Currently, we understand much about how children’s brains attend to and learn from information presented while they are alone, viewing a screen – but less about how interpersonal social influences ...are substantiated in the brain. Here, we consider research that examines how social behaviors affect not one, but both partners in a dyad. We review studies that measured interpersonal neural entrainment during early social interaction, considering two ways of measuring entrainment: concurrent entrainment (e.g., ‘when A is high, B is high’ – also known as synchrony) and sequential entrainment (‘changes in A forward-predict changes in B’). We discuss possible causes of interpersonal neural entrainment, and consider whether it is merely an epiphenomenon, or whether it plays an independent, mechanistic role in early attention and learning.
Social factors exert transient influences on the brains of both partners during an interaction.Interpersonal neural entrainment during early learning interactions has been documented at multiple temporal scales, replicating findings with adults and animals.Neural entrainment can be a consequence of behavioral coordination, but it can also arise in the absence of behavioral coordination: shared understanding involves temporally co-occurring patterns of brain activity.Neural entrainment may influence learning in multiple ways; for example, by allowing the sender to ensure information delivered arrives at an optimal time for encoding by the receiver.
•Executive function (EF) and motor skills are important for early learning.•EF and motor skills codevelop in children in bidirectional and synergistic ways.•Research should examine how skills develop ...together to promote learning.
A considerable body of research indicates that children’s executive function (EF) skills and related school readiness constructs are important for early learning and long-term academic success. This review focuses on EF and a related construct, motor skills with a focus on visuomotor integration, as being foundational for learning, and describes how these skills codevelop in young children in bidirectional and synergistic ways. The review discusses definitional and conceptual issues, connects EF and visuomotor integration to relevant theoretical perspectives, discusses measurement issues and advancements, and reviews intervention evidence to support the malleability of these skills in young children. Discussion emphasizes how these skills develop together and suggests that research examining children’s learning from a codevelopment perspective can help promote children’s health and well-being.
Objective
This study examined associations between marital adjustment and children's learning behaviors, as well as the potential mediation effects of maternal involvement and parenting on these ...associations in Chinese contexts.
Background
The family is a vital setting for children's early learning behaviors, encompassing self‐efficacy in learning and approaches to learning. Marital adjustment, as well as maternal involvement and maternal parenting, are crucial factors in the family setting. However, there is a paucity of research on the pathway mechanism between these three family factors and children's early learning behaviors.
Method
There were 750 mothers of Chinese preschoolers (48.24% girls, Mage = 5.94 years, SD = 1.43) in three provinces—Fujian, Sichuan, and Xinjiang—who participated in the study. Mothers completed questionnaires related to marital adjustment, maternal involvement, maternal parenting, and children's learning behaviors. Structural equation models were estimated to test the hypothesized paths.
Results
The results revealed a positive association between higher marital adjustment and improved children's self‐efficacy in learning (β = .10, p = .004) and approaches to learning (β = .15, p < .001), with maternal involvement (for self‐efficacy, β = .25, p < .001; for approaches to learning, β = .23, p < .001) and parenting (for self‐efficacy, β = .25, p < .001; for approaches to learning, β = .31, p < .001) recognized as significant mediators in this relationship.
Conclusions
The study indicated that marital adjustment, maternal involvement, and parenting have significant direct and indirect effects on children's early learning behaviors.
Implications
Given the research findings, marital adjustment is worth considering when recognizing children's early learning. Furthermore, parents may be encouraged to understand proper involvement and parenting practices with their children. Briefly, these findings contribute to the existing body of knowledge on how family variables are related to children's learning behaviors.
Abstract Objective Given the high prevalence of suboptimal nutrition and low activity levels in children, we systematically reviewed the literature on the relationship between physical activity and ...dietary patterns and cognitive development in early childhood (six months to five years). Methods In February 2016, we conducted two different searches of MEDLINE, PsycINFO, and ERIC. Each search included either physical activity (including gross motor skills) or diet terms, and neurocognitive development outcome terms. Included studies were in English, published since 2005, and of any study design in which the physical activity or diet measure occurred prior to age five. Results For physical activity, twelve studies (5 cross-sectional, 3 longitudinal and 4 experimental) were included. Eleven studies reported evidence suggesting that physical activity or gross motor skills are related to cognition or learning. Both acute bouts and longer term exposures showed benefit. For diet, eight studies were included consisting of secondary analyses from longitudinal cohort studies. A healthier dietary pattern was associated with better cognitive outcomes in all studies, although some of the reported associations were weak and the measures used varied across the studies. Conclusions Physical activity and healthy diets in early childhood are associated with better cognitive outcomes in young children. The paucity of literature and the variability in the type and quality of measures used highlight the need for more rigorous research. Given that the early childhood years are critical for both obesity prevention and neurocognitive development, evidence that the same healthy behaviors could promote both should inform future interventions.
•Chronic absenteeism is widespread among pre-kindergarten students.•Students entering pre-kindergarten with the lowest skills miss the most school days.•Pre-k students with higher absences have lower ...kindergarten readiness scores.•Chronically absent pre-kindergarteners miss more school in future grades.•Students chronically absent for several years need reading intervention by grade 3.
Consistent school attendance is a critical component of education. Although research suggests that high rates of absenteeism is a significant issue for many students, minimal evidence exists focusing on absences among the nation’s youngest students − those in pre-kindergarten. This study focused on students in a large, urban district and examined the prevalence of pre-kindergarten chronic absence for different student subgroups, its relationship to learning outcomes during pre-kindergarten, and its association with ongoing attendance patterns and learning outcomes through second grade. Results indicated that absence in pre-kindergarten was widespread, particularly among African American students and those who entered pre-kindergarten with the lowest skills. Chronically absent pre-kindergarten students—those who were absent 10% or more of their enrolled days—displayed lower levels of academic and behavioral kindergarten readiness and were more likely to be chronically absent in subsequent grades. By third grade, students chronically absent for multiple years exhibited the need for significant intervention to read at grade level. These findings suggest that providing supports to improve attendance in pre-kindergarten and early elementary years has the potential to reduce achievement gaps and redirect struggling students onto the pathway toward educational success.
Introduction: Early childhood development is a fundamentally important phase and is influenced by stimulus and nurturing. Environment influences, particularly the home environment, is considered the ...critical factor for optimal growth and development. Objectives: To determine the impact of home environment on motor development in South Indian infants. Method: 164 infants aged 1-11 months residing in Belagavi City, India, were recruited in a community-based cross-sectional study based on the inclusion and exclusion criteria. Structured questionnaire was used to assess the home environment followed by motor development assessment using Peabody developmental Motor Scale-2 (PDMS-2). Results: Gestational age was positively associated, while duration of breast feeding, hospitalization and weight of the infant (-1.17, p= 0.03) had negative association with the fine and total motor quotient of PDMS-2. Father’s education, occupation and income had significant positive effect on total and fine motor quotients. Outside space to play had positive association with fine motor quotient (2.28, p= 0.0154). Non availability of play material like pop up toys and child never exposed to play with floating toys, cups and socks also showed lower total quotient scores. Conclusions: Gestational age, father’s education, occupation and income had a positive effect on the motor development of South Indian infants participating in the study.
PDF
