{"title":"Living in a digital ecology: Children's selective trust in technological informants","authors":"Zuofei Geng , Bei Zeng , Jin Huang","doi":"10.1016/j.appdev.2025.101872","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.appdev.2025.101872","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Children learn not only from observation and interaction with their environment but also from the testimony of others. In the digital age, interactive technologies increasingly serve as information sources alongside peers, caregivers, and teachers. This study investigated whether children selectively learn from technological informants in a novel-word learning context. 180 Chinese preschoolers (<em>M</em> = 49.17 months, <em>SD</em> = 7.04 months, 51.7 % girls) were randomly assigned to one of six conditions: accurate voice assistant, inaccurate voice assistant, accurate robot, inaccurate robot, accurate human, or inaccurate human. Children first engaged in an agency beliefs interview regarding their corresponding informants followed by a classic selective trust task. We found that children selectively trusted (and distrusted) voice assistants and robots based on their past accuracy, while they demonstrated a general trust in humans, even when the humans were previously inaccurate. Agency beliefs explained variations in children's trust of voice assistants and humans. We also observed developmental differences in children's levels of trust and distrust toward both accurate and inaccurate informants. These findings suggest that 3–4-year-olds engage in both epistemic and social considerations in selective trust, and their judgments are susceptible to the agentic features of informants.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48168,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology","volume":"101 ","pages":"Article 101872"},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2025-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145061044","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Adults' perceptions of children's age: A developmental approach","authors":"Jessie M. Bridgewater, Tuppett M. Yates","doi":"10.1016/j.appdev.2025.101896","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.appdev.2025.101896","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study examined adults' perceptions of children's age (APCA) using images drawn from a longitudinal investigation of children (<em>N</em> = 245; 49 % assigned female at birth, 88.6 % non-white) who were photographed at 4, 6, 8, 10 and 12 years of age and then rated by 400 college students (65.7 % assigned female at birth; 94.7 % non-white). Multilevel modeling demonstrated that APCA increased with children's chronological age. However, raters overestimated boys' ages more than girls' ages in early development (i.e., ∼ ages 4–5.5 years), whereas they overestimated girls' ages more than boys' ages in later development (i.e., ∼ ages 5.5–12 years). Raters also evaluated children they perceived as having darker skin tone as younger than children they perceived as having lighter skin tone until ∼ age 6, after which they evaluated children they perceived as having darker skin tone as older than children with lighter skin tone. Regarding children's ethnicity/race, raters perceived Black children as younger than non-Black children until ∼ age 6, after which they perceived Black children as older than non-Black children. Rater assigned sex and ethnicity/race also predicted age ratings. For example, female raters overestimated children's ages more than male raters from ∼ ages 4–9 years, after which male raters overestimated children's ages more than female raters. The results suggest that child assigned sex, child ethnicity/race, child skin tone, rater assigned sex, and rater ethnicity/race are associated with APCA across time. Patterns of APCA and developmental shifts therein have implications for applied contexts and future research.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48168,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology","volume":"101 ","pages":"Article 101896"},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2025-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145623851","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Jasmine R. Ernst , David J. Purpura , Sara A. Schmitt , Robert J. Duncan
{"title":"Differentiation effects in school readiness skills across the transition from preschool to kindergarten","authors":"Jasmine R. Ernst , David J. Purpura , Sara A. Schmitt , Robert J. Duncan","doi":"10.1016/j.appdev.2025.101889","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.appdev.2025.101889","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Developmental and cognitive theories posit varying relations among skills across age and ability level. Differentiation hypotheses propose skills become less correlated across development in the childhood years (age differentiation) and as abilities increase (ability differentiation). Conversely, dedifferentiation hypotheses propose skills become more strongly correlated across development (age dedifferentiation) and at higher ability levels (ability dedifferentiation). To test these competing hypotheses, we examined school readiness skills measured at four time points in the fall and spring of preschool and kindergarten. Nonlinear factor analyses were applied to school readiness assessments from 684 children (<em>M</em> = 4.80 years at Time 1; <em>SD</em> = 0.31, 47.66 % female%, 42.69 % Black/African American, 31.58 % White, 13.30 % Hispanic/Latinx, 10.53 % multiracial, 0.73 % Asian, 0.44 % not otherwise listed, 0.73 % missing). Results showed consistent evidence for the ability differentiation hypothesis, rather than dedifferentiation. Limited evidence was found for age differentiation and the age modification of ability. Implications for measurement and school readiness interventions are discussed.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48168,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology","volume":"101 ","pages":"Article 101889"},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2025-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145623852","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Agathe Backer-Grøndahl , Thormod Idsoe , Daniel S. Shaw , Ane Nærde
{"title":"The Family Stress Model: Longitudinal relations between Norwegian fathers and preschool children","authors":"Agathe Backer-Grøndahl , Thormod Idsoe , Daniel S. Shaw , Ane Nærde","doi":"10.1016/j.appdev.2025.101890","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.appdev.2025.101890","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>In this study, longitudinal relations in the Family Stress Model (FSM) within a Nordic welfare state were tested, using different indicators of socioeconomic status, father's mental distress, parental stress, and caregiving practices, as well as child physical aggression. A population-based sample of fathers and their children (<em>N</em> = 1157; 48 % girls, years of education father [<em>M</em> = 13.86; <em>SD</em> = 2.60], mother [<em>M</em> = 14.28; <em>SD</em> = 2.58]) was used. More specifically, we investigated if parental education and economic pressure in the child's first year were differentially related to child physical aggression at 48 months via father's mental distress, parental stress, and harsh parenting at 12 and 36 months. An indirect effect from economic pressure via paternal parental stress and harsh parenting on child physical aggression was found. The results are discussed in relation to the mechanisms of the FSM in different sociopolitical contexts, and the importance of considering such pathways in parenting interventions.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48168,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology","volume":"101 ","pages":"Article 101890"},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2025-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145525550","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Perceptual load increases inattentional blindness in young pedestrians: Developmental threat detection differences","authors":"Feng Liang, Siyun He, Yi Lou, Hui Zhang","doi":"10.1016/j.appdev.2025.101894","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.appdev.2025.101894","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Inattentional blindness plays a key role in accident prevention, particularly in traffic environments. Perceptual load—the perceptual processing requirements in a task—is considered a primary determinant of inattentional blindness, directly constraining attention and thereby increasing its occurrence. While previous studies on the effects of perceptual load in traffic-related inattentional blindness have focused on drivers, little is known from the pedestrian perspective. This study explored its impact on pedestrians across different age groups (5–6, 9–10, 13–14, and adults) using animated street-crossing videos. A total of 515 participants from China were tested. Results indicated that: (1) significant age-related differences in inattentional blindness were observed, with 5–6-year-old children exhibiting markedly higher rates than all other age groups under relatively high perceptual load conditions. In contrast, when the perceptual load was extremely low, these differences were substantially reduced, and children's performance became comparable to that of adults. (2) inattentional blindness among 5–6-year-olds was more sensitive to variations in perceptual load within the visual task, whereas older children and adults showed relatively stable performance across load conditions. These findings underscore the attentional vulnerability and elevated safety risks of younger pedestrians, and suggest that reducing irrelevant perceptual load in traffic environments may help mitigate inattentional blindness during early childhood.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48168,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology","volume":"101 ","pages":"Article 101894"},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2025-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145579285","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Jinghui Zhang , Qing Zhang , Bowen Xiao , Yige Xu , Yan Li
{"title":"Family configurations and preschoolers' problematic media use: An fsQCA study","authors":"Jinghui Zhang , Qing Zhang , Bowen Xiao , Yige Xu , Yan Li","doi":"10.1016/j.appdev.2025.101879","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.appdev.2025.101879","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study investigates the complex relationships between family environmental factors and children's problematic media use using fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA). A survey of 772 parents of preschool children (aged 3–6 years, <em>Mage</em> = 4.59, <em>SD</em> = 0.92) in Shanghai, China, measured family resilience, parenting stress, parent-child relationships, parental smartphone addiction, parental phubbing, and children's problematic media use (CPMU). The fsQCA revealed three types of configurations associated with high CPMU: High Maternal Parenting Stress with Low Mother-Child Relationship, High Maternal Problematic Media Use and Parenting Stress with Low Mother-Child Relationship, and Maternal Problematic Media Use Despite Family Resources. Two types of configurations associated with low CPMU: Positive Paternal Media Use and Father-Child Relationship, and Low Maternal Problematic Media Use. These findings highlight complex family mechanisms influencing children's media habits, informing targeted interventions and media literacy programs.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48168,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology","volume":"101 ","pages":"Article 101879"},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2025-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145321245","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Sara A. Schmitt , Brianna L. Devlin , Elyssa A. Geer , Saratessa Palos , Tracy Zehner , Filip-Bogdon Serban-Dragan , Kellie-Anne Brown Campbell , Yitong Jiang , Alyssa Callendar , Emily Wilke , David J. Purpura
{"title":"Executive function, math, and spatial skills in English learners and English speakers","authors":"Sara A. Schmitt , Brianna L. Devlin , Elyssa A. Geer , Saratessa Palos , Tracy Zehner , Filip-Bogdon Serban-Dragan , Kellie-Anne Brown Campbell , Yitong Jiang , Alyssa Callendar , Emily Wilke , David J. Purpura","doi":"10.1016/j.appdev.2025.101880","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.appdev.2025.101880","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The aim of this study was to assess the relations between English Learner (EL) status and preschool math (i.e., numeracy and math language) and spatial skills, and to explore whether the strength of any relations are impacted by level of executive function (EF). Participants were 242 preschoolers from two Midwestern states in the United States (<em>M</em> = 52.01 months, <em>SD</em> = 6.78; 50 % female). All children came from families with low incomes, and 20 % of the sample were Spanish-speaking ELs. Negative associations between EL status and early skills were found on measures of cardinality, numeral identification, and broad numeracy, but not spatial skills. Furthermore, the negative relation between EL status and numeracy was moderated by indicators of EF, such that the negative relation between EL status and early numeracy was present for children with higher EF, but not lower. Findings have implications for future research focused on designing early childhood instruction and intervention for ELs.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48168,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology","volume":"101 ","pages":"Article 101880"},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2025-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145266857","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Reciprocal relationship between motor skills and executive functions in late childhood","authors":"Siwen Sheng , Nanhua Cheng , Zhengyan Wang","doi":"10.1016/j.appdev.2025.101870","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.appdev.2025.101870","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Although growing evidence points to a link between motor skills and executive functions, longitudinal associations during late childhood remain insufficiently understood. This study aimed to explore the bidirectional relationships between specific motor skill domains and executive function components. A total of 124 children (64 boys) were assessed at ages 9 and 11. Cross-lagged models revealed that total motor skills, particularly balance skills, predicted cognitive flexibility, while aiming and catching skills was associated with working memory. Conversely, cognitive flexibility predicted aiming and catching skills, and inhibitory control predicted balance skills. Latent change score models further indicated that baseline balance skills and cognitive flexibility each contribute to developmental changes in the other domain over time. In addition, changes in aiming and catching skills was associated with concurrent changes in working memory. Together, these findings highlight the reciprocal nature of motor and executive function development in late childhood and suggest interventions targeting one domain may yield benefits in the other.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48168,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology","volume":"101 ","pages":"Article 101870"},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2025-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145027540","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Prevalence of adverse childhood experiences among students with emotional and behavioral difficulties or disorders - A multi-level meta-analysis","authors":"Evelyne C.P. Offerman , Michiel W. Asselman , Floor Bolling , Geert-Jan J.M. Stams , Rianne J. Bosman , Ramón J.L. Lindauer , Machteld Hoeve","doi":"10.1016/j.appdev.2025.101871","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.appdev.2025.101871","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) significantly impact students' health. Studies have shown a dose-response relationship between ACEs on the one hand, and behavioral and mental health problems, and poor school outcomes on the other. However, there is a notable gap in understanding the ACE prevalence in primary and secondary school students with emotional/behavioral difficulties or disorders (EBD). Therefore, we analyzed data of 569,731 students (aged 4 to 18 years) across 55 studies through three-level meta-analyses and a narrative synthesis. The average prevalence rate for a single ACE among students with EBD was estimated to be 29.90 %. The prevalence varied by type of ACE, with neighborhood violence being the least prevalent at 4.26 % and maltreatment the most prevalent at over 40 %. There were no differences in prevalence rates between gender, age, ACE informants, and the use of special education services for EBD. We only found five studies on cumulative ACE numbers among students with EBD, which indicates another significant gap in knowledge. Our findings indicate that ACEs are significant environmental factors that contribute to the understanding of EBD in students within a biodevelopmental framework. Further research is necessary to investigate how the number, type, and timing of ACEs impact these students. Trauma-informed approaches have the potential to substantially improve outcomes for students with EBD by promoting ACE awareness and integrating this knowledge into educational policies, procedures, and practices.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48168,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology","volume":"101 ","pages":"Article 101871"},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2025-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145027541","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Meagan Heilman , John Lochman , Chuong Bui , Bradley A. White
{"title":"Investigation of a novel internet-based aggression prevention program for children","authors":"Meagan Heilman , John Lochman , Chuong Bui , Bradley A. White","doi":"10.1016/j.appdev.2025.101882","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.appdev.2025.101882","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study evaluated a novel internet-based aggression prevention program for elementary school children identified with elevated levels of aggressive behavior. Using a multi-informant approach, the aims were to: (1) measure feasibility (engagement levels, perceived engagement obstacles, caregiver and child satisfaction) of Coping Power-Predominantly Internet (CP-PI), and (2) assess its efficacy in reducing distinct forms and functions of aggression as reported by parents and children. Fourth and fifth graders (<em>N</em> = 40), were recruited from two elementary schools based on teacher-reported elevated aggression. Using a randomized controlled trial (RCT) design, participants were assigned to either CP-PI or a no-intervention control condition. The sample was predominantly male (70 %, <em>n</em> = 28) and identified as Black or African American (70 %, n = 28). The first aim focused on child- and caregiver-reported feasibility and acceptability, while the second evaluated CP-PI's impact on distinct subtypes of aggression (physical/relational, proactive/reactive). Both children and caregivers reported high satisfaction with CP-PI, with most completing all modules, although completion times varied. For Aim 2, both conditions showed decreased child-reported aggression, with a significantly larger reduction in the CP-PI condition for overt reactive and overt proactive aggression. Parent reports indicated significant reductions in overt and relational reactive aggression for children in the CP-PI condition compared to controls. This study provides evidence that CP-PI can be effectively implemented in schools and may significantly reduce aggression among youth post-intervention, highlighting its potential as an accessible and scalable intervention for addressing aggression in school-aged children.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48168,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology","volume":"101 ","pages":"Article 101882"},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2025-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145416905","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}