Pub Date : 2025-10-01DOI: 10.1016/j.cogdev.2025.101640
Yuxi Zhou , Wu Youyou , Andrew Tolmie
In the past few decades, there has been ongoing debate regarding whether and how physical activity is related to cognitive development. The current study attempted to advance our understanding of this topic by exploring how various facets of physical activity—both quantitative and qualitative—are linked to specific cognitive functions in adolescents. The sample was 3526 adolescents from the United Kingdom Millennium Cohort Study. At age 14, adolescents’ daily activity content, duration, and intensity on weekdays and weekends were assessed using both an activity monitor and a time-use diary. Hot Executive function (EF) was measured at age 14 using the Cambridge Gambling Task (comprising six indices), and academic achievement was evaluated at age 17 based on self-reported performance in the General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE). Multiple hierarchical regressions revealed that a greater amount of time spent in moderate-to-vigorous activity (MVPA) was predictive of better EF at age 14 (|β| =.05 –.09), but unrelated to academic outcome at age 17. In analysing adolescents’ activity content, it was found that open skills sports were more closely associated with EF, with team ball games exhibiting the strongest and more consistent effect (|β| =.07 –.13). In contrast, regular engagement in individual ball games (β =.05, p = .018) and swimming (β =.05, p = .033) was related to better academic outcomes. Our findings confirm the link between MVPA and cognitive functions in the adolescent population and highlight the beneficial effect of open-skill sports on adolescents’ cognitive development.
在过去的几十年里,关于体育活动是否以及如何与认知发展相关一直存在争论。目前的研究试图通过探索身体活动的各个方面——无论是定量的还是定性的——是如何与青少年特定的认知功能联系在一起的,来推进我们对这一主题的理解。样本是来自英国千年队列研究的3526名青少年。在14岁时,使用活动监测器和时间使用日记评估青少年在工作日和周末的日常活动内容、持续时间和强度。热执行功能(EF)在14岁时使用剑桥赌博任务(包括六个指标)进行测量,学术成就在17岁时根据自我报告的中等教育普通证书(GCSE)的表现进行评估。多重层次回归显示,在中度至剧烈运动(MVPA)中花费更多的时间可以预测14岁时更好的EF (|β| = 0.05 -)。09),但与17岁时的学业成绩无关。在分析青少年的活动内容时,我们发现开放式技能运动与EF的关系更为密切,团队球类运动表现出最强烈和更一致的影响(|β| =.07 -.13)。相比之下,经常参加个人球类运动(β = 0.05, p = )。018)和游泳(β = 0.05, p = )。033)与更好的学习成绩有关。我们的研究结果证实了MVPA与青少年认知功能之间的联系,并强调了开放式技能运动对青少年认知发展的有益影响。
{"title":"Open-skills sports, especially team ball games, are associated with adolescents’ cognitive abilities: Longitudinal evidence from the UK’s Millennium Cohort Study","authors":"Yuxi Zhou , Wu Youyou , Andrew Tolmie","doi":"10.1016/j.cogdev.2025.101640","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.cogdev.2025.101640","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>In the past few decades, there has been ongoing debate regarding whether and how physical activity is related to cognitive development. The current study attempted to advance our understanding of this topic by exploring how various facets of physical activity—both quantitative and qualitative—are linked to specific cognitive functions in adolescents. The sample was 3526 adolescents from the United Kingdom Millennium Cohort Study. At age 14, adolescents’ daily activity content, duration, and intensity on weekdays and weekends were assessed using both an activity monitor and a time-use diary. Hot Executive function (EF) was measured at age 14 using the Cambridge Gambling Task (comprising six indices), and academic achievement was evaluated at age 17 based on self-reported performance in the General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE). Multiple hierarchical regressions revealed that a greater amount of time spent in moderate-to-vigorous activity (MVPA) was predictive of better EF at age 14 (<em>|β|</em> =.05 –.09), but unrelated to academic outcome at age 17. In analysing adolescents’ activity content, it was found that open skills sports were more closely associated with EF, with team ball games exhibiting the strongest and more consistent effect (<em>|β|</em> =.07 –.13). In contrast, regular engagement in individual ball games (<em>β</em> =.05, <em>p</em> = .018) and swimming (<em>β =.05, p</em> = .033) was related to better academic outcomes. Our findings confirm the link between MVPA and cognitive functions in the adolescent population and highlight the beneficial effect of open-skill sports on adolescents’ cognitive development.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":51422,"journal":{"name":"Cognitive Development","volume":"76 ","pages":"Article 101640"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2025-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145416459","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-10-01DOI: 10.1016/j.cogdev.2025.101647
Wen Jia , Weiqiong Jin , Xiaomei Zhao
This study utilizes the ERISS model of knowledge integration, which includes encoding, reactivation, integration, selection, and self-generation, to examine the role of working memory span in knowledge integration and its underlying neural mechanisms. Experiment 1 employs a sentence separation paradigm to investigate whether differences in working memory span influence participants’ ability to generate new knowledge through integration. The results indicate significantly better integration performance in the high-span group compared to the low-span group. Experiment 2 uses event-related potential (ERP) technology to explore the neural mechanisms: Experiment 2a utilizes a recognition probe task to demonstrate that both high-span and low-span participants can reactivate stem fact 1 after learning stem fact 2, as evidenced by faster reaction times and reduced N400 components. Experiment 2b, using an integrated fact judgment task, reveals that only high-span individuals show a larger P600 component under incorrect statement conditions, suggesting more effective monitoring of conflicts within self-generated knowledge. In summary, this study illustrates how the span of working memory facilitates knowledge integration during the reactivation and self-generation stages, providing crucial empirical support for the ERISS model. The findings clarify the operational mechanisms of working memory in higher-order cognitive processing and offer valuable insights for optimizing learning strategies.
{"title":"The impact of working memory on the processing of knowledge integration in university students","authors":"Wen Jia , Weiqiong Jin , Xiaomei Zhao","doi":"10.1016/j.cogdev.2025.101647","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.cogdev.2025.101647","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study utilizes the ERISS model of knowledge integration, which includes encoding, reactivation, integration, selection, and self-generation, to examine the role of working memory span in knowledge integration and its underlying neural mechanisms. Experiment 1 employs a sentence separation paradigm to investigate whether differences in working memory span influence participants’ ability to generate new knowledge through integration. The results indicate significantly better integration performance in the high-span group compared to the low-span group. Experiment 2 uses event-related potential (ERP) technology to explore the neural mechanisms: Experiment 2a utilizes a recognition probe task to demonstrate that both high-span and low-span participants can reactivate stem fact 1 after learning stem fact 2, as evidenced by faster reaction times and reduced N400 components. Experiment 2b, using an integrated fact judgment task, reveals that only high-span individuals show a larger P600 component under incorrect statement conditions, suggesting more effective monitoring of conflicts within self-generated knowledge. In summary, this study illustrates how the span of working memory facilitates knowledge integration during the reactivation and self-generation stages, providing crucial empirical support for the ERISS model. The findings clarify the operational mechanisms of working memory in higher-order cognitive processing and offer valuable insights for optimizing learning strategies.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":51422,"journal":{"name":"Cognitive Development","volume":"76 ","pages":"Article 101647"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2025-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145579286","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-10-01DOI: 10.1016/j.cogdev.2025.101639
Junheng Zhang, Lei Huang, Kuiliang Li, Jing Wang, Ming Ji
“Vertical spatial metaphors for moral concepts” refers to using vertical spatial concepts to express and understand moral concepts. Studies have primarily explored the influence of cognitive level on these metaphors in Chinese-speaker, while overlooking the impact of individuals’ long-term situational experiences on such metaphors. However, according to embodied cognition theory, individuals’ long-term experiences with moral or immoral situations may also influence the formation of metaphorical associations. Using a situational priming paradigm, the situational characteristics of such metaphors in Chinese-speaking children and adults were investigated through a paper-and-pencil test and a lexical categorization task. Results indicated that, at the conscious level, moral-situation priming led children and adults to place moral-words above and immoral-words below the cartoon character, demonstrating a general metaphorical association of “up” with “morality” and “down” with “immorality”. Under immoral-situation priming, adults tended to place moral-words below and immoral-words above the cartoon character, demonstrating a reversed metaphorical association of “down” with “morality” and “up” with “immorality”. However, children showed no significant word placement pattern, demonstrating no association between vertical spatial and moral concepts. At the unconscious level, children and adults responded faster in the compatibility (vs. incompatibility) task under moral-situation priming, demonstrating a general metaphor. Under immoral-situation priming, they responded faster in the incompatibility (vs. compatibility) task, demonstrating a reversed metaphor. These findings support embodied cognition theory, suggesting that vertical spatial metaphors for moral concepts in Chinese exhibit situational characteristics in children and adults, and provide new evidence for understanding cognitive development and plasticity of these metaphors.
{"title":"The situational characteristics of vertical spatial metaphors for Chinese moral concepts in children and adults","authors":"Junheng Zhang, Lei Huang, Kuiliang Li, Jing Wang, Ming Ji","doi":"10.1016/j.cogdev.2025.101639","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.cogdev.2025.101639","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>“Vertical spatial metaphors for moral concepts” refers to using vertical spatial concepts to express and understand moral concepts. Studies have primarily explored the influence of cognitive level on these metaphors in Chinese-speaker, while overlooking the impact of individuals’ long-term situational experiences on such metaphors. However, according to embodied cognition theory, individuals’ long-term experiences with moral or immoral situations may also influence the formation of metaphorical associations. Using a situational priming paradigm, the situational characteristics of such metaphors in Chinese-speaking children and adults were investigated through a paper-and-pencil test and a lexical categorization task. Results indicated that, at the conscious level, moral-situation priming led children and adults to place moral-words above and immoral-words below the cartoon character, demonstrating a general metaphorical association of “up” with “morality” and “down” with “immorality”. Under immoral-situation priming, adults tended to place moral-words below and immoral-words above the cartoon character, demonstrating a reversed metaphorical association of “down” with “morality” and “up” with “immorality”. However, children showed no significant word placement pattern, demonstrating no association between vertical spatial and moral concepts. At the unconscious level, children and adults responded faster in the compatibility (vs. incompatibility) task under moral-situation priming, demonstrating a general metaphor. Under immoral-situation priming, they responded faster in the incompatibility (vs. compatibility) task, demonstrating a reversed metaphor. These findings support embodied cognition theory, suggesting that vertical spatial metaphors for moral concepts in Chinese exhibit situational characteristics in children and adults, and provide new evidence for understanding cognitive development and plasticity of these metaphors.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":51422,"journal":{"name":"Cognitive Development","volume":"76 ","pages":"Article 101639"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2025-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145416458","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-10-01DOI: 10.1016/j.cogdev.2025.101648
Chang (Amy) Lu , Katherine McAuliffe , Julia Marshall
Children punish to reciprocate harm (retributive motives) and to prevent future wrongdoing (consequentialist motives). Building on this idea, we wanted to examine whether different motivational contexts are more likely to produce ingroup versus outgroup punishment. Specifically, we predicted that retributive motives would drive outgroup punishment, while consequentialist motives would drive ingroup punishment. To test this, we studied 257 Chinese children (ages 6–12) assigned to minimal groups. After learning about antisocial actions by ingroup and outgroup members, they completed a third-party punishment task where they could prevent the wrongdoer from playing with a fun toy. Some children learned that punishment would inflict emotional harm without teaching a lesson ("non-communicative punishment"), while others learned it would both harm and teach ("communicative punishment"). A control condition involved neutral actions to account for a baseline desire to remove toys. As expected, children punished more in the non-communicative condition than the control (reflecting retributive motives) and more in the communicative condition than the non-communicative (reflecting consequentialist motives). Contrary to our predictions, group membership of the transgressor did not influence these patterns. Our findings suggest that children’s drive to punish—to get even or to prevent future harm—is less about group membership and more about the act of wrongdoing itself.
{"title":"Motivational context does not influence children’s third-party punishment in intergroup contexts","authors":"Chang (Amy) Lu , Katherine McAuliffe , Julia Marshall","doi":"10.1016/j.cogdev.2025.101648","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.cogdev.2025.101648","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Children punish to reciprocate harm (retributive motives) and to prevent future wrongdoing (consequentialist motives). Building on this idea, we wanted to examine whether different motivational contexts are more likely to produce ingroup versus outgroup punishment. Specifically, we predicted that retributive motives would drive outgroup punishment, while consequentialist motives would drive ingroup punishment. To test this, we studied 257 Chinese children (ages 6–12) assigned to minimal groups. After learning about antisocial actions by ingroup and outgroup members, they completed a third-party punishment task where they could prevent the wrongdoer from playing with a fun toy. Some children learned that punishment would inflict emotional harm without teaching a lesson (\"non-communicative punishment\"), while others learned it would both harm and teach (\"communicative punishment\"). A control condition involved neutral actions to account for a baseline desire to remove toys. As expected, children punished more in the non-communicative condition than the control (reflecting retributive motives) and more in the communicative condition than the non-communicative (reflecting consequentialist motives). Contrary to our predictions, group membership of the transgressor did not influence these patterns. Our findings suggest that children’s drive to punish—to get even or to prevent future harm—is less about group membership and more about the act of wrongdoing itself.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":51422,"journal":{"name":"Cognitive Development","volume":"76 ","pages":"Article 101648"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2025-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145623861","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-10-01DOI: 10.1016/j.cogdev.2025.101636
Kathleen Fonseca , Parvin Nemati , Ali Rahimpour Jounghani , Elizabeth Henning , Mojtaba Soltanlou
Fractions are one of the most challenging concepts in primary school mathematics. While there are many behavioural studies on fraction calculation in primary school children, our understanding of the underlying neural mechanisms remains limited. This knowledge will help shed light on learning variability among children. Furthermore, few neuroimaging studies on fraction calculation have been conducted in Western, Educated, Industrialised, Rich, and Democratic (WEIRD) populations, despite environmental factors playing a crucial role in human cognitive development. The current study examined the neural correlates of the complexity of fraction comparison and how individual differences influence these processes in 39 12-year-old children in South Africa. Two groups of fifth graders with low and high performance in fractions completed simple and complex fraction comparisons while their brain responses were recorded using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) in an ecologically valid setting. In a fraction comparison task, fifth graders had to identify which of the two visually presented fractions was larger. The complexity of the fractions led to increased activation in the right dorsomedial frontal region in high performers but not in low performers. This finding suggests that frontal cognitive resources were engaged only in high performers, as shown by their higher behavioural performance. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first educational neuroscientific study of mathematical cognition in sub-Saharan countries and the first neuroimaging study of individual differences in fractions.
{"title":"Neural correlates of fraction magnitude processing in high and low achieving primary school children in South Africa","authors":"Kathleen Fonseca , Parvin Nemati , Ali Rahimpour Jounghani , Elizabeth Henning , Mojtaba Soltanlou","doi":"10.1016/j.cogdev.2025.101636","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.cogdev.2025.101636","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Fractions are one of the most challenging concepts in primary school mathematics. While there are many behavioural studies on fraction calculation in primary school children, our understanding of the underlying neural mechanisms remains limited. This knowledge will help shed light on learning variability among children. Furthermore, few neuroimaging studies on fraction calculation have been conducted in Western, Educated, Industrialised, Rich, and Democratic (WEIRD) populations, despite environmental factors playing a crucial role in human cognitive development. The current study examined the neural correlates of the complexity of fraction comparison and how individual differences influence these processes in 39 12-year-old children in South Africa. Two groups of fifth graders with low and high performance in fractions completed simple and complex fraction comparisons while their brain responses were recorded using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) in an ecologically valid setting. In a fraction comparison task, fifth graders had to identify which of the two visually presented fractions was larger. The complexity of the fractions led to increased activation in the right dorsomedial frontal region in high performers but not in low performers. This finding suggests that frontal cognitive resources were engaged only in high performers, as shown by their higher behavioural performance. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first educational neuroscientific study of mathematical cognition in sub-Saharan countries and the first neuroimaging study of individual differences in fractions.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":51422,"journal":{"name":"Cognitive Development","volume":"76 ","pages":"Article 101636"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2025-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145321167","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-10-01DOI: 10.1016/j.cogdev.2025.101649
Wei Wang , Qi Zhang
<div><h3>Background and Objective</h3><div>Modern technologies are increasingly integrated into sports education, and virtual reality (VR) is gaining recognition as a potential tool associated with higher levels of athletes’ motivation and self-regulation skills. However, limited evidence exists comparing the outcomes of VR-assisted and traditional basketball training. This study aimed to examine associations between VR-based training and athletes’ intrinsic motivation and self-regulation, in comparison with traditional methods.</div></div><div><h3>Study Design and Setting</h3><div>This quasi-experimental study was conducted over six weeks at university sports facilities equipped with Meta Quest VR systems. The study compared two groups of male basketball players: one receiving traditional training and one participating in a program supplemented with VR-based sessions.</div></div><div><h3>Participants</h3><div>A total of 140 male basketball players aged 18–25 years (mean age = 21.3 ± 2.1) participated. All had at least two years of training experience and good physical health. Participants were randomly allocated into a control group (n = 70) and an experimental group (n = 70) using a computer-generated randomization list, ensuring balance in prior training history and team level.</div></div><div><h3>Methods and Outcome Measures</h3><div>Motivation was assessed using the Sport Motivation Scale–28 (SMS-28), and self-regulation was measured with the Self-Regulation Questionnaire for Exercise (SRQ-E). Pre- and post-intervention scores were compared. Data were analyzed with paired and independent t-tests at p < 0.05, and 95 % confidence intervals (CI) were reported for mean differences.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>Following six weeks of training, the VR group demonstrated statistically significant within-group increases in intrinsic motivation: knowledge increased from 14.66 ± 1.80–18.11 ± 2.22 (t = –9.95, p < 0.001, 95 % CI [–4.23, –2.67]); accomplishment from 14.30 ± 2.13–16.80 ± 2.04 (t = –6.78, p < 0.001, 95 % CI [–3.20, –1.79]); stimulation from 14.76 ± 2.08–18.46 ± 2.01 (t = –10.53, p < 0.001, 95 % CI [–4.40, –2.90]). Identified regulation, a self-determined extrinsic form, also showed improvement (14.89 ± 2.26 → 18.46 ± 1.85; t = –11.11, p < 0.001, 95 % CI [–4.26, –2.88]), while amotivation decreased significantly (8.99 ± 2.00 → 6.06 ± 2.19; t = 8.17, p < 0.001, 95 % CI [2.24, 3.62]). Self-regulation was higher post-intervention in identified regulation (p < 0.001) and intrinsic regulation (p < 0.001), indicating increased autonomy among participants in the VR condition. No significant changes occurred in the control group (p > 0.05).</div></div><div><h3>Conclusion</h3><div>Within the quasi-experimental framework, participation in VR-assisted basketball training was associated with greater increases in intrinsic motivation and self-regulation skills among university athletes than were observed in traditional
{"title":"A quasi-experimental study on increasing motivation and self-regulation skills in basketball players: VR and traditional training","authors":"Wei Wang , Qi Zhang","doi":"10.1016/j.cogdev.2025.101649","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.cogdev.2025.101649","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background and Objective</h3><div>Modern technologies are increasingly integrated into sports education, and virtual reality (VR) is gaining recognition as a potential tool associated with higher levels of athletes’ motivation and self-regulation skills. However, limited evidence exists comparing the outcomes of VR-assisted and traditional basketball training. This study aimed to examine associations between VR-based training and athletes’ intrinsic motivation and self-regulation, in comparison with traditional methods.</div></div><div><h3>Study Design and Setting</h3><div>This quasi-experimental study was conducted over six weeks at university sports facilities equipped with Meta Quest VR systems. The study compared two groups of male basketball players: one receiving traditional training and one participating in a program supplemented with VR-based sessions.</div></div><div><h3>Participants</h3><div>A total of 140 male basketball players aged 18–25 years (mean age = 21.3 ± 2.1) participated. All had at least two years of training experience and good physical health. Participants were randomly allocated into a control group (n = 70) and an experimental group (n = 70) using a computer-generated randomization list, ensuring balance in prior training history and team level.</div></div><div><h3>Methods and Outcome Measures</h3><div>Motivation was assessed using the Sport Motivation Scale–28 (SMS-28), and self-regulation was measured with the Self-Regulation Questionnaire for Exercise (SRQ-E). Pre- and post-intervention scores were compared. Data were analyzed with paired and independent t-tests at p < 0.05, and 95 % confidence intervals (CI) were reported for mean differences.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>Following six weeks of training, the VR group demonstrated statistically significant within-group increases in intrinsic motivation: knowledge increased from 14.66 ± 1.80–18.11 ± 2.22 (t = –9.95, p < 0.001, 95 % CI [–4.23, –2.67]); accomplishment from 14.30 ± 2.13–16.80 ± 2.04 (t = –6.78, p < 0.001, 95 % CI [–3.20, –1.79]); stimulation from 14.76 ± 2.08–18.46 ± 2.01 (t = –10.53, p < 0.001, 95 % CI [–4.40, –2.90]). Identified regulation, a self-determined extrinsic form, also showed improvement (14.89 ± 2.26 → 18.46 ± 1.85; t = –11.11, p < 0.001, 95 % CI [–4.26, –2.88]), while amotivation decreased significantly (8.99 ± 2.00 → 6.06 ± 2.19; t = 8.17, p < 0.001, 95 % CI [2.24, 3.62]). Self-regulation was higher post-intervention in identified regulation (p < 0.001) and intrinsic regulation (p < 0.001), indicating increased autonomy among participants in the VR condition. No significant changes occurred in the control group (p > 0.05).</div></div><div><h3>Conclusion</h3><div>Within the quasi-experimental framework, participation in VR-assisted basketball training was associated with greater increases in intrinsic motivation and self-regulation skills among university athletes than were observed in traditional","PeriodicalId":51422,"journal":{"name":"Cognitive Development","volume":"76 ","pages":"Article 101649"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2025-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145579181","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Children’s ability to use semantic elaboration to memorize novel associations of items greatly improves during the elementary school years. Yet, it is unclear whether this improvement contributes to the development of serial order memory. Here we investigated the role of semantic elaboration in the development of immediate memory for lists of object pictures. If the ability to use elaboration to encode new inter-item associations accounts for some of the developmental trend, then training children in an elaborative strategy should mitigate age differences in memory for serial order. We trained 7-year-olds (elaboration group) to create short stories to memorize lists of four items for serial order reconstruction and compared them to same-age and adult controls who received no strategy-specific instructions. All participants responded to questions on strategy use intermittently during the task and at its end. Although the story-making training markedly changed children’s strategy reports, it did not improve their serial order memory. Moreover, although individual differences in the ability to create stories were strongly correlated with participants’ serial order memory task performance, story quality and memory for serial order were only weakly correlated at the trial level. Results suggest that growing levels of use of semantic elaboration cannot account for the development of serial order memory in childhood. We discuss children’s mnemonic strategies in serial order tasks in light of other studies.
{"title":"Children’s use of semantic elaboration in immediate serial order memory","authors":"Luísa Superbia-Guimarães , Reese Lavers , Maya Steiger , Kellen Hendrix , Bret Glass , Nelson Cowan","doi":"10.1016/j.cogdev.2025.101641","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.cogdev.2025.101641","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Children’s ability to use semantic elaboration to memorize novel associations of items greatly improves during the elementary school years. Yet, it is unclear whether this improvement contributes to the development of serial order memory. Here we investigated the role of semantic elaboration in the development of immediate memory for lists of object pictures. If the ability to use elaboration to encode new inter-item associations accounts for some of the developmental trend, then training children in an elaborative strategy should mitigate age differences in memory for serial order. We trained 7-year-olds (elaboration group) to create short stories to memorize lists of four items for serial order reconstruction and compared them to same-age and adult controls who received no strategy-specific instructions. All participants responded to questions on strategy use intermittently during the task and at its end. Although the story-making training markedly changed children’s strategy reports, it did not improve their serial order memory. Moreover, although individual differences in the ability to create stories were strongly correlated with participants’ serial order memory task performance, story quality and memory for serial order were only weakly correlated at the trial level. Results suggest that growing levels of use of semantic elaboration cannot account for the development of serial order memory in childhood. We discuss children’s mnemonic strategies in serial order tasks in light of other studies.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":51422,"journal":{"name":"Cognitive Development","volume":"76 ","pages":"Article 101641"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2025-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145465527","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-10-01DOI: 10.1016/j.cogdev.2025.101652
Çiğdem İrem İleri, Aylin C. Küntay
Background
Spatial skills are foundational for cognitive development, yet children from socioeconomically disadvantaged backgrounds often have limited access to construction toys that promote such skills. This study examined whether affordable, gender-neutral construction activities using readily available everyday materials can support first graders’ development of mental rotation, mental folding, and perspective taking.
Method
A total of 132 economically disadvantaged first-grade children (67 intervention, 65 control; M = 6 years 10 months, SD = 5 months) participated in a five-day, school-based intervention. Activities targeted intrinsic-dynamic (mental rotation, mental folding) and extrinsic-dynamic (perspective taking) skills using low-cost materials (e.g., paper cups, straws). Spatial abilities were assessed at pretest, posttest, and delayed posttest. A 3 (time) × 2 (group) × 2 (sex) repeated-measures ANOVA examined intervention and gender effects.
Results
Children in the intervention group showed significantly greater improvement in mental rotation than controls (F(1.8, 203.32) = 7.59, p < .001, ηp² = .06), and this effect was maintained at delayed posttest. No significant group differences emerged for mental folding or perspective taking. Gender analyses revealed no main effects of sex and no sex-related interactions for any spatial skill (all p’s > .17), indicating that boys and girls benefited similarly.
Conclusion
Brief, low-cost spatial activities can selectively enhance mental rotation in disadvantaged first graders, providing evidence for the malleability of spatial cognition in early schooling. These findings highlight the potential of affordable, gender-inclusive materials to reduce inequities in access to spatial learning opportunities. Future work should refine approaches to better support mental folding and perspective taking.
{"title":"Enhancing spatial skills of disadvantaged children using everyday activities","authors":"Çiğdem İrem İleri, Aylin C. Küntay","doi":"10.1016/j.cogdev.2025.101652","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.cogdev.2025.101652","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><div>Spatial skills are foundational for cognitive development, yet children from socioeconomically disadvantaged backgrounds often have limited access to construction toys that promote such skills. This study examined whether affordable, gender-neutral construction activities using readily available everyday materials can support first graders’ development of mental rotation, mental folding, and perspective taking.</div></div><div><h3>Method</h3><div>A total of 132 economically disadvantaged first-grade children (67 intervention, 65 control; M = 6 years 10 months, SD = 5 months) participated in a five-day, school-based intervention. Activities targeted intrinsic-dynamic (mental rotation, mental folding) and extrinsic-dynamic (perspective taking) skills using low-cost materials (e.g., paper cups, straws). Spatial abilities were assessed at pretest, posttest, and delayed posttest. A 3 (time) × 2 (group) × 2 (sex) repeated-measures ANOVA examined intervention and gender effects.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>Children in the intervention group showed significantly greater improvement in mental rotation than controls (<em>F</em>(1.8, 203.32) = 7.59, <em>p</em> < .001, <em>ηp²</em> = .06), and this effect was maintained at delayed posttest. No significant group differences emerged for mental folding or perspective taking. Gender analyses revealed no main effects of sex and no sex-related interactions for any spatial skill (all <em>p</em>’s > .17), indicating that boys and girls benefited similarly.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusion</h3><div>Brief, low-cost spatial activities can selectively enhance mental rotation in disadvantaged first graders, providing evidence for the malleability of spatial cognition in early schooling. These findings highlight the potential of affordable, gender-inclusive materials to reduce inequities in access to spatial learning opportunities. Future work should refine approaches to better support mental folding and perspective taking.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":51422,"journal":{"name":"Cognitive Development","volume":"76 ","pages":"Article 101652"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2025-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145692992","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-10-01DOI: 10.1016/j.cogdev.2025.101654
Joanne Eaves , Nore Wijns , Giulia A. Borriello
Patterning, the ability to identify and operate with regularities in sequences such as ABABAB, is a significant predictor of mathematical performance. Spontaneous Focusing On Patterns (SFOP) is a dispositional component of patterning that refers to an individual’s tendency to notice patterns without direct instruction. There is very little research into SFOP and its role in the development of patterning skills, despite it being embedded in a rich literature of other “Spontaneous Focusing On…” (SFOx) tendencies such as Spontaneous Focusing On Number (SFON) and Relations (SFOR). This short article reports a cross-sectional study exploring how SFOP changes between the ages of 4–11 years, and whether SFOP tendencies can be encouraged by first engaging in a repeating patterns activity. We found that children aged 4–8 years engaged in SFOP, and no evidence that completing a repeating patterns activity promoted SFOP tendencies. Our findings add value to the sparse literature of SFOP and stimulate theoretical discussion about the nature of SFOx tendencies.
{"title":"Exploring the development and stimulation of Spontaneous Focusing On Patterns (SFOP)","authors":"Joanne Eaves , Nore Wijns , Giulia A. Borriello","doi":"10.1016/j.cogdev.2025.101654","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.cogdev.2025.101654","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Patterning, the ability to identify and operate with regularities in sequences such as ABABAB, is a significant predictor of mathematical performance. Spontaneous Focusing On Patterns (SFOP) is a dispositional component of patterning that refers to an individual’s tendency to notice patterns without direct instruction. There is very little research into SFOP and its role in the development of patterning skills, despite it being embedded in a rich literature of other “Spontaneous Focusing On…” (SFOx) tendencies such as Spontaneous Focusing On Number (SFON) and Relations (SFOR). This short article reports a cross-sectional study exploring how SFOP changes between the ages of 4–11 years, and whether SFOP tendencies can be encouraged by first engaging in a repeating patterns activity. We found that children aged 4–8 years engaged in SFOP, and no evidence that completing a repeating patterns activity promoted SFOP tendencies. Our findings add value to the sparse literature of SFOP and stimulate theoretical discussion about the nature of SFOx tendencies.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":51422,"journal":{"name":"Cognitive Development","volume":"76 ","pages":"Article 101654"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2025-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145692993","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-10-01DOI: 10.1016/j.cogdev.2025.101643
Kaityn Contino , Eliza L. Nelson
Object play in naturalistic environments affords rich opportunities for infant learning. Infants manipulate objects in complex ways that have not been captured by prior studies relating infant motor skill level and caregiver language input. The objective of this study was to examine if the frequency of caregiver object labeling varies as a function of infant manipulation complexity (high or low) during object play. Further, we also examined whether differences in caregiver object labeling are related to differences in opportunities to develop motor skills in the home. Caregiver-infant dyads (n = 40) participated in a remote study consisting of a 10-min play session and the administration of the Affordances in the Home Environment-Infant Scale (AHEMD-IS) questionnaire. Caregivers labeled more objects during in-the-moment bouts of high manipulation complexity relative to bouts of low manipulation complexity when playing with their infant. There was no difference in the frequency of caregiver object labeling as a function of motor opportunities in the home. These findings suggest that caregivers change their language input as a function of their infant’s manual behaviors during dyadic play, illuminating a potential mechanism underlying motor-language cascades.
{"title":"Infant manipulation complexity and caregiver object labeling during play","authors":"Kaityn Contino , Eliza L. Nelson","doi":"10.1016/j.cogdev.2025.101643","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.cogdev.2025.101643","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Object play in naturalistic environments affords rich opportunities for infant learning. Infants manipulate objects in complex ways that have not been captured by prior studies relating infant motor skill level and caregiver language input. The objective of this study was to examine if the frequency of caregiver object labeling varies as a function of infant manipulation complexity (high or low) during object play. Further, we also examined whether differences in caregiver object labeling are related to differences in opportunities to develop motor skills in the home. Caregiver-infant dyads (<em>n</em> = 40) participated in a remote study consisting of a 10-min play session and the administration of the Affordances in the Home Environment-Infant Scale (AHEMD-IS) questionnaire. Caregivers labeled more objects during in-the-moment bouts of high manipulation complexity relative to bouts of low manipulation complexity when playing with their infant. There was no difference in the frequency of caregiver object labeling as a function of motor opportunities in the home. These findings suggest that caregivers change their language input as a function of their infant’s manual behaviors during dyadic play, illuminating a potential mechanism underlying motor-language cascades.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":51422,"journal":{"name":"Cognitive Development","volume":"76 ","pages":"Article 101643"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2025-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145466263","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}