Sleep and Cognition in Preschool Years: Specific Links to Executive Functioning

This study investigated the prospective links between sleep in infancy and preschoolers' cognitive performance. Mothers of 65 infants completed a sleep diary when infants were aged 1 year, and children completed two subscales of the Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence at 4 years, indexing general cognitive ability and complex executive functioning. Consistent with hypotheses, children getting higher proportions of their sleep at night as infants were found to perform better on executive functions, but did not show better general cognition. Relations held after controlling for family socioeconomic status and prior cognitive functioning. These findings suggest that the special importance of sleep for higher order cognition, documented among adults, may appear very early in life.     

The Home Literacy Environment and Preschool Children's Reading Skills and Interest

Research Findings: This study explored the association between the home literacy environment (HLE), conceptualized as comprising parents’ reading beliefs and home literacy practices, and preschoolers’ reading skills and reading interest. It also identified factors in the HLE that predict emerging reading competence and motivation to read. A total of 193 children age 6 years from 14 preschools across Singapore and their parents participated in the study. The parents completed a reading belief inventory, a family literacy activity inventory, and a demographic questionnaire that surveyed the child's reading interest. The children were administered a battery of standardized literacy tests. The study found a moderate relationship between the HLE and children's reading competencies and a strong relationship between the HLE and children's reading interest. When parents’ education level and children's age were controlled, hierarchical multiple regression analyses found that family literacy activities contributed more unique variance to children's reading outcomes and reading interest than did parents’ reading beliefs. Active parental involvement was the strongest component of the HLE, with parent–child engagement in reading and writing emerging as the best predictor of both the child's emerging reading skills and reading interest. With respect to reading beliefs, parents’ efficacy in supporting literacy development before their child attended school positively predicted reading competence, as did parents’ affect and verbal participation in fostering reading interest. However, verbal participation negatively predicted Singapore children's reading competence. Practice or Policy: The implications of the results were discussed.     

执行性机能与儿童心理理论的发展

最近十几年里，国外的心理学家越来越重视对执行性机能与儿童心理理论发展的关系的研究，迄今已取得丰富的研究成果，提出了多种理论假设，本研究从国外已提出的有关执行性机能与儿童心理理论发展关系的理论假设的角度，综述和简评了国外已取得的这方面的研究成果。     

幼儿抗挫折能力的发展特点

幼儿抗挫折能力是幼儿适应社会环境所不可缺少的一种生存能力,是儿童健全人格的重要组成部分.本研究采用问卷调查法对507名3～5岁幼儿抗挫折能力的发展特点进行调查,结果表明:幼儿抗挫折能力的发展存在极其显著的年龄差异,表现出随年龄增长而不断增强的发展趋势,3～4岁可能是幼儿抗挫折能力发展的关键期;幼儿抗挫折能力的发展不存在显著的性别差异.     

Executive Function Skills,Early Mathematics,and Vocabulary in Head Start Preschool Children

Research Findings: The contribution of 3 executive function skills (shifting, inhibitory control, and working memory) and their relation to early mathematical skills was investigated with preschoolers attending 6 Head Start centers. Ninety-two children ranging in age from 3 years, 1 month, to 4 years, 11 months, who were native English or Spanish speakers were assessed for these executive function skills as well as their receptive vocabulary skills and early mathematical abilities using the Child Math Assessment (Starkey, Klein, & Wakeley, 2004), which captures an array of skills across 4 domains. Hierarchal regression analyses revealed that inhibitory control and working memory made unique contributions to children’s early mathematical abilities in the domains of numeracy, arithmetic, spatial/geometric reasoning, and patterning/logical relations after we controlled for age, receptive vocabulary, and previous Head Start experience. Furthermore, receptive vocabulary also accounted for significant variance in children’s early mathematical abilities above and beyond executive function skills. No group differences emerged between English-only and dual language learners on the fit of the regression models. Practice or Policy: These findings extend previous research highlighting the interface of executive function skills and mathematical learning in early childhood with further evidence to support this relationship beyond early numeracy and counting using a broad measure of critical early math skills. In addition, the intricate role of language in the development of early mathematical competence is considered. Implications of these findings for scaffolding executive function skills and vocabulary within prekindergarten math curricula are discussed, with particular consideration for children from low socioeconomic backgrounds.     

Children's Teaching Skills: The Role of Theory of Mind and Executive Function

ABSTRACT— Teaching others effectively may rely on knowledge about the mind as well as self-control processes. The goal of this investigation was to explore the role of theory of mind (ToM) and executive function (EF) in children's developing teaching skills. Children 3.5–5.5 years of age ( N = 82) were asked to teach a confederate learner how to play a board game and were administered multitask batteries of ToM and EF with mental age, sex, and memory capacity as controls. There was a developmental increase in children's teaching skills (e.g., older children taught longer, explained more rules, and used more strategies when teaching). Examined separately, both ToM and EF explained unique variance in teaching skills over and above controls. Taken together, EF was a significant predictor of teaching efficacy over and above ToM and controls, whereas the same did not hold true for ToM. These results suggest that ToM may be a necessary prerequisite for teaching to occur; however, EF skills appear to play a vital role in children's teaching efficacy.     

From External Regulation to Self-Regulation: Early Parenting Precursors of Young Children's Executive Functioning

In keeping with proposals emphasizing the role of early experience in infant brain development, this study investigated the prospective links between quality of parent–infant interactions and subsequent child executive functioning (EF), including working memory, impulse control, and set shifting. Maternal sensitivity, mind-mindedness and autonomy support were assessed when children were 12 to 15 months old ( N  =   80). Child EF was assessed at 18 and 26 months. All three parenting dimensions were found to relate to child EF. Autonomy support was the strongest predictor of EF at each age, independent of general cognitive ability and maternal education. These findings add to previous results on child stress-response systems in suggesting that parent–child relationships may play an important role in children's developing self-regulatory capacities.     

Absenteeism in Head Start and Children's Academic Learning

Using nationally representative data from the Family and Child Experiences Survey 2009 cohort (n = 2,842), this study examined the implications of 3‐ and 4‐year‐old's absences from Head Start for their early academic learning. The findings from this study revealed that children who missed more days of school, and especially those who were chronically absent, demonstrated fewer gains in areas of math and literacy during the preschool year. Moreover, excessive absenteeism was found to detract from the potential benefits of quality preschool education and was especially problematic for the early learning of children who entered the Head Start program with a less developed skill set. Implications for policy and practice are discussed.     

学前期儿童情绪发展的特征

情绪发展是人的整体发展不可分割的部分,学前期儿童情绪发展的特征主要表现在情绪理解的发展、情绪的调节性增高、移情和情绪表达的发展四个方面.情绪发展对学前期儿童的生存和成长具有三个方面的价值;适应生存的心理工具,应对社会生活情境的能力来源,组织认识活动的心理激发者.     

安全感在学前儿童发展中的意义

安全感形成于个体早期,在学前儿童发展中的重要性是不言而喻的。安全感是学前儿童自由探究的前提,缺乏足够的安全感将影响儿童探究与认知的质量;安全感又是学前儿童良好个性形成的基础,它不仅是儿童最为重要的需要之一,也是儿童行为背后的重要趋动力,缺乏足够的安全感会影响儿童健康人格的形成,限制儿童智力的发展与潜能的充分实现;安全感还是学前儿童心理健康的重要指标,是学前儿童身体健康的重要保障。     

幼儿园教师教育技能发展的关键点

幼儿教育改革的深化与发展对幼儿教师应具备的教育技能提出了新的要求,传统狭隘的幼儿教师技能观已日益为人们所摈弃.为促进自身教育技能的完善与提高,幼儿教师应善于抓住情、趣、恒、细、诚等关健点,用无私的爱与付出赢得幼儿的充分信任与尊重;用丰富多彩、充满趣味的教育活动吸引幼儿;用坚持不懈的常规教育引导幼儿做事做人;用深入细致的成长档案记录幼儿的点滴进步;用诚心诚意的交流与沟通打动家长,形成家园合力.     

学前儿童体育运动的开展现状及策略研究

学前儿童运动是学前教育的重要组成部分,学前运动对儿童的身心健康发展起着重要的影响。运用观察法和文献法相结合的方法,重点研究当前幼儿体育教育活动中存在的不足和缺点,对发现的不足和缺点提出可行的解决方案。强调体育教学首先要提高教师素质,要注意对幼儿兴趣的保护,在体育教学中融入多元文化的教学,让体育成为幼儿健康成长的一个有效工具。     

Associations Between Low-Income Children's Fine Motor Skills in Preschool and Academic Performance in Second Grade

Research Findings: Given the growing literature pertaining to the importance of fine motor skills for later academic achievement (D. W. Grissmer, K. J. Grimm, S. M. Aiyer, W. M. Murrah, &; J. S. Steele, 2010 Grissmer , D. W. , Grimm , K. J. , Aiyer , S. M. , Murrah , W. M. , &; Steele , J. S. ( 2010 ). Fine motor skills and early comprehension of the world: Two new school readiness indicators . Developmental Psychology , 46 , 1008 – 1017 .[Crossref], [PubMed], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]), the current study examines whether the fine motor skills of economically disadvantaged preschool students predict later academic performance in 2nd grade. More specifically, we expand on the current literature and evaluate whether 2 types of fine motor skills—fine motor object manipulation and fine motor writing—predict academic achievement above and beyond the effects of demographic characteristics and early language and cognition skills. Results indicate that performance on both fine motor writing and object manipulation tasks had significant effects on 2nd-grade reading and math achievement, as measured by grades and standardized test scores. Stronger effects were yielded for writing tasks compared to object manipulation tasks. Practice or Policy: Implications for researchers and early childhood practitioners are discussed.     

Developmental Changes in Executive Functioning

Although early studies of executive functioning in children supported Miyake et al.'s (2000) three‐factor model, more recent findings supported a variety of undifferentiated or two‐factor structures. Using a cohort‐sequential design, this study examined whether there were age‐related differences in the structure of executive functioning among 6‐ to 15‐year‐olds (N = 688). Children were tested annually on tasks designed to measure updating and working memory, inhibition, and switch efficiency. There was substantial task‐based variation in developmental patterns on the various tasks. Confirmatory factor analyses and tests for longitudinal factorial invariance showed that data from the 5‐ to 13‐year‐olds conformed to a two‐factor structure. For the 15‐year‐olds, a well‐separated three‐factor structure was found.     

Children's Engagement Within the Preschool Classroom and Their Development of Self-Regulation

This study used an observational measure to examine how individual children's engagement with teachers, peers, and tasks was associated with gains in self-regulation. A sample of 341 preschoolers was observed, and direct assessments and teacher reports of self-regulation were obtained in the fall and spring of the preschool year. Research Findings: Children's positive engagement with teachers was related to gains in compliance/executive function, and children's active engagement with tasks was associated with gains in emotion regulation across the year. Engaging positively with teachers or peers was especially supportive of children's gains in task orientation and reductions in dysregulation. Practice or Policy: Results are discussed in relation to Vygotsky's developmental theory, emphasizing that psychological processes are developed in the context of socially embedded interactions. Systematically observing how a child interacts with peers, teachers, and learning tasks in the preschool classroom has the potential to inform the creation of professional development aimed at supporting teachers in fostering individual children's development within the early education environment.     

The Development of Experimentation and Evidence Evaluation Skills at Preschool Age

Researchers taking a domain-general approach to the development of scientific reasoning long thought that the ability to engage in scientific reasoning did not develop until adolescence. However, more recent studies have shown that preschool children already have a basic ability to evaluate evidence and a basic understanding of experimentation. Data providing insights into when exactly in the preschool years significant gains in these abilities occur are scarce. Drawing on a sample of 138 preschool children, this longitudinal study therefore examined how children's ability to evaluate evidence and their understanding of experimentation develop between the ages of four and six. Findings showed that the ability to evaluate evidence was already well developed at age four and increased steadily and significantly over time as long as the pattern of covariation was perfect. In the case of imperfect covariation, the proportion of correct answers was low over the period of observation, but showed a significant increase between the ages of four and five. If the data did not allow relationship between variables to be inferred, the proportion of correct answers was low, with a significant increase between the ages of five and six. The children's understanding of experimentation increased significantly between the ages of five and six. The implications of these findings for age-appropriate science programs in preschool are discussed.     

学前儿童情绪调节策略发展研究综述

情绪调节策略的发展是学前儿童社会性发展的核心成分,对儿童未来情绪、个性和社会性的发展都有极其显著的影响.不同研究者对儿童情绪调节的策略有不同的分类.不同年龄段的儿童在应对不同情境时的情绪调节策略存在显著的差异.本文综述了已有研究对学前儿童情绪调节策略的发展及其生理、心理基础和主要影响因素的解释,并指出已有研究的不足和未来的研究方向.     

Meditative Training Improves Undergraduate Executive Functioning

The experience of attending college can be a stressful experience for many students, one that college and university counseling centers may have limited resources of time and finances to assuage. For instance, decision making may deteriorate during times of stress and result in a narrowed perceptual set. The present study sought to determine through a novel design whether meditative training could effectively address the situation. Results indicated that classroom-based meditative training improved executive functioning among college students regarding stress, cognitive flexibility, and insight. Such an approach to intervention may provide college and university counseling centers with greater opportunities to better meet student emotional and academic needs.     

Boosting Parent-Child Math Engagement and Preschool Children's Math Skills: Evidence from an RCT with Low-Income Families

Math skill in early childhood is a key predictor of future academic achievement. Parental engagement in math learning contributes to the growth of children's math skills during this period. To help boost parent-child engagement in math activities and children's math skills, we conducted an RCT lasting 12 weeks with 758 low-income preschoolers (3-5 years old) and their primary caregivers. Parents were randomized into five groups: 1) a control group, and groups that received 2) a digital tablet with math apps for children; 3) analog math materials for parents to use with children, 4) analog math materials with weekly text messages to manage parents' present bias; and 5) analog math materials with weekly text messages to increase parents' growth mindset. Relative to the control group, neither the analog math materials alone nor the analog materials with growth mindset messages increased child math skills during the intervention period. However, the analog math materials combined with messaging to manage present bias and the digital tablet with math apps increased child math skills by about 0.20 standard deviations (p=.10) measured six months after the intervention. These two treatments also significantly increased parents' self-reported time engaged in math activities with their children.