participants (N = 913) were caregivers (primarily White; 78.1%) of children aged 2 to 6 years (M = 4.28 years, SD = 1.25). Data were collected from an online platform. Results suggested that the most appropriate structure was a seven-factor model (code-based and oral language literacy, informal and formal numeracy, core and practice science, and executive function). Caregivers reported engaging in literacy practices the most and engaging in science and numeracy activities the least. This study demonstrates that the HLE is a multidimensional structure.
{"title":"Examining the factor structure of the home learning environment","authors":"Alexa Ellis , Connor D. O’Rear , Jimena Cosso , David J. Purpura","doi":"10.1016/j.jecp.2024.106186","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jecp.2024.106186","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The home learning environment (HLE) is an important context for fostering early development. Literature supports four subdomains of the HLE: home literacy, numeracy, executive function, and science environments. The current study examined the factor structure of the HLE with all four domain-specific established scales. Participants (<em>N</em> = 913) were caregivers (primarily White; 78.1%) of children aged 2 to 6 years (<em>M</em> = 4.28 years, <em>SD</em> = 1.25). Data were collected from an online platform. Results suggested that the most appropriate structure was a seven-factor model (code-based and oral language literacy, informal and formal numeracy, core and practice science, and executive function). Caregivers reported engaging in literacy practices the most and engaging in science and numeracy activities the least. This study demonstrates that the HLE is a multidimensional structure.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48391,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Experimental Child Psychology","volume":"252 ","pages":"Article 106186"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2025-01-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143025331","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 : 2025-01-21DOI: 10.1016/j.jecp.2024.106185
C. Tomasetto , M.C. Passolunghi , C. De Vita , V. Guardabassi , K. Morsanyi
Math anxiety is a well-known predictor of mathematics skills, with its effects ranging from reducing performance in high-stakes tests to interfering with learning novel mathematics contents. Although the intergenerational transmission of generalized anxiety is well-documented, research on the associations between parents’ math anxiety and children’s math anxiety and mathematics outcomes is still limited. In this longitudinal study (N = 126), we investigated the associations between parents’ math anxiety (as measured when children were 3 years of age) and children’s math anxiety and math skills at 8 years of age. The development of children’s mathematics skills from 3 to 8 years was also investigated. Results of longitudinal structural equation models revealed that parents’ math anxiety was associated with children’s mathematics skills in the preschool years even after controlling for parental education. In turn, children’s mathematics skills in the preschool years were associated both with children’s mathematics skills and their mathematics anxiety at age 8. In addition, there was an indirect link between parents’ math anxiety, as measured when their children were age 3, and children’s mathematics skills at age 8, which was mediated by children’s early mathematics skills in the preschool years. In sum, these findings suggest that although parents’ math anxiety is not directly related to the development of math anxiety in their children, it may be negatively related to the development of children’s early mathematical skills, which are strong predictors not only of academic achievement but also of success and well-being in adulthood.
{"title":"Parental mathematics anxiety is related to children’s mathematical development in preschool and the first school years","authors":"C. Tomasetto , M.C. Passolunghi , C. De Vita , V. Guardabassi , K. Morsanyi","doi":"10.1016/j.jecp.2024.106185","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jecp.2024.106185","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Math anxiety is a well-known predictor of mathematics skills, with its effects ranging from reducing performance in high-stakes tests to interfering with learning novel mathematics contents. Although the intergenerational transmission of generalized anxiety is well-documented, research on the associations between parents’ math anxiety and children’s math anxiety and mathematics outcomes is still limited. In this longitudinal study (<em>N</em> = 126), we investigated the associations between parents’ math anxiety (as measured when children were 3 years of age) and children’s math anxiety and math skills at 8 years of age. The development of children’s mathematics skills from 3 to 8 years was also investigated. Results of longitudinal structural equation models revealed that parents’ math anxiety was associated with children’s mathematics skills in the preschool years even after controlling for parental education. In turn, children’s mathematics skills in the preschool years were associated both with children’s mathematics skills and their mathematics anxiety at age 8. In addition, there was an indirect link between parents’ math anxiety, as measured when their children were age 3, and children’s mathematics skills at age 8, which was mediated by children’s early mathematics skills in the preschool years. In sum, these findings suggest that although parents’ math anxiety is not directly related to the development of math anxiety in their children, it may be negatively related to the development of children’s early mathematical skills, which are strong predictors not only of academic achievement but also of success and well-being in adulthood.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48391,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Experimental Child Psychology","volume":"252 ","pages":"Article 106185"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2025-01-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143025333","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-01-21DOI: 10.1016/j.jecp.2024.106183
Kristy L. Armitage, Chantal Li, Shu Lin Ng, Jonathan Redshaw
Across two experiments, we explored the conditions under which 4- to 11-year-old children (N = 138) were more likely to seek social cognitive helpers and whether they preferentially relied on help from those that had previously shown proficiency in a relevant cognitive context. Children completed a memory task with varying levels of difficulty, after which they were introduced to two characters that exhibited either a high memory ability (task-relevant) or a high motor skill ability (task-irrelevant) in a distinct context. Children then completed the memory task a second time with the option to choose one of the two characters to assist them. From 6 years of age, children preferentially offloaded memory demand onto the character that had previously demonstrated a high memory ability and were also more likely to ask for help on difficult trials compared with easy trials. Our results also indicated potential differences in factors influencing children’s social and nonsocial cognitive offloading decisions.
{"title":"The development of social offloading","authors":"Kristy L. Armitage, Chantal Li, Shu Lin Ng, Jonathan Redshaw","doi":"10.1016/j.jecp.2024.106183","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jecp.2024.106183","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Across two experiments, we explored the conditions under which 4- to 11-year-old children (<em>N</em> = 138) were more likely to seek social cognitive helpers and whether they preferentially relied on help from those that had previously shown proficiency in a relevant cognitive context. Children completed a memory task with varying levels of difficulty, after which they were introduced to two characters that exhibited either a high memory ability (task-relevant) or a high motor skill ability (task-irrelevant) in a distinct context. Children then completed the memory task a second time with the option to choose one of the two characters to assist them. From 6 years of age, children preferentially offloaded memory demand onto the character that had previously demonstrated a high memory ability and were also more likely to ask for help on difficult trials compared with easy trials. Our results also indicated potential differences in factors influencing children’s social and nonsocial cognitive offloading decisions.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48391,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Experimental Child Psychology","volume":"252 ","pages":"Article 106183"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2025-01-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143025334","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-01-16DOI: 10.1016/j.jecp.2024.106173
Carlos R. Benítez-Barrera , Kathleen Denicola-Prechtl , Stephanie Castro , Mandy J. Maguire
It has been proposed that a childhood in a noisy household might lead to poor language skills and slow development of language areas of the brain. Notably, a direct link between noisy households and language development has not been confirmed. Households might have high levels of noise for a range of reasons, including situational (near a large road intersection or airport), family (large families), and cultural (differences in beliefs surrounding noise in the home, including media use). We argue that within the range of safety, noise itself is not problematic to language development if language is made accessible to children. To test this hypothesis, we used LENA (Language Enviromental Analysis) devices to record 3- to 5-year-old children’s home environments. All children were living in Spanish-dominant households. Language skills were assessed in Spanish and English. In addition to overall noise levels in the home, we calculated speech-to-noise ratios as an index of access to speech in real-world conditions. There was no relationship between noise in the home and language outcomes. Instead, speech-to-noise ratio explained a significant proportion of variability in language outcomes. The results indicate that enhancing access to language, such as by speaking loudly or getting close to the child, plays a significant role in children’s language development outcomes rather than noise per se.
{"title":"A lot of noise about nothing? Speech-to-noise ratios rather than noise predict language outcomes in preschoolers","authors":"Carlos R. Benítez-Barrera , Kathleen Denicola-Prechtl , Stephanie Castro , Mandy J. Maguire","doi":"10.1016/j.jecp.2024.106173","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jecp.2024.106173","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>It has been proposed that a childhood in a noisy household might lead to poor language skills and slow development of language areas of the brain. Notably, a direct link between noisy households and language development has not been confirmed. Households might have high levels of noise for a range of reasons, including situational (near a large road intersection or airport), family (large families), and cultural (differences in beliefs surrounding noise in the home, including media use). We argue that within the range of safety, noise itself is not problematic to language development if language is made accessible to children. To test this hypothesis, we used LENA (Language Enviromental Analysis) devices to record 3- to 5-year-old children’s home environments. All children were living in Spanish-dominant households. Language skills were assessed in Spanish and English. In addition to overall noise levels in the home, we calculated speech-to-noise ratios as an index of access to speech in real-world conditions. There was no relationship between noise in the home and language outcomes. Instead, speech-to-noise ratio explained a significant proportion of variability in language outcomes. The results indicate that enhancing access to language, such as by speaking loudly or getting close to the child, plays a significant role in children’s language development outcomes rather than noise per se.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48391,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Experimental Child Psychology","volume":"252 ","pages":"Article 106173"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2025-01-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143014311","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 : 2025-01-16DOI: 10.1016/j.jecp.2024.106182
Tongyan Ren , Jiyueyi Wang , Mingxin Li , Xuechen Ding , Chen Cheng
Early computational capacity sets the foundation for mathematical learning. Preschool children have been shown to perform both non-symbolic addition and subtraction problems. However, it is still unknown how different operations affect the representational precision of the non-symbolic arithmetic solutions. The current study compared 83 4- and 5-year-olds’ ability to solve non-symbolic addition and subtraction problems and examined the role of working memory underlying the two arithmetic processes. In the task, children were shown two sets of arrays that were sequentially occluded and were asked to either sum the arrays up (addition) or remove one array from the other (subtraction). The solution was then compared with a visible array. Children also completed two working memory tasks to measure their working memory storage and updating abilities. Results showed that children’s representational precision in addition was higher than that in subtraction. Although children’s performance in both arithmetic operations were associated with working memory updating, solving subtractive problems imposed additional cognitive resources in working memory updating. These findings reveal early developmental differences between addition and subtraction. Children’s computational capacity in both addition and subtraction develops early in childhood, and the operation in subtraction demands more mental manipulation in working memory.
{"title":"To add or to remove? The role of working memory updating in preschool children’s non-symbolic arithmetic abilities between addition and subtraction","authors":"Tongyan Ren , Jiyueyi Wang , Mingxin Li , Xuechen Ding , Chen Cheng","doi":"10.1016/j.jecp.2024.106182","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jecp.2024.106182","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Early computational capacity sets the foundation for mathematical learning. Preschool children have been shown to perform both non-symbolic addition and subtraction problems. However, it is still unknown how different operations affect the representational precision of the non-symbolic arithmetic solutions. The current study compared 83 4- and 5-year-olds’ ability to solve non-symbolic addition and subtraction problems and examined the role of working memory underlying the two arithmetic processes. In the task, children were shown two sets of arrays that were sequentially occluded and were asked to either sum the arrays up (addition) or remove one array from the other (subtraction). The solution was then compared with a visible array. Children also completed two working memory tasks to measure their working memory storage and updating abilities. Results showed that children’s representational precision in addition was higher than that in subtraction. Although children’s performance in both arithmetic operations were associated with working memory updating, solving subtractive problems imposed additional cognitive resources in working memory updating. These findings reveal early developmental differences between addition and subtraction. Children’s computational capacity in both addition and subtraction develops early in childhood, and the operation in subtraction demands more mental manipulation in working memory.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48391,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Experimental Child Psychology","volume":"252 ","pages":"Article 106182"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2025-01-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143014313","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 : 2025-01-13DOI: 10.1016/j.jecp.2024.106184
Margaux Lê , Marianne Jover , Aline Frey , Jérémy Danna
Numerous studies have reported benefits of music listening to support learning and motor rehabilitation. In the case of handwriting, previous studies suggested that musical background improves movement speed and fluency. Whether this benefit comes from the melody or is specifically related to the rhythmic cues provided by the music remains to be established. In addition, music can influence handwriting differently depending on the child’s level of expertise. To disentangle these effects, we recorded graphic movement under different sound backgrounds in children of two different grades. In total, 44 s graders and 44 fifth graders needed to copy loops and isolated words under four sound conditions: silent, melodic without metronome, melodic with slow metronome (1.6 Hz), and melodic with faster metronome (2.2 Hz). The results revealed that listening to a pure melodic background reduced writing velocity, movement fluency, and loop size in both groups. In addition, the rhythmic cues influenced handwriting kinematics differently depending on grade and task. For the younger group, the two rhythms, and especially the slow rate, increased the loop copying velocity, whereas for the words the velocity and movement fluency were reduced by the fast rate. Conversely, for the older group, the two rhythmic conditions reduced writing velocity and movement fluency, and they increased the size of both the loops and the words. Finally, the effects also depend on handwriting level; poor writers seem to benefit more from the adding of rhythmic cues. These results raise interesting perspectives for learning to write and for the rehabilitation of handwriting difficulties.
{"title":"Influence of musical background on children’s handwriting: Effects of melody and rhythm","authors":"Margaux Lê , Marianne Jover , Aline Frey , Jérémy Danna","doi":"10.1016/j.jecp.2024.106184","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jecp.2024.106184","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Numerous studies have reported benefits of music listening to support learning and motor rehabilitation. In the case of handwriting, previous studies suggested that musical background improves movement speed and fluency. Whether this benefit comes from the melody or is specifically related to the rhythmic cues provided by the music remains to be established. In addition, music can influence handwriting differently depending on the child’s level of expertise. To disentangle these effects, we recorded graphic movement under different sound backgrounds in children of two different grades. In total, 44 s graders and 44 fifth graders needed to copy loops and isolated words under four sound conditions: silent, melodic without metronome, melodic with slow metronome (1.6 Hz), and melodic with faster metronome (2.2 Hz). The results revealed that listening to a pure melodic background reduced writing velocity, movement fluency, and loop size in both groups. In addition, the rhythmic cues influenced handwriting kinematics differently depending on grade and task. For the younger group, the two rhythms, and especially the slow rate, increased the loop copying velocity, whereas for the words the velocity and movement fluency were reduced by the fast rate. Conversely, for the older group, the two rhythmic conditions reduced writing velocity and movement fluency, and they increased the size of both the loops and the words. Finally, the effects also depend on handwriting level; poor writers seem to benefit more from the adding of rhythmic cues. These results raise interesting perspectives for learning to write and for the rehabilitation of handwriting difficulties.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48391,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Experimental Child Psychology","volume":"252 ","pages":"Article 106184"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2025-01-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142985045","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-01-11DOI: 10.1016/j.jecp.2024.106168
Tessa J.P. van Schijndel , Brenda R.J. Jansen
Epistemic curiosity is considered indispensable in children’s learning, but previous empirical research on children’s curiosity-driven learning has been fragmented; separate research lines tend to focus on single learning outcomes. Therefore, this study aimed at integrating different research lines by adapting an existing paradigm to investigate not only the relation between children’s state curiosity and their memory performance but also their desire to explore. In addition, this study examined a possible mechanism through which curiosity affects recall: increased attentional processes. Last, this study investigated the role of intelligence and perceived prior knowledge in the relation between curiosity and recall. We applied a within-participants design in which the Trivia task (N = 32) and Raven’s Standard Progressive Matrices were administered to 10- to 12-year-olds. In the Trivia task, participants learn answers to trivia questions for which they have high and low curiosity, and subsequently recall is tested. Main findings include that children memorized trivia facts better when they were in a high-curious state rather than a low-curious state, and this positive relation may increase with intelligence. Importantly, the relation between curiosity and recall still held when taking into account perceived prior knowledge. Curiosity was positively related not only to recall but also to children’s desire to further explore the concerning topic. Given that in some educational contexts promoting curiosity is not considered a priority and children express little school-related curiosity, an important value of this study for educational practice lies in the reinforcement of the notion of curiosity being a main driver of children’s learning.
{"title":"Integrating lines of research on children’s curiosity-driven learning","authors":"Tessa J.P. van Schijndel , Brenda R.J. Jansen","doi":"10.1016/j.jecp.2024.106168","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jecp.2024.106168","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Epistemic curiosity is considered indispensable in children’s learning, but previous empirical research on children’s curiosity-driven learning has been fragmented; separate research lines tend to focus on single learning outcomes. Therefore, this study aimed at integrating different research lines by adapting an existing paradigm to investigate not only the relation between children’s state curiosity and their memory performance but also their desire to explore. In addition, this study examined a possible mechanism through which curiosity affects recall: increased attentional processes. Last, this study investigated the role of intelligence and perceived prior knowledge in the relation between curiosity and recall. We applied a within-participants design in which the Trivia task (<em>N</em> = 32) and Raven’s Standard Progressive Matrices were administered to 10- to 12-year-olds. In the Trivia task, participants learn answers to trivia questions for which they have high and low curiosity, and subsequently recall is tested. Main findings include that children memorized trivia facts better when they were in a high-curious state rather than a low-curious state, and this positive relation may increase with intelligence. Importantly, the relation between curiosity and recall still held when taking into account perceived prior knowledge. Curiosity was positively related not only to recall but also to children’s desire to further explore the concerning topic. Given that in some educational contexts promoting curiosity is not considered a priority and children express little school-related curiosity, an important value of this study for educational practice lies in the reinforcement of the notion of curiosity being a main driver of children’s learning.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48391,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Experimental Child Psychology","volume":"252 ","pages":"Article 106168"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2025-01-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142972776","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-01-10DOI: 10.1016/j.jecp.2024.106159
Bob Kapteijns , Marco van de Ven , Anne H. van Hoogmoed , Evelyn H. Kroesbergen
Children start formal schooling with substantial individual differences in their early literacy and numeracy abilities, but little is known about predictors of precocious (i.e., early advanced) reading and math. In this study, we investigated contributions from a range of cognitive and home-related predictors to early reading, arithmetic and applied math in 224 Dutch kindergartners (Mage = 5 years 5 months). Our results showed that precocious reading and math were differentially predicted by specific combinations of domain-specific, domain-general, and cross-domain cognitive skills. For reading, we primarily observed contributions from literacy-specific skills, especially letter knowledge. For mathematics, we observed contributions from various domain-specific, domain-general, and cross-domain cognitive skills. Predictors of “basic” arithmetic skills differed from predictors of “precocious” arithmetic fluency, suggesting qualitative differences between typical and precocious learners. Contributions from children’s home environments (parental education levels and parent–child activities) remained relatively small across all models. Together, our results provide novel insights into the (co–)development of precocious reading and math in preschool-aged children.
{"title":"Cognitive and home predictors of precocious reading and math before formal education","authors":"Bob Kapteijns , Marco van de Ven , Anne H. van Hoogmoed , Evelyn H. Kroesbergen","doi":"10.1016/j.jecp.2024.106159","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jecp.2024.106159","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Children start formal schooling with substantial individual differences in their early literacy and numeracy abilities, but little is known about predictors of precocious (i.e., early advanced) reading and math. In this study, we investigated contributions from a range of cognitive and home-related predictors to early reading, arithmetic and applied math in 224 Dutch kindergartners (<em>M</em><sub>age</sub> = 5 years 5 months). Our results showed that precocious reading and math were differentially predicted by specific combinations of domain-specific, domain-general, and cross-domain cognitive skills. For reading, we primarily observed contributions from literacy-specific skills, especially letter knowledge. For mathematics, we observed contributions from various domain-specific, domain-general, and cross-domain cognitive skills. Predictors of “basic” arithmetic skills differed from predictors of “precocious” arithmetic fluency, suggesting qualitative differences between typical and precocious learners. Contributions from children’s home environments (parental education levels and parent–child activities) remained relatively small across all models. Together, our results provide novel insights into the (co–)development of precocious reading and math in preschool-aged children.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48391,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Experimental Child Psychology","volume":"252 ","pages":"Article 106159"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2025-01-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142972774","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-01-10DOI: 10.1016/j.jecp.2024.106180
Charlotte Moore , Madison E. Williams , Krista Byers-Heinlein
Previous research suggests that monolingual children learn words more readily in contexts with referential continuity (i.e., repeated labeling of the same referent) than in contexts with referential discontinuity (i.e., referent switches). Here, we extended this work by testing monolingual and bilingual 3- and 4-year-olds’ (N = 64) novel word learning in an interactive tablet-based task. We predicted that bilinguals’ experience with language switches would buffer them against the attested challenges of referent switches on word learning. Unexpectedly, we found that monolinguals and bilinguals readily learned words in contexts of both referential continuity and referential discontinuity, and if anything performance was better in the referential discontinuity context. Overall, these results indicate that, at least for some learners under some conditions, referential discontinuity does not disrupt word learning. Our findings invite future research into understanding how and when referential continuity affects language acquisition.
{"title":"The effects of referential continuity on novel word learning in bilingual and monolingual preschoolers","authors":"Charlotte Moore , Madison E. Williams , Krista Byers-Heinlein","doi":"10.1016/j.jecp.2024.106180","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jecp.2024.106180","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Previous research suggests that monolingual children learn words more readily in contexts with referential continuity (i.e., repeated labeling of the same referent) than in contexts with referential discontinuity (i.e., referent switches). Here, we extended this work by testing monolingual and bilingual 3- and 4-year-olds’ (<em>N</em> = 64) novel word learning in an interactive tablet-based task. We predicted that bilinguals’ experience with language switches would buffer them against the attested challenges of referent switches on word learning. Unexpectedly, we found that monolinguals and bilinguals readily learned words in contexts of both referential continuity and referential discontinuity, and if anything performance was better in the referential discontinuity context. Overall, these results indicate that, at least for some learners under some conditions, referential discontinuity does not disrupt word learning. Our findings invite future research into understanding how and when referential continuity affects language acquisition.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48391,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Experimental Child Psychology","volume":"252 ","pages":"Article 106180"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2025-01-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142972778","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-01-09DOI: 10.1016/j.jecp.2024.106170
Moeko Ishikawa , Yasuhiro Kanakogi
Persistence, characterized by continued efforts in the face of difficulties, is crucial for children’s success. Many researchers have aimed to identify the factors that improve persistence. Previous research has found that children who use more strategies to solve a challenging task tend to exhibit greater persistence, suggesting that providing instructions for multiple strategies may enhance their persistence. Therefore, this study examined whether telling strategies through verbal instructions and demonstrations affected persistence in 4- and 5-year-old children using an unachievable persistence task. In preregistered Study 1 (N = 150), we instructed children to focus on multiple strategies or a single strategy in a direct or pedagogical manner during the task. No substantial effects of telling strategies through verbal instructions were found on the children’s persistence and strategy use. In Study 2 (N = 54), demonstrating strategies did not affect children’s persistence; however, demonstrating multiple and single strategies increased and decreased children’s number of strategies, respectively. Thus, telling strategies through demonstrations, rather than verbal instructions, affected the number of strategies used by the children; however, the number of strategies used did not affect persistence. An exploratory analysis was conducted to examine why the number of strategies was not related to persistence. We found that independently devising new strategies, rather than following instructions, affected persistence. Furthermore, this relationship was replicated in Study 3 (N = 30). Our findings suggest that children are likely to persevere in challenging tasks by independently devising new strategies rather than following instructions.
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