Block play by American and Chinese families: Associations with children's spatial ability

IF 2.1 2区心理学 Q2 PSYCHOLOGY, DEVELOPMENTAL

Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology Pub Date : 2025-01-21 DOI:10.1016/j.appdev.2024.101742

Qianru Tiffany Yang , Mélissa Di Sante , Yuchen Jin , Jon R. Star , Paul L. Harris , Meredith L. Rowe

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Abstract

In this study, we investigated parent-child interactive features during block play and their relations to 4- and 5-year-olds' spatial ability, which is fundamental for learning in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). Participants were 176 primarily middle-income families in China (n = 83) and the United States (n = 93). Interactive features, including parental use of spatial language and support for child autonomy during play, were measured, and children's verbal and non-verbal spatial abilities were assessed. Variability in parent spatial language was positively associated with children's production of spatial language in both cultures. In American families, parents who supported child autonomy tended to have children who produced proportionally more spatial language, while in Chinese families, autonomy support was positively associated with both children's spatial language and mental transformation skills. These findings are discussed in terms of their implications for environmental influences on children's spatial development from a culturally diverse perspective.

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中美家庭的积木游戏：与儿童空间能力的关系

在本研究中，我们调查了积木游戏中的亲子互动特征及其与4- 5岁儿童空间能力的关系，空间能力是学习科学、技术、工程和数学（STEM）的基础。参与者是176个主要来自中国（n = 83）和美国（n = 93）的中等收入家庭。研究人员测量了互动特征，包括父母对空间语言的使用和对儿童在游戏中自主的支持，并评估了儿童的语言和非语言空间能力。在两种文化中，父母空间语言的差异与儿童空间语言的产生呈正相关。在美国家庭中，支持孩子自主的父母往往会让孩子产生更多的空间语言，而在中国家庭中，自主支持与孩子的空间语言和心理转化技能呈正相关。本文从多元文化的角度探讨了环境对儿童空间发展的影响。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology PSYCHOLOGY, DEVELOPMENTAL-

CiteScore

5.10

自引率

3.30%

发文量

期刊介绍： The Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology focuses on two key concepts: human development, which refers to the psychological transformations and modifications that occur during the life cycle and influence an individual behavior within the social milieu; and application of knowledge, which is derived from investigating variables in the developmental process. Its contributions cover research that deals with traditional life span markets (age, social roles, biological status, environmental variables) and broadens the scopes of study to include variables that promote understanding of psychological processes and their onset and development within the life span. Most importantly.