Journal of Experimental Child Psychology最新文献

Although individual differences in children's moral self-concept emerge during early childhood and predict future behavioral outcomes, the cognitive skills underlying the development of the moral self have received little attention. We addressed this gap with a longitudinal sample of 106 children (M_age = 52.78 months, SD = 6.61, range = 37-64 at Time 1) living in urban economic deprivation. In the fall, children completed interviews on the moral self as well as hot and cool executive function (EF) tasks, a five-task theory of mind (ToM) battery, and a receptive verbal assessment. Approximately 6 months later, children again completed the moral self interview. Results from a series of latent change score models, controlling for age and parents' education, demonstrate that different aspects of the moral self were supported in different ways, and at different times, by aspects of cognition. For instance, the aggressive moral self was initially predicted by both cool and hot EF, whereas change was predicted by cool EF. In comparison, the socioemotional moral self was initially predicted by cool EF, as were changes over time. The initial instrumental helping moral self was predicted by ToM. Findings suggest that a multidimensional moral self may be best enhanced by a multipronged approach to cognitive support.

When processing serial information, adults tend to map elements of a sequence onto a mental horizontal line, following the direction of their reading and writing system. For example, in a Western population, the beginning of a series is associated with the left-hand side of the mental line, while its end is preferentially associated with the right. To complete the few studies that have investigated the cultural vs. innate determinants of such a spatial bias, the current study used a rotation task of unlabeled serial information. Experiment 1 measured the presence of a left-oriented bias in children from toddlers to grade 5 (aged 2 to 12 years old) and in adults. Results only showed a bias in adults. Experiment 2 was designed to avoid potential confounds identified in Experiment 1, and Experiment 3 provided more explicit information to participants, but the results still did not show a clear left-oriented bias in children. By controlling the mental rotation of our material in Experiment 4, we finally observed a global left-to-right bias across age groups, in particular between the 2^nd grade (7 years old) and the 4^th grade (9 years old), and in adults. Overall, this study shows that spatial-ordinal associations observed in adults can also be observed in children as early as primary school. In addition, a weaker bias was observed in younger children, which suggests that the effect could begin to emerge in preschool (4 years old) before being reinforced later with expertise in literacy.

The ability to process auditory information is one of the foundations of the ability to appropriately acquire language. Moreover, early difficulties in basic auditory abilities have cascading effects on the appropriate wiring of brain networks underlying higher-order linguistic processes. Language impairments represent core difficulties in two different but partially overlapping disorders: developmental language disorder (DLD) and autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The aim of this study was to investigate basic auditory processes in 12-month-old infants at high likelihood (HL) of developing either DLD or ASD in response to standard tones embedded in a non-speech multi-feature oddball paradigm to discern early differences in how auditory processing relates to language acquisition. To do so, we focused on gamma-band oscillations due to the role of gamma activity in coordinating activity among neural assemblies and thus enabling both sensory and higher-order processing. Considering reported hemispheric asymmetries in auditory and linguistic processing, we chose to refer to a cluster-based method to investigate the whole scalp activity in the gamma range. Our results show that HL-ASD infants are characterized by differences in auditory gamma compared with their typically developing peers. These results may imply an enhanced sensitivity to auditory stimuli in HL-ASD infants that might negatively affect their ability to regulate responses.

Previous research has suggested the importance of relational language and working memory in children's relational reasoning. The tendency to use language (e.g., using more relational than object-focused language, prioritizing focal objects over background in linguistic descriptions) could reflect children's biases toward the relational versus object-based solutions in a relational match-to-sample (RMTS) task. In the lack of any apparent object match as a foil option, object-focused children might rely on other cognitive mechanisms (i.e., working memory) to choose a relational match in the RMTS task. The current study examined the interactive roles of language- and working memory-related sources of variation in Turkish-learning preschoolers' relational reasoning. We collected data from 4- and 5-year-olds (N = 41) via Zoom in the RMTS task, a scene description task, and a backward word span task. Generalized binomial mixed effects models revealed that children who used more relational language and background-focused scene descriptions performed worse in the relational reasoning task. Furthermore, children with less frequent relational language use and focal object descriptions of the scenes benefited more from working memory to succeed in the relational reasoning task. These results suggest additional working memory demands for object-focused children to choose relational matches in the RMTS task, highlighting the importance of examining the interactive effects of different cognitive mechanisms on relational reasoning.

Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) have been associated with adult mental health, especially anxiety and depression. We aimed to explain these relationships by investigating perceived social support as a mediating factor. In this model, it is proposed that individuals who experience more ACEs will have less perceived social support in adulthood, which in turn will increase reported anxiety and depression symptoms. Data were collected on ACEs, anxiety, depression, and perceived social support using an anonymous REDCap survey distributed through various social media outlets and relevant listservs. Respondents (N = 494) were caregivers who primarily resided in the United States and identified as White, well-educated, middle class, and female. ACEs were measured using the expanded ACE questionnaire extracted from the Health-Resiliency-Stress Questionnaire. Anxiety and depression were measured by the Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7-item scale and the Patient Health Questionnaire 9-item scale, respectively. Social support was measured with the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support. Results confirmed partial mediating effects of social support on the relation between (a) ACEs and anxiety and (b) ACEs and depression. Increased exposure to ACEs was associated with less social support in adulthood and, consequently, to greater mental health symptomatology. Implications of these findings highlight the potential role of social support as a preventative strategy and adult social support as a mitigating strategy.

Left-behind children refer to children who have been separated from their parents for a long period of time because one or both parents have gone to work in cities and towns, and who stay in their hometowns or board with relatives in rural China. This study investigated the association between time perspective and aggression among left-behind children and examined the potential mediating role of self-esteem. The initial cross-sectional study (Study 1) involved a sample of 549 middle school students (M_age = 13.22 years, SD = 1.21) of whom 64.8% were classified as left-behind children. The results indicated that left-behind children exhibited higher levels of aggression, lower levels of balanced time perspective, and lower self-esteem compared with their non-left-behind counterparts. Structural equation modeling showed that balanced time perspective was inversely associated with aggression and that self-esteem partially mediated this relationship in both left-behind and non-left-behind children. Furthermore, Study 2 analyzed data from two waves of assessment involving left-behind children (N = 286; M_age = 13.30 years, SD = 1.01). This longitudinal analysis confirmed that balanced time perspective was a negative predictor of aggression in this group. Through the implementation of a cross-lagged panel model, it was found that balanced time perspective could predict lower levels of aggression in left-behind children by enhancing self-esteem over time. These findings illuminate the relationship between balanced time perspective and behavioral issues in left-behind children, suggesting the importance of interventions aimed at improving time perspective and self-esteem to mitigate aggression.

Inductive reasoning and deductive reasoning share common cognitive abilities and develop substantially during childhood, but still which executive functions (EFs) underlie this development is debated. The current study assessed three EFs-working memory, inhibition, and cognitive flexibility-and examined their interrelations and their relationship with inductive and deductive reasoning. To examine how these types of reasoning and EFs relate in young children, we recruited 155 children (4-, 6-, 8-, and 10-year-olds) to complete two reasoning tasks and three EF tasks. Inductive reasoning and deductive reasoning were directly predicted by working memory and were indirectly predicted by inhibition and cognitive flexibility. This finding sheds light on the predictive role of working memory for both inductive and deductive reasoning and provides support for the shared cognitive relation between them.

Early language skills are considered important precursors of early mathematical development. Prior research extensively explored the association between vocabulary and early numeracy. However, few studies have delved into the specific impact of mathematical language on this association. This study investigated the extent to which mathematical language mediates the relation between general vocabulary knowledge and early numeracy competence. A total of 180 Hong Kong kindergarteners (mean age = 4.66 years, SD = 0.63) were individually tested on their Chinese general vocabulary knowledge, mathematical language, and early numeracy competence online. Path analysis showed that when children's age and family income were statistically controlled, general vocabulary knowledge had a direct positive association with early numeracy competence as well as an indirect link through mathematical language. The findings highlighted the pivotal role of mathematical vocabulary in the learning of mathematics in early childhood. Future directions for examining the role of mathematical language in early numeracy development across different languages are further discussed.

A growing number of practitioners are implementing the Balance Tracking System (BTrackS) modified Clinical Test of Sensory Integration and Balance (mCTSIB) to evaluate the sensory sources of balance feedback used to maintain upright standing. The aim of the current study was to expand existing BTrackS mCTSIB normative databases on adults to include reference values from developmental age groups. Participants included children (age range = 5-8 years; n = 212), adolescents (age range = 9-12 years; n = 103), teenagers (age range = 13-17 years; n = 152), and young adults (age range = 18-29 years; n = 779). Testing consisted of four, 20-s trials of static standing on the BTrackS Balance Plate. Each trial systematically manipulated the relative contributions of the vision, proprioception, and vestibular sensory systems. Based on the total center of pressure path length metric from the BTrackS Assess Balance software, it was found that females generally outperformed males in all age groups and sensory conditions. Both sexes showed improvements in balance with age when comparing children and adolescents. However, only in the Standard and Proprioceptive conditions were further age-related improvements seen for the adolescent and young adult groups. The current findings provide useful information demonstrating that sensory feedback processing for balance improves at different rates during development. Percentile ranking "look-up" tables are also provided as a tool for practitioners performing BTrackS mCTSIB testing.