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}
Narrative ability and executive functions develop rapidly in children during the preschool years. The aim of this study was to investigate the nature of the longitudinal relationship between these two abilities by examining two competing theoretical accounts: direct reciprocal influence and the role of shared underlying factors. The sample consisted of 280 kindergarten children who were assessed in three waves over 18 months. A dual-model approach was used, employing both a Cross-Lagged Panel Model with lag-2 effects (CL2PM) and a Random Intercept Cross-Lagged Panel Model (RI-CLPM). The CL2PM revealed a directional relationship, where higher executive functions predicted subsequent growth in narrative ability, but not the inverse. This cumulative, directional influence helps explain the robust, stable connection between the abilities observed at the between-person level in the RI-CLPM (r = .58, p < .001) - a finding consistent with the hypothesis of shared underlying factors. This robust predictive relationship was observed despite evidence from descriptive data that the two skills were otherwise differentiating. No evidence was found for a more immediate, dynamic interplay at the within-person level. The findings suggest a complex relationship characterized by a robust, stable connection, likely stemming from both shared underlying factors and a cumulative, directional influence. Further research is warranted to identify these shared factors and experimentally test this directional influence in order to inform effective interventions.
{"title":"Relationship between narrative ability and executive functions: A longitudinal study in kindergarten classrooms","authors":"Judith Schönberger , Fabio Sticca , Claudia Hefti , Dieter Isler","doi":"10.1016/j.cogdev.2025.101635","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.cogdev.2025.101635","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Narrative ability and executive functions develop rapidly in children during the preschool years. The aim of this study was to investigate the nature of the longitudinal relationship between these two abilities by examining two competing theoretical accounts: direct reciprocal influence and the role of shared underlying factors. The sample consisted of 280 kindergarten children who were assessed in three waves over 18 months. A dual-model approach was used, employing both a Cross-Lagged Panel Model with lag-2 effects (CL2PM) and a Random Intercept Cross-Lagged Panel Model (RI-CLPM). The CL2PM revealed a directional relationship, where higher executive functions predicted subsequent growth in narrative ability, but not the inverse. This cumulative, directional influence helps explain the robust, stable connection between the abilities observed at the between-person level in the RI-CLPM (r = .58, p < .001) - a finding consistent with the hypothesis of shared underlying factors. This robust predictive relationship was observed despite evidence from descriptive data that the two skills were otherwise differentiating. No evidence was found for a more immediate, dynamic interplay at the within-person level. The findings suggest a complex relationship characterized by a robust, stable connection, likely stemming from both shared underlying factors and a cumulative, directional influence. Further research is warranted to identify these shared factors and experimentally test this directional influence in order to inform effective interventions.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":51422,"journal":{"name":"Cognitive Development","volume":"76 ","pages":"Article 101635"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2025-09-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145159195","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 : 2025-09-18DOI: 10.1016/j.cogdev.2025.101634
Marina Proft , Owen Waddington , Bahar Köymen
Young children consider transgressors’ intentions in their normative judgments. But how do children evaluate moral transgressions in the absence of information about a transgressor’s intent? Across three studies, 5-year-old German-speaking children (N = 216, 108 girls, 108 boys) observed negative moral outcomes in which the transgressor was either smiling (happy condition), shocked (surprised condition) or was without expression, in that their face was left entirely blank (no-expression condition). Children then reasoned in pairs (Study 1 and 2) or independently (Study 3) about the intentional structure of each transgression. In Study 1, dyads concluded the transgressions were intentional in the happy condition, accidental in the surprised condition, and were at-chance in the no-expression condition. In Studies 2 and 3, methodological changes meant children concluded the transgressions were accidental in the no-expression condition and were at-chance in the happy condition. When intention information was thus unavailable, 5-year-olds preferred to ascribe positive intentions to transgressors devoid of all expression and give them the benefit of the doubt.
{"title":"Young children give transgressors the benefit of the doubt in the absence of intention information","authors":"Marina Proft , Owen Waddington , Bahar Köymen","doi":"10.1016/j.cogdev.2025.101634","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.cogdev.2025.101634","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Young children consider transgressors’ intentions in their normative judgments. But how do children evaluate moral transgressions in the absence of information about a transgressor’s intent? Across three studies, 5-year-old German-speaking children (<em>N</em> = 216, 108 girls, 108 boys) observed negative moral outcomes in which the transgressor was either smiling (happy condition), shocked (surprised condition) or was without expression, in that their face was left entirely blank (no-expression condition). Children then reasoned in pairs (Study 1 and 2) or independently (Study 3) about the intentional structure of each transgression. In Study 1, dyads concluded the transgressions were intentional in the happy condition, accidental in the surprised condition, and were at-chance in the no-expression condition. In Studies 2 and 3, methodological changes meant children concluded the transgressions were accidental in the no-expression condition and were at-chance in the happy condition. When intention information was thus unavailable, 5-year-olds preferred to ascribe positive intentions to transgressors devoid of all expression and give them the benefit of the doubt.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":51422,"journal":{"name":"Cognitive Development","volume":"76 ","pages":"Article 101634"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2025-09-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145106920","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 : 2025-09-16DOI: 10.1016/j.cogdev.2025.101631
Jiexin Lin , Haomin Zhang , Xiaoyu Lin , Mengjie Li
The present study aims to explore the developmental courses for different aspects of reading skills (word reading and lexical inference) and examine how lexical knowledge (vocabulary and morphological awareness) supports reading development among mid-elementary students. We assessed vocabulary, morphological awareness, word reading, and lexical inference among 161 Chinese students, who were followed from Grade 3 to Grade 4. Latent growth curve models revealed compensatory developmental trajectories for both word reading and lexical inference, in which low-achieving students in both domains in Grade 3 had steeper growth trajectories than their higher performing peers. Multivariate latent growth curves indicated that both vocabulary and morphological awareness directly predicted the initial level and growth rate of word reading. Their longitudinal links with the initial level and growth rate of lexical inference had to go through the path of initial word reading, indicating that students with better lexical knowledge had better word reading and lexical inference achievement in Grade 4, but they tended to have slower growth rates than their lower-achieving counterparts, which subsequently narrowed individual differences in reading development. These findings underscore the salient role of morphological awareness and vocabulary in reading development and add to the current literature about the ways in which lexical knowledge supports the growth of higher-order reading skills.
{"title":"Word-level knowledge in Chinese children’s word reading and lexical inference development: A multivariate latent growth curve analysis","authors":"Jiexin Lin , Haomin Zhang , Xiaoyu Lin , Mengjie Li","doi":"10.1016/j.cogdev.2025.101631","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.cogdev.2025.101631","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The present study aims to explore the developmental courses for different aspects of reading skills (word reading and lexical inference) and examine how lexical knowledge (vocabulary and morphological awareness) supports reading development among mid-elementary students. We assessed vocabulary, morphological awareness, word reading, and lexical inference among 161 Chinese students, who were followed from Grade 3 to Grade 4. Latent growth curve models revealed compensatory developmental trajectories for both word reading and lexical inference, in which low-achieving students in both domains in Grade 3 had steeper growth trajectories than their higher performing peers. Multivariate latent growth curves indicated that both vocabulary and morphological awareness directly predicted the initial level and growth rate of word reading. Their longitudinal links with the initial level and growth rate of lexical inference had to go through the path of initial word reading, indicating that students with better lexical knowledge had better word reading and lexical inference achievement in Grade 4, but they tended to have slower growth rates than their lower-achieving counterparts, which subsequently narrowed individual differences in reading development. These findings underscore the salient role of morphological awareness and vocabulary in reading development and add to the current literature about the ways in which lexical knowledge supports the growth of higher-order reading skills.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":51422,"journal":{"name":"Cognitive Development","volume":"76 ","pages":"Article 101631"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2025-09-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145106885","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 : 2025-09-12DOI: 10.1016/j.cogdev.2025.101621
Hung-Ju Tsai
In this expanded review, we examine the theoretical frameworks tying together Chinese dyslexia, processing speed, and handwriting outcomes and then anchor these discussions in a broad range of empirical evidence spanning over two decades. We first describe how Chinese literacy’s unique characteristics, its monosyllabic script, high visual complexity, and emphasis on handwriting practice, create extensive speed-based demands. Next, we explore the role of rapid automatized naming (RAN) and magnocellular-based temporal-processing models, illuminating how deficits in these areas could impede literacy acquisition. We then connect these constructs to handwriting, focusing on how copying, dictation, and free-writing tasks expose or exacerbate speed deficits. Throughout, we incorporate recent neuroimaging findings and debate key theoretical perspectives, including the double-deficit hypothesis and critiques of the magnocellular framework. Subsequently, we highlight evidence-based interventions and emergent policy approaches in Chinese-speaking regions. We conclude by identifying critical directions for future research, including longitudinal designs that track dyslexic children’s writing fluency over time, cross-linguistic investigations clarifying how speed interacts with morphological awareness, and deeper neurobiological inquiries into the dorsal-ventral pathways implicated in handwriting. By foregrounding processing-speed deficits in Chinese dyslexia, this review provides a comprehensive narrative synthesis to integrate processing-speed and handwriting evidence in Chinese dyslexia, answering the question and explaining how speed deficits translate into handwriting difficulties.
{"title":"Processing speed deficits, developmental dyslexia, and handwriting in Chinese: A narrative review","authors":"Hung-Ju Tsai","doi":"10.1016/j.cogdev.2025.101621","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.cogdev.2025.101621","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>In this expanded review, we examine the theoretical frameworks tying together Chinese dyslexia, processing speed, and handwriting outcomes and then anchor these discussions in a broad range of empirical evidence spanning over two decades. We first describe how Chinese literacy’s unique characteristics, its monosyllabic script, high visual complexity, and emphasis on handwriting practice, create extensive speed-based demands. Next, we explore the role of rapid automatized naming (RAN) and magnocellular-based temporal-processing models, illuminating how deficits in these areas could impede literacy acquisition. We then connect these constructs to handwriting, focusing on how copying, dictation, and free-writing tasks expose or exacerbate speed deficits. Throughout, we incorporate recent neuroimaging findings and debate key theoretical perspectives, including the double-deficit hypothesis and critiques of the magnocellular framework. Subsequently, we highlight evidence-based interventions and emergent policy approaches in Chinese-speaking regions. We conclude by identifying critical directions for future research, including longitudinal designs that track dyslexic children’s writing fluency over time, cross-linguistic investigations clarifying how speed interacts with morphological awareness, and deeper neurobiological inquiries into the dorsal-ventral pathways implicated in handwriting. By foregrounding processing-speed deficits in Chinese dyslexia, this review provides a comprehensive narrative synthesis to integrate processing-speed and handwriting evidence in Chinese dyslexia, answering the question and explaining how speed deficits translate into handwriting difficulties.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":51422,"journal":{"name":"Cognitive Development","volume":"76 ","pages":"Article 101621"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2025-09-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145050268","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 : 2025-09-12DOI: 10.1016/j.cogdev.2025.101622
Jue Wang , Ziyao Ma , Chengyu Pang, Yonglin Shi, Xiaobin Zhang
This study examined whether children in China associate specific facial expressions with the rich and poor. Experiment 1 found facial expressions affected judgement of social class. Children aged 3–6 years (N = 389; 171 boys; Mage = 4.68) more often associated happy facial expressions with the rich and sad and angry facial expressions with the poor. Experiment 2 found that social class also affected facial expression judgement. Children aged 3–6 years (N = 393; 209 boys; Mage = 4.77) more often associated the rich with happy facial expressions and the poor with sad and angry facial expressions. These results indicate that children aged 3–6 years associate the rich with happy facial expressions and the poor with sad and angry facial expressions.
{"title":"The rich are happy, and the poor are sad: The development of association between facial expressions and the rich and poor among children","authors":"Jue Wang , Ziyao Ma , Chengyu Pang, Yonglin Shi, Xiaobin Zhang","doi":"10.1016/j.cogdev.2025.101622","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.cogdev.2025.101622","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study examined whether children in China associate specific facial expressions with the rich and poor. Experiment 1 found facial expressions affected judgement of social class. Children aged 3–6 years (<em>N</em> = 389; 171 boys; <em>M</em><sub>age</sub> = 4.68) more often associated happy facial expressions with the rich and sad and angry facial expressions with the poor. Experiment 2 found that social class also affected facial expression judgement. Children aged 3–6 years (<em>N</em> = 393; 209 boys; <em>M</em><sub>age</sub> = 4.77) more often associated the rich with happy facial expressions and the poor with sad and angry facial expressions. These results indicate that children aged 3–6 years associate the rich with happy facial expressions and the poor with sad and angry facial expressions.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":51422,"journal":{"name":"Cognitive Development","volume":"76 ","pages":"Article 101622"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2025-09-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145049631","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}
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