Developmental Science最新文献

{"title":"The Development of Selective Attention in Children's Emotion Reasoning","authors":"Andrea G. Stein,&nbsp;Seth D. Pollak","doi":"10.1111/desc.70167","DOIUrl":"10.1111/desc.70167","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <p>We investigated developmental differences in the attention strategies children use in their emotion reasoning across middle childhood. Specifically, we examined whether, with age, children become less likely to distribute their attention broadly when reasoning about emotions, and more likely to come to attend selectively to the most reliable cues. To test this hypothesis, <i>N</i> = 180 five- through ten-year-old children learned to classify an alien's emotional displays into two categories. Categories could be learned via two different strategies: distributing attention across all possible emotion-related cues or selectively attending to the most predictive cue. Consistent with our hypothesis, Bayesian zero-one inflated beta regression revealed that from five through approximately eight years old, with age, participants were increasingly likely to use a selective attention strategy. Selective attention use increased by an average of 5 percentage points per year across this age range (95% CI [2%pt, 7%pt]). This result was also characterized by decreasing strategic variability across development. For every year older a participant was, they were also 1.77 times more likely to use a single consistent attention strategy, rather than a hybrid of distributed and selective attention (95% CI [1.43, 2.22]). These results reflect a potential trade-off across development between flexibility and efficiency in emotion reasoning.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Summary</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <div>\u0000 <ul>\u0000 \u0000 <li>There are many different cues we can use to reason about others’ emotions; the ways we attend to such cues may vary across development</li>\u0000 \u0000 <li>We investigated children's attention strategy use during emotion reasoning in the context of a novel emotion category learning paradigm</li>\u0000 \u0000 <li>From ages five through eight, with age, children were increasingly likely to attend selectively to the most reliable emotion cue, rather than distribute their attention</li>\u0000 \u0000 <li>This shift may give rise to a changing trade off across middle childhood between flexibility and efficiency in emotion reasoning</li>\u0000 </ul>\u0000 </div>\u0000 </section>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":48392,"journal":{"name":"Developmental Science","volume":"29 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.2,"publicationDate":"2026-03-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12979691/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147436823","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The Permission Paradox: Condoning Deception Can Promote Honesty in Young Children","authors":"Chadmen Tan,&nbsp;Xiao Pan Ding,&nbsp;Gail D. Heyman","doi":"10.1111/desc.70168","DOIUrl":"10.1111/desc.70168","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <p>The capacity to deceive is a hallmark of cognitive sophistication. Researchers often use games requiring deception to study the development of this capacity, assuming such games effectively isolate the cognitive aspects from sociomoral considerations. In three studies we challenge this assumption by explicitly giving 36- to 83-month-old Singaporean children (<i>N</i> = 279) permission to deceive in such a game. We initially hypothesized that granting such permission would increase deception by reducing sociomoral concerns associated with deception. Instead, we found the opposite effect: children were less likely to deceive. This paradoxical effect was replicated, suggesting that moral considerations persist even in contexts where ethical guidelines are presumed to be suspended and that the cognitive and moral aspects of deception are deeply intertwined during early development.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Summary</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <div>\u0000 <ul>\u0000 \u0000 <li>\u0000 <p>Children were less likely to deceive in a strategic game when they are explicitly given permission to deceive.</p>\u0000 </li>\u0000 \u0000 <li>\u0000 <p>Young children still view deception games through a moral lens, even though such games provide a context where deception is normative.</p>\u0000 </li>\u0000 \u0000 <li>\u0000 <p>Cognitive and moral aspects of deception are deeply intertwined starting early in life.</p>\u0000 </li>\u0000 </ul>\u0000 </div>\u0000 </section>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":48392,"journal":{"name":"Developmental Science","volume":"29 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.2,"publicationDate":"2026-03-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12979703/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147435865","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Unique Challenges Faced by Global Developmental Scientists During Peer-Review: A Survey Study","authors":"Bobby K. Cheon,&nbsp;Rowena Garcia,&nbsp;Dana Basnight-Brown,&nbsp;Reiko Mazuka,&nbsp;Melanie Killen,&nbsp;Leher Singh","doi":"10.1111/desc.70164","DOIUrl":"10.1111/desc.70164","url":null,"abstract":"&lt;div&gt;\u0000 \u0000 \u0000 &lt;section&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;p&gt;Advancing generalizability, replicability, and public trust in developmental science requires testing theories across diverse contexts and disseminating findings widely. Yet researchers based outside the USA or studying non-USA samples (non-USA based researchers) often face obstacles during peer-review in mainstream psychology journals. Moreover, USA-based research on developmental science benefits from a global perspective. To better understand these challenges, we surveyed 229 non-USA based global developmental scientists about their peer-review experiences. We separately assessed how often participants &lt;i&gt;expected&lt;/i&gt; and &lt;i&gt;were asked to&lt;/i&gt; make changes that devalued the global aspects of their research, such as providing excessive justification for the sample or its generalizability, stratifying the sample, and collecting a new comparison sample. Analyses of free responses revealed a high incidence of comments received during peer review that questioned, minimized, or sought to alter the globally-relevant aspects of the research. Notably, participants &lt;i&gt;felt the need&lt;/i&gt; to alter or downplay these aspects more frequently than they were &lt;i&gt;asked to&lt;/i&gt;, suggesting anticipated or internalized devaluation of one's research among global developmental scientists. Qualitative responses reinforced these findings and offered recommendations for improving peer-review practices. Overall, the study highlights unique challenges that non-USA based researchers encounter during peer review. Such challenges may discourage the pursuit and publication of global developmental research, limiting overall advancement of replicability and generalizability of developmental science. Addressing these issues could strengthen developmental science by integrating insights from many contexts, ultimately enriching developmental research both within and beyond the USA.&lt;/p&gt;\u0000 &lt;/section&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;section&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;h3&gt; Summary&lt;/h3&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;div&gt;\u0000 &lt;ul&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;li&gt;Online survey conducted revealed the challenges encountered during peer-review by global developmental scientists (based outside of USA or studying non-USA samples).&lt;/li&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;li&gt;Various challenges during peer review that questioned, devalued or sought to alter globally relevant aspects of developmental research were frequently reported.&lt;/li&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;li&gt;Participants reported feeling the need to alter or downplay relevant aspects of their research more often than being requested to do so.&lt;/li&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;li&gt;Global researchers may face pervasive peer-review challenges, despite the importance of their work for generalizability and replicability of developmental science within and beyond USA.&lt;/li&gt;\u0000 &lt;/ul&gt;\u0000 &lt;/div&gt;\u0000 &lt;/section&gt;\u0000 ","PeriodicalId":48392,"journal":{"name":"Developmental Science","volume":"29 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.2,"publicationDate":"2026-03-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147435850","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Atypical Theta and Low Gamma Band Auditory Sampling in Chinese Children With Developmental Dyslexia: An ASSR Study","authors":"Jiaru Tang,&nbsp;Zihan Yang,&nbsp;Junzhe Wang,&nbsp;Yaowen Liang,&nbsp;Chenguang Zhao,&nbsp;Jiushu Xie,&nbsp;Guosheng Ding,&nbsp;Manli Zhang,&nbsp;Jiuju Wang,&nbsp;Xin Cui,&nbsp;Xiujie Yang,&nbsp;Hua Shu","doi":"10.1111/desc.70162","DOIUrl":"10.1111/desc.70162","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Children with developmental dyslexia (DD) exhibit deficits in auditory temporal processing, potentially linking to their difficulties in reading. Previous studies in alphabetic languages have reported atypical neural synchronization to low-frequency rhythms. For non-alphabetic languages like Chinese, however, the specific frequency bands involved and the cognitive mechanisms through which such abnormalities might relate to reading outcomes are less clearly understood. In this study, we recorded Auditory Steady-State Responses (ASSRs) from 64 Chinese children, including 38 with DD, in response to white noise amplitude-modulated (AM) at 4 Hz (syllabic rhythm) and 30 Hz (phonemic rhythm). Findings revealed that children with DD exhibited atypical auditory temporal sampling patterns, marked by a trend toward excessive responses in the temporal cortex at 4 Hz and diminished responses in the frontal cortex at 30 Hz, particularly among older children in Grades 3–6 (DD: <i>n</i> = 12, <i>M</i>_age = 10.88 years; typical development [TD]: <i>n</i> = 15, <i>M</i>_age = 11.00 years). In addition, in TD children, temporal-region ASSRs elicited by 4 Hz AM noise were indirectly associated with reading fluency via rapid automatized naming (RAN), whereas this pathway was not evident in children with dyslexia. These dual anomalies at the theta and low gamma bands may reflect a developmental failure in neural entrainment, disrupting both syllabic and phonemic-level speech processing. This study provides novel evidence for frequency- and region-specific auditory processing deficits in Chinese children with DD, which also highlight the importance of considering both language-specific characteristics and age-related modulation in understanding the neural oscillatory mechanisms underlying dyslexia.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Summary</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <div>\u0000 <ul>\u0000 \u0000 <li>\u0000 <p>Chinese children with dyslexia showed atypical auditory temporal sampling in theta and low gamma bands.</p>\u0000 </li>\u0000 \u0000 <li>\u0000 <p>Auditory Steady-State Responses (ASSRs) revealed neural deficits at 4 and 30 Hz in dyslexia.</p>\u0000 </li>\u0000 \u0000 <li>\u0000 <p>Language-specific phonological features influence auditory processing in developmental dyslexia.</p>\u0000 </li>\u0000 \u0000 <li>\u0000 <p>The results underscore the importance of language context and age-related modulation in understanding the neural oscillatory underlying dyslexia.</p>\u0000 </li>\u0000 </ul>\u0000 </div>\u0000 </section>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":48392,"journal":{"name":"Developmental Science","volume":"29 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.2,"publicationDate":"2026-03-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147436778","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The Emergence of Belief Attribution and Dehumanization Are Associated","authors":"Wen Zhou,&nbsp;Brian Hare","doi":"10.1111/desc.70165","DOIUrl":"10.1111/desc.70165","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Dehumanization is hypothesized to involve denying others a fully human mind. We tested its proposed link with theory-of-mind development in 3- to 6-year-olds (total <i>N</i> = 247) using a minimal group paradigm framed as a competition. Across two experiments, only children who understood false beliefs rated the outgroup as less human than the ingroup, although they liked the outgroup less regardless of their theory-of-mind performance. As theory-of-mind development advanced, outgroup dehumanization increased, with intent to harm the outgroup only being associated with dehumanization among children who also understood second-order beliefs (<i>n</i> = 51). However, the strength of this relationship remains uncertain since the effect became marginally significance after controlling for intergroup liking. These results provide initial support for theory-of-mind abilities being related to the development of dehumanization. They also point to the potential for intervention during early childhood before an association between dehumanization and aggression forms.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Summary</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <div>\u0000 <ul>\u0000 \u0000 <li>The emergence of dehumanization is associated with the development of theory-of-mind. Only children with belief attribution capacities consider the outgroup as less human.</li>\u0000 \u0000 <li>Children with more advanced belief attribution demonstrate stronger dehumanization, reflected in lower humanness ratings for the outgroup.</li>\u0000 \u0000 <li>In preschool-aged children (3- to 6-year-olds), dehumanization of the outgroup is not associated with verbal ability or age.</li>\u0000 \u0000 <li>In preschool-aged children, dehumanization and intergroup preference appear distinguishable by the relationship of dehumanization to the development of belief attribution abilities.</li>\u0000 </ul>\u0000 </div>\u0000 </section>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":48392,"journal":{"name":"Developmental Science","volume":"29 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.2,"publicationDate":"2026-03-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147379006","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Thinking Critically About Algorithms for Automated Detection of Behavior: 11 Guidelines for Social and Behavioral Scientists","authors":"Kaya de Barbaro,&nbsp;Anna Madden-Rusnak,&nbsp;Adela Timmons","doi":"10.1111/desc.70144","DOIUrl":"10.1111/desc.70144","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Developmental psychologists are increasingly leveraging mobile and wearable sensors paired with machine learning and artificial intelligence (AI) to automatically detect the everyday behaviors and interactions theorized to drive development. These technologies provide an opportunity to capture learners’ real-world experiences, with wide-ranging implications for basic science and intervention. However, many developmentalists lack the training to critically evaluate the accuracy of models used to automatically detect behavior and may not be aware of various challenges of implementing these approaches in real-world settings. To advance the next wave of research and innovation in this area, we provide readers with a set of 11 practical guidelines that will give researchers the critical perspective necessary to leverage or codesign systems in a way that is technically sound, ethically responsive, and practical. Our guidelines highlight common pitfalls and challenges with using AI for research and intervention, matched with best practices and practical recommendations for researchers working in this field. They cover the limits of model generalizability, recommendations for careful interpretation of accuracy statistics, the importance of real-world feasibility, ethical deployment, and interdisciplinary collaboration with sustained community engagement. Collectively, these guidelines provide a foundation for advancing the rigor, equity, and impact of tools for activity recognition in developmental science.</p>","PeriodicalId":48392,"journal":{"name":"Developmental Science","volume":"29 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.2,"publicationDate":"2026-03-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12968601/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147379032","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Global Cultural Change and Anxiety in Children and Adolescents: Analyzing Socialization Goals Over Three Decades in 70 Countries","authors":"Leonard Konstantin Kulisch,&nbsp;Ana Lorena Domínguez Rojas,&nbsp;Silvia Schneider,&nbsp;Babett Voigt","doi":"10.1111/desc.70157","DOIUrl":"10.1111/desc.70157","url":null,"abstract":"&lt;div&gt;\u0000 \u0000 \u0000 &lt;section&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;p&gt;On average, cultures seem to shift towards a greater emphasis of an independent social orientation. However, this shift may vary, with some cultures following different trajectories. Cultural transformations also affect the norms regarding the qualities favored in children, known as socialization goals. Research suggests that a greater shift towards independence may have more negative consequences for child and adolescent mental health. This study explored links between time period changes (1989–2022) in socialization goal norms and the child and adolescent anxiety disorder incidence rates across 70 countries. The analysis drew on data from the World Value Survey, Global Burden of Disease study, Human Development Report, and Future of Families and Child Wellbeing Study. Country-level cross-temporal regression revealed no global effect of independence-oriented socialization norms. Moderation analyses showed no association among non-WEIRD (Western, Educated, Industrialized, Rich, Democratic) countries but a significantly stronger link between independence orientation and more anxiety disorders among WEIRD countries. Globally, more emphasis on the interdependence-related goal “religious faith” was associated with fewer anxiety disorders across time. Validation analyses with individual-level data from the United States replicated this finding and showed that religiosity norms were a stronger predictor than maternal religiosity. A cross-lagged panel model confirmed potential effects from religiosity to child and adolescent anxiety. Although effect sizes were small, these findings suggest that religiosity may serve as a protective factor by fostering a sense of purpose and social connectedness, globally. This study highlights the potential role of cultural change in children's and adolescent's mental health and underscores the need for greater support for young people growing up in increasingly secular societies.&lt;/p&gt;\u0000 &lt;/section&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;section&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;h3&gt; Summary&lt;/h3&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;div&gt;\u0000 &lt;ul&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;li&gt;This study tested links between cultural changes in socialization goals and anxiety disorder incidence rates among children and adolescents over three decades.&lt;/li&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;li&gt;Independence-related socialization goal norms were not globally linked to anxiety disorders, but their adverse effect appeared specific to WEIRD countries.&lt;/li&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;li&gt;The importance of religious faith in socialization, linked to interdependence, was associated with fewer anxiety disorders across 70 countries.&lt;/li&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;li&gt;Religiosity norms were also related to child and adolescent anxiety symptoms on individual level and showed expected directional effec","PeriodicalId":48392,"journal":{"name":"Developmental Science","volume":"29 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.2,"publicationDate":"2026-03-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12968521/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147379196","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Non-Symbolic Magnitude Processing Is a Strong Correlate of Symbolic Math Skills in Children From Ghana and Côte d'Ivoire","authors":"Stephanie Bugden,&nbsp;Daniel Ansari,&nbsp;Guilherme Lichand,&nbsp;Esinam Ami Avornyo,&nbsp;Sharon Wolf","doi":"10.1111/desc.70129","DOIUrl":"10.1111/desc.70129","url":null,"abstract":"<p>The ability to understand and compare non-symbolic (e.g., dot arrays) and symbolic (e.g., Arabic numerals) magnitudes is a critical foundation for learning math. A meta-analysis has revealed that symbolic magnitude processing is a stronger predictor of math performance than non-symbolic, but the evidence base is restricted almost entirely to countries in the Minority World. It is unclear how the strength of the associations between symbolic and non-symbolic magnitude processing and math performance varies across contexts. An examination of cross-national similarities and differences in foundational numeracy skills is sorely needed. In the present study, we examine the predictive nature of symbolic and non-symbolic magnitude processing in school-aged children from Ghana (<i>n</i> = 350) and Côte d'Ivoire (CIV; <i>n</i> = 342), two West African countries in the Majority World. Contrary to prior studies from countries in the Minority World, we found that non-symbolic magnitude processing was a significant and unique predictor of math performance in 5- to 13-year-olds from Ghana. The strong association remains significant when controlling for symbolic magnitude processing, literacy, executive functioning, and socioemotional skills. A second preregistered study with participants from Côte d'Ivoire revealed the same pattern of results. These associations diverged from those that have been found in the Minority World and underscore the importance of taking a global perspective for understanding the cognitive precursors for math development. The data also highlight the potential use of the Numeracy Screener to measure children's understanding of numerical magnitude in classrooms around the world.</p>","PeriodicalId":48392,"journal":{"name":"Developmental Science","volume":"29 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.2,"publicationDate":"2026-03-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12957901/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147349508","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The Development of Temporal Memory for Complex Events","authors":"Matteo Frisoni,&nbsp;Tiziana Pedale,&nbsp;Michele Capurso,&nbsp;Valerio Santangelo,&nbsp;Carlo Sestieri","doi":"10.1111/desc.70160","DOIUrl":"10.1111/desc.70160","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Remembering when past events occurred is a key component of episodic memory, yet its developmental trajectory remains only partially understood. This study examined how children aged 6 and 10, compared to young adults, recall the timing of events embedded in an 11-min cartoon. After viewing the cartoon, participants estimated the time of occurrence of short clips extracted from the narrative by placing them on a visual analogue scale representing the episode's duration. They also completed a number line task to assess visuospatial magnitude representation and a chronological reordering task (adapted from the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children III), to evaluate narrative chronological organization. Results revealed a clear age-related improvement in temporal precision. Older children showed almost adult-like performance and exhibited less bias than younger children. Crucially, differences in visuospatial skills did not fully account for this developmental trend, as controlling for number line and reordering performance did not eliminate age-related effects. Additionally, only older children showed improved timing estimates for clips rated as more important, indicating the emerging role of narrative structure as a mnemonic scaffold during the school years. Correlational analyses further suggest a developmental shift from spatial to more abstract, narrative-based representations of time. These findings highlight primary school years as a crucial window for the development of temporal memory in naturalistic contexts and suggest a gradual progression from perceptual to conceptual time representations.</p>","PeriodicalId":48392,"journal":{"name":"Developmental Science","volume":"29 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.2,"publicationDate":"2026-03-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12957903/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147349499","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Can Programming Improve Executive Functions in Preschoolers? A Pilot Study on Low- and Middle-Socioeconomic Status Schools","authors":"M. J. Hermida,&nbsp;A. P. Goldin,&nbsp;A. Perez Santangelo,&nbsp;S. J. Lipina,&nbsp;F. P. Schapachnik","doi":"10.1111/desc.70161","DOIUrl":"10.1111/desc.70161","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>To achieve the United Nations' Sustainable Goal 4 for equitable quality education, many countries are incorporating computer programming into preschool curricula. The main reason for this educational decision lies in the need for a better understanding of the digital world, and also, in the still not fully explored idea that learning to program could have potential collateral cognitive benefits. This pilot study analyzed whether programming instruction enhances executive functions—both key 21st-century skills—, attention and non-verbal intelligence and whether the improvements vary by socioeconomic status (SES). A cluster-randomized controlled trial was conducted in Argentina with one low-SES and one medium-SES kindergarten. Five-year-old classrooms at each school were randomly assigned to a study group, receiving programming lessons with ScratchJr, or a control group engaging in visual arts activities. Both groups used tablets, and sessions were conducted by regular classroom teachers. Ninety-four children completed computerized cognitive tests before and after the intervention and control activities, yielding 21,801 trials for analysis. We modeled children's trial-by-trial accuracy using a Bernoulli-distributed Generalized Linear Mixed Model that we estimated with Bayesian methods. Our results suggested the programming group showed greater improvement than the control group in most cognitive tasks but the benefits were consistently larger for children in the low-SES school (65%–92% greater than controls) with high certainty, while middle-SES children showed only modest improvements (13%–36%) with weaker evidence. These findings tentatively suggest that teaching programming, besides its intrinsic educational value, could also potentially contribute to developing critical cognitive processes, particularly among vulnerable children.</p>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":48392,"journal":{"name":"Developmental Science","volume":"29 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.2,"publicationDate":"2026-03-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147345389","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}