The perceptual span describes the size of the visual field from which information is obtained during a fixation in reading. Its size depends on characteristics of writing system and reader, ...but-according to the foveal load hypothesis-it is also adjusted dynamically as a function of lexical processing difficulty. Using the moving window paradigm to manipulate the amount of preview, here we directly test whether the perceptual span shrinks as foveal word difficulty increases. We computed the momentary size of the span from word-based eye-movement measures as a function of foveal word frequency, allowing us to separately describe the perceptual span for information affecting spatial saccade targeting and temporal saccade execution. First fixation duration and gaze duration on the upcoming (parafoveal) word N + 1 were significantly shorter when the current (foveal) word N was more frequent. We show that the word frequency effect is modulated by window size. Fixation durations on word N + 1 decreased with high-frequency words N, but only for large windows, that is, when sufficient parafoveal preview was available. This provides strong support for the foveal load hypothesis. To investigate the development of the foveal load effect, we analyzed data from three waves of a longitudinal study on the perceptual span with German children in Grades 1 to 6. Perceptual span adjustment emerged early in development at around second grade and remained stable in later grades. We conclude that the local modulation of the perceptual span indicates a general cognitive process, perhaps an attentional gradient with rapid readjustment.
Child Witness Expressions of Certainty Are Informative Winsor, Alice A.; Flowe, Heather D.; Seale-Carlisle, Travis M. ...
Journal of experimental psychology. General,
11/2021, Letnik:
150, Številka:
11
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Odprti dostop
Children are frequently witnesses of crime. In the witness literature and legal systems, children are often deemed to have unreliable memories. Yet, in the basic developmental literature, young ...children can monitor their memory. To address these contradictory conclusions, we reanalyzed the confidence-accuracy relationship in basic and applied research. Confidence provided considerable information about memory accuracy, from at least age 8, but possibly younger. We also conducted an experiment where children in young (4-6 years), middle (7-9 years), and late (10-17 years) childhood (N = 2,205) watched a person in a video and then identified that person from a police lineup. Children provided a confidence rating (an explicit judgment) and used an interactive lineup-in which the lineup faces can be rotated-and we analyzed children's viewing behavior (an implicit measure of metacognition). A strong confidence-accuracy relationship was observed from age 10 and an emerging relationship from age 7. A constant likelihood ratio signal-detection model can be used to understand these findings. Moreover, in all ages, interactive viewing behavior differed in children who made correct versus incorrect suspect identifications. Our research reconciles the apparent divide between applied and basic research findings and suggests that the fundamental architecture of metacognition that has previously been evidenced in basic list-learning paradigms also underlies performance on complex applied tasks. Contrary to what is believed by legal practitioners, but similar to what has been found in the basic literature, identifications made by children can be reliable when appropriate metacognitive measures are used to estimate accuracy.
Reflecting a burgeoning political interest in supporting young children around the world, global demand for reliable, valid, and scalable assessments of early childhood development (ECD) is on the ...rise. One of the more popular sets of tools for measuring the ECD of children under age 3 is the Caregiver Reported Early Development Instruments (CREDI), which includes both a long form for research and evaluation and a short form for population‐level monitoring. In this commentary, we describe the goals and limitations of the CREDI, research to support its use as a population‐level ECD instrument, as well as the major gaps in its evidence base. We also discuss how the work of Alderman and colleagues (in this issue) addresses some of these outstanding gaps, highlighting several critical areas for future research.
Government sectors responsible for early childhood development (ECD) often have competing priorities and obligations which manifest through fragmentation, silo conflicts, and power dynamics, thus ...failing to implement ECD policies in South Africa effectively. This article aims to provide a framework for strengthening the implementation of ECD policies to enhance quality early childhood care and education (ECCE) in the Gauteng province of South Africa. Using a qualitative approach within an interpretive paradigm, data was obtained through open-ended semi-structured interviews, observations, and field notes. Key stakeholders, including ECD managers, practitioners, and education officials, were purposely sampled. The conceptual lens was used for exploring the current implementation of ECD policies at the systems level in the theoretical framework. The findings revealed communication and information blockages at the level of national, provincial, and district offices. As a result, ECD centers were left uninformed of the new policies and frameworks for implementation. A framework that stipulates standardized training for the Department of Education officials, support for ECD principals, managers, and practitioners, and open communication through bi-annual conferences and monthly community of practice (CoP) virtual meetings will ensure that policies are implemented and that quality ECD education is achievable in South Africa.
Sandra Wood Scarr (1936-2021) McCartney, Kathleen; Deater-Deckard, Kirby
The American psychologist,
05/2022, Letnik:
77, Številka:
4
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Memorializes Sandra Wood Scarr (1936-2021). Developmental psychologist Sandra Scarr was born on August 8, 1936. After earning her AB from Vassar College in 1958 and her doctorate in psychology and ...social relations from Harvard University in 1965, she began her career as a developmental psychologist whose research informed fundamental questions about experience and development. Scarr used a variety of methods to assess experience and development, including studies of early childhood intervention, childcare effects, and genetic and environmental influences using behavior genetics studies with adopted children and adolescents. In several theoretical papers, she argued that genes and environments were correlated, thereby challenging all research on parent-child socialization. In her childcare studies, she and her colleagues controlled for family selection effects, a first at the time, and demonstrated small to moderate reliable effects on cognitive and social outcomes. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).
This longitudinal study-conducted in the Midwestern United States-examines the child-level factors that promote Spanish-English bilingual toddlers' (n = 47; Mage = 18.80 months; SDage = 0.57) ...productive vocabulary skills from 18 to 30 months of age. At 6-month intervals, caregivers reported on toddlers' Spanish and English words produced as well as their language exposure at home. Video recordings at child age 18 months yielded estimates of toddlers' speech output (word tokens per minute). In addition, at child age 18 months, caregivers reported on toddlers' linguistic skills (comprehension), demographic background (gender, household income), and nonverbal behaviors (gesture production). Results showed that toddlers were exposed to both English and Spanish and received more Spanish than English from primary caregivers; there were no significant primary caregiver input differences across time. Growth modeling revealed linear growth rates for Spanish and conceptual (Spanish, English combined) vocabulary and a curvilinear trajectory for English vocabulary. Furthermore, toddlers' Spanish and conceptual vocabularies were positively associated with their higher frequencies of token use, greater production of gesture, and greater comprehension skills, even after controlling for input. Moreover, Spanish and conceptual growth rates were positively associated with higher token use. In terms of English, toddlers' vocabulary at child age 18 months was positively associated with their comprehension skills. Toddlers' use of more gestures and tokens as well as gender (boys) influenced their English acceleration rates over time. Findings indicate that unique trajectories exist for each of a bilingual's languages and these trajectories are differentially influenced by child-level factors, including their speech output, not only exposure to language.
Public Significance StatementThis study identifies the child-level factors that are associated with Spanish and English-speaking Latino toddler's positive bilingual language trajectories and hence healthy development. The study findings have important implications for the design of interventions and policies aimed at promoting bilingual language development.
It is theoretically plausible that social anxiety (SA) and social relationships (SR) can influence each other. However, the available empirical evidence is inconsistent, leading to substantial ...uncertainty regarding the cross-lagged relations between SA and SR. This meta-analysis systematically integrates data from 107 longitudinal studies, comprising 110 independent samples and involving a total of 115,133 participants from childhood to adulthood. Four types of SR were assessed: family-related, school-related, romantic, and general relationships. One-stage meta-analytic structural equation modeling was applied to fit four cross-lagged panel models and to test potential moderators. No significant publication bias was detected. Effect size analyses revealed that prior SA significantly and negatively predicted quality of all types of SR. Family-related and general relationships each predicted prospective SA symptoms, but school-related and romantic relationships did not. No moderators were identified in analyses of family-related and romantic relationships. However, the publication year, sample age, gender, reporter, and time lag played a moderating role in analyses of school-related and general relationships. These findings suggest that SA is a crucial factor undermining SR and that dysfunctional family and general relationships also contribute to the exacerbation of SA symptoms. The strengths, limitations, and future directions of this study are discussed.
Public Significance StatementA hotly debated issue in academia is whether past social anxiety (SA) hinders future social relationships (SR) or if prior poor SR precipitate subsequent SA symptoms. To shed light on this matter, a comprehensive meta-analysis was conducted, encompassing data from 107 longitudinal studies and involving over 110,000 participants. The findings suggest that SA poses a significant risk to all types of SR, but only family-related and general relationships potentially impacted later levels of SA.
Maternal depression is associated with cognitive, emotional, and behavioral problems in offspring, but the substantial heterogeneity of depression precludes a full understanding of these ...associations. Variation in course of depression, characterized by severity or chronicity, may be related differentially to children's development. The current meta-analytic review examined the relations of these characteristics of maternal depression to children's developmental outcomes. Twenty-nine studies were identified and reviewed; the majority (93%) of studies reported a negative association between some aspect of maternal depression and children's adjustment. Separate meta-analyses revealed significant effect sizes for severity (Fisher's z = −.243) and chronicity (adjusted Fisher's z = −.337) of maternal depression and children's cognitive or behavioral functioning. Findings are synthesized across features of maternal depression; methodological limitations within the empirical literature are discussed; and recommendations for future research are suggested.
The objective of the current study was to identify an effective learning environment for kindergarten students as they acquire an initial understanding of scientific inquiry activities (SIA) and a ...simple (idealized) scientific inquiry cycle (SIC). The study aimed to examine (a) the effects of instructional support and (b) the role of similarity across scientific phenomena illustrating the SIA/SIC in helping children acquire an initial understanding. The study used a randomized group treatment design with children aged 5-6 years (N = 231). Similarity of scientific phenomena and specificity of instructional support related to the SIA/SIC were systematically varied across conditions. Results indicated that SIA/SIC-specific instructional support provided short-term benefits to children's knowledge about SIA and the SIC. In addition, results suggested that similarity of scientific phenomena interacted differentially with children's prior knowledge. More knowledgeable students benefited from variation in their understanding of the SIA/SIC, while similarity helped less knowledgeable children improve their content knowledge.
Educational Impact and Implications Statement
This study highlights the effectiveness of explicit instructional support focused on scientific inquiry activities (SIA) and the science inquiry cycle for children aged 5-6. The findings suggest that such targeted teaching approaches can promote a deeper understanding of the process and objectives of scientific inquiry, without compromising content knowledge. This research invites educators to rethink traditional hands-on pedagogical methods, emphasizing the importance of guiding children toward viewing science as an intentional process of information seeking, characterized by inquiry and iterative question development. Moreover, the findings underscore the potential benefit of early introduction to SIA. This study also notes the interplay between the design of learning environments, the variability of examples used, and children's prior knowledge, factors which should be carefully balanced in early science education.
Novel causal systems pose a problem of variable choice: How can a reasoner decide which variable is causally relevant? Which variable in the system should a learner manipulate to try to produce a ...desired, yet unfamiliar, casual outcome? In much causal reasoning research, participants learn how a particular set of preselected variables produce a particular effect. Here, we investigate 3- to 5-year-olds' ability to select the relevant variable for intervention in a novel causal system. Results demonstrate that even young children can learn which variable is causally relevant from sparse evidence. In particular, children infer that variables that are "difference-making" in one causal system will also be relevant to other, novel, causal problems. If manipulating a causal variable in a particular way leads to one effect, children assume that other manipulations of that variable will lead to other novel effects.
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