Cognitive Development最新文献

Children increasingly associate nouns with their typical vertical space between 18 and 24 months 在18到24个月之间，孩子们越来越多地将名词与他们典型的垂直空间联系起来

IF 1.8 3区心理学

Cognitive Development Pub Date : 2026-04-01 Epub Date: 2026-02-04 DOI: 10.1016/j.cogdev.2026.101673

Jessica N. Steil, Claudia K. Friedrich

{"title":"Children increasingly associate nouns with their typical vertical space between 18 and 24 months","authors":"Jessica N. Steil, Claudia K. Friedrich","doi":"10.1016/j.cogdev.2026.101673","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.cogdev.2026.101673","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Previous research showed that the processing of nouns with an implicit spatial position (“up words” such as “moon” or “down words” such as “shoe”) biases vertical responses in children from the age of two. “Up words” seem to direct looks upward (visuo-spatial bias) and facilitate the fixation of targets that appear at an upper position, while the opposite occurred for “down words”. In this preregistered study, we investigated when such language-space associations emerge. We tested children aged between 18 and 24 months (<em>n</em> = 30), and a group of young adults (<em>n</em> = 32). Participants heard “up words” and “down words” and then had to fixate on a target that appeared in an upper or lower screen position. The young adults showed robust language-space associations, which were reflected in a visuo-spatial bias and in the time to fixate on the target. For children, we included only words that were reported as understood by their caregivers. With increasing age, children’s visuo-spatial bias and their time to fixate on the target reflected increasing language-space associations. These age-related effects suggest that children between 18 and 24 months begin to associate nouns with their typical vertical space. Therefore, language-space associations seem to develop after children’s initial word learning which might question the functional relevance of the re-activation of sensorimotor experiences for their early words. We discuss possible consequences of children’s limited direct experience with noun’s referents (as reported by caregivers) and methodological limitations of the study on the tested language-space associations.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":51422,"journal":{"name":"Cognitive Development","volume":"78 ","pages":"Article 101673"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146116423","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

引用次数: 0

Examining the impact of dialogic reading interventions with math picture books 探讨对话阅读干预对数学绘本的影响

IF 1.8 3区心理学

Cognitive Development Pub Date : 2026-04-01 Epub Date: 2026-02-12 DOI: 10.1016/j.cogdev.2026.101685

Erinç Ergenekon , Nesrin Işıkoğlu

{"title":"Examining the impact of dialogic reading interventions with math picture books","authors":"Erinç Ergenekon , Nesrin Işıkoğlu","doi":"10.1016/j.cogdev.2026.101685","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.cogdev.2026.101685","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study aims to examine the effects of math storybooks read with different reading techniques on young children’s language and early math skills. Eighty-eight children, four teachers and twenty-two parents participated in the study. Four preschool classes from a public school were randomly assigned to different conditions: a dialogic reading class (DR-C), dialogic reading at home (DR-H), a traditional reading class (TR-C), and a control condition. Each of the eight math storybooks was read aloud three times per week, with one book assigned per week over the eight-week intervention period. The experimental groups participated in these readings, whereas the control group did not use math storybooks and instead read the books already available in their classrooms. The results revealed that reading math storybooks using a dialogic reading technique significantly increased children’s language and early math skills compared to the traditional and control conditions. These findings highlight the importance of integrating mathematical concepts into storybooks and advocates for the widespread adoption of dialogic reading strategies to optimize developmental benefits for children in both language and early math domains.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":51422,"journal":{"name":"Cognitive Development","volume":"78 ","pages":"Article 101685"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146175014","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

引用次数: 0

Adding on gestures: A brief video intervention for families on the benefits of gestures 添加手势：一个简短的视频干预家庭对手势的好处

IF 1.8 3区心理学

Cognitive Development Pub Date : 2026-04-01 Epub Date: 2026-02-18 DOI: 10.1016/j.cogdev.2026.101688

Maylee Montagut Ascanio , Gillian E. Grose , Raychel Barkin , Geetha B. Ramani

{"title":"Adding on gestures: A brief video intervention for families on the benefits of gestures","authors":"Maylee Montagut Ascanio , Gillian E. Grose , Raychel Barkin , Geetha B. Ramani","doi":"10.1016/j.cogdev.2026.101688","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.cogdev.2026.101688","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Gestures support cognitive processing during learning, particularly in mathematics. This study investigates how parents and children use gestures during arithmetic activities and whether a brief video intervention could lead to differences in their communicative behaviors and gesture use. Fifty-one parent-child dyads (ages 3–5 years) were randomly assigned to view one of two videos: one highlighting the benefits of gestures (gesture-focused condition) or one about the benefits of talking during play (talk-focused condition). Compared to families who watched the video encouraging general talk, families who viewed the gesture-focused video showed distinct patterns in their math interactions. Children in the gesture condition used more gestures overall and, in particular, more math-related gestures. Moreover, both parents and children in this condition were more likely to produce the specific hold-up/down finger gestures targeted in the intervention. There were also condition differences with parents in the gesture-focused condition encouraging their children to use more gestures during math than those in the talk condition. These findings suggest that brief, targeted interventions can effectively influence the use of specific multimodal communication strategies in parent-child interactions.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":51422,"journal":{"name":"Cognitive Development","volume":"78 ","pages":"Article 101688"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147385647","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

引用次数: 0

Social memory in children from urban and rural Mozambique: A pre-registered replication study 莫桑比克城市和农村儿童的社会记忆：一项预先注册的复制研究

IF 1.8 3区心理学

Cognitive Development Pub Date : 2026-04-01 Epub Date: 2026-02-28 DOI: 10.1016/j.cogdev.2026.101690

G. Paone , A.J. Davis , E. Cohen

引用次数: 0

Gesture in the eye of the beholder: Exploring how children interpret co-speech gesture instruction 旁观者眼中的手势：探索儿童如何解释共同语言手势指令

IF 1.8 3区心理学

Cognitive Development Pub Date : 2026-04-01 Epub Date: 2026-03-23 DOI: 10.1016/j.cogdev.2026.101693

Elizabeth M. Wakefield , Alyssa J. Kersey , Cristina Carrazza , Katherine Mathias , Susan Goldin-Meadow

{"title":"Gesture in the eye of the beholder: Exploring how children interpret co-speech gesture instruction","authors":"Elizabeth M. Wakefield , Alyssa J. Kersey , Cristina Carrazza , Katherine Mathias , Susan Goldin-Meadow","doi":"10.1016/j.cogdev.2026.101693","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.cogdev.2026.101693","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Gestures are hand movements that naturally accompany speech and represent information. Decades of research show that incorporating gesture into instruction supports learning. But why does gesture help us learn? One possibility is that gesture provides a path to information that complements the path provided by speech. Researchers choose gestures for their studies that they think will provide meaningful information for learners. But no one has asked learners what <em>they</em> think of these gestures. We address this gap here. Children (<em>N</em> = 202; 8–10-year-olds) watched instructional videos teaching the concept of mathematical equivalence and answered questions about the purpose and content of the videos. They participated in either a gesture or action-on-objects condition. In both conditions, an instructor provided one strategy for solving math problems in her speech, and a second strategy using either gestures or actions-on-objects. Children also completed individual difference measures of math knowledge, general gesture processing, and working memory. We found that children were more likely to mention the strategy presented in the instructor’s hands (and not her words) if they thought her goal was to teach when they were in the gesture condition, not the action condition. In addition, they increased the number of manually produced strategies they mentioned from trial 1 to 2 in the gesture condition, but not the action condition. No effects were influenced by our individual difference measures.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":51422,"journal":{"name":"Cognitive Development","volume":"78 ","pages":"Article 101693"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147599808","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

引用次数: 0

Gesture as a mechanism of change in the interface between spatial language and cognitive development 手势是空间语言与认知发展界面的一种变化机制

IF 1.8 3区心理学

Cognitive Development Pub Date : 2026-04-01 Epub Date: 2026-03-27 DOI: 10.1016/j.cogdev.2026.101694

Dilay Z. Karadöller , Ercenur Ünal , Beyza Sümer , Demet Özer , Aslı Özyürek

{"title":"Gesture as a mechanism of change in the interface between spatial language and cognitive development","authors":"Dilay Z. Karadöller , Ercenur Ünal , Beyza Sümer , Demet Özer , Aslı Özyürek","doi":"10.1016/j.cogdev.2026.101694","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.cogdev.2026.101694","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Children often use gestures to express concepts before expressing them in speech, particularly in domains rich in visual-spatial information. For example, spatial relations such as left-right are cognitively and linguistically challenging for children. Consequently, 8-year-olds struggle to convey these complex relations verbally, but they frequently rely on gestures to describe these spatial concepts informatively. This study builds on this prior work on the descriptions of left-right relations to investigate further (1) the differing functions of gestures (complementary or redundant) in relation to speech in both children and adults; (2) the change in semantic information conveyed in both of these types of gestures in childhood to adulthood, aiming to shed light on the interaction between spatial language and spatial cognitive development. Eight-year-old and adult monolingual Turkish speakers described pictures of objects in left-right spatial relations shown among a quartet of other types of spatial relations between these objects. Results demonstrated that when describing left-right relations between objects, children, compared to adults, provided more under-informative descriptions (i.e., using “side” instead of “left-right”) in speech but used complementary gestures to convey missing information multimodally. Adults already used informative spatial terms in speech and used gestures mostly redundantly. Moreover, children showed a preference for iconic gestures depicting the relative locations of objects over directional pointing gestures indicating single locations, especially when gestures complemented speech. In contrast, adults showed no reliable preference for either gesture type. These results indicate the significance of gestures as mechanisms of change, alongside speech, in spatial language and cognition, particularly in the context of describing cognitively complex left-right spatial relations between objects.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":51422,"journal":{"name":"Cognitive Development","volume":"78 ","pages":"Article 101694"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147599809","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

引用次数: 0

The effect of home math activities on mathematical abilities in preschool children: The mediating effect of spontaneous focusing on numerosity 家庭数学活动对学龄前儿童数学能力的影响：自发关注数的中介作用

IF 1.8 3区心理学

Cognitive Development Pub Date : 2026-04-01 Epub Date: 2026-02-23 DOI: 10.1016/j.cogdev.2026.101689

Hui Qiao , Fang Tian

{"title":"The effect of home math activities on mathematical abilities in preschool children: The mediating effect of spontaneous focusing on numerosity","authors":"Hui Qiao , Fang Tian","doi":"10.1016/j.cogdev.2026.101689","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.cogdev.2026.101689","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>A substantial body of research has established a correlation between the early home math environment and children’s mathematical abilities, yet findings regarding its core component—home math activities—remain inconsistent. Furthermore, little is known about the underlying mechanisms of this relationship, particularly concerning the potential role of domain-specific cognitive tendencies such as children’s spontaneous focusing on numerosity (SFON)—a specific propensity within numerical cognition. This study investigated the association between home math activities, SFON, and preschool children’s mathematical abilities, while also analyzing the mediating role of SFON in this relationship. A total of 133 preschoolers (M<sub>age</sub> = 4 years and 5 months, SD = 5 months) and their parents (85 % mothers) participated in this research. Parents reported the frequency of home math activities, and children completed assessments of SFON and mathematical abilities. Results showed that: (1) home math activities were positively associated with children’s mathematical abilities; (2) home math activities were positively associated with children’s SFON; (3) SFON was positively associated with mathematical abilities; and (4) SFON appeared to partially mediate the association between home math activities and mathematical abilities, with the indirect effect accounting for 23.08 % of the total association. This study examined the potential mediating role of SFON in the relation between home math activities and children’s mathematical abilities, suggesting an extension to the developmental model of how the home math environment relates to mathematical abilities.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":51422,"journal":{"name":"Cognitive Development","volume":"78 ","pages":"Article 101689"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147385648","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

引用次数: 0

Exposure to repeated behaviors in everyday life and pattern recognition ability predict preschoolers' subsequent theory of mind 暴露在日常生活中重复的行为和模式识别能力预测学龄前儿童随后的心理理论

IF 1.8 3区心理学

Cognitive Development Pub Date : 2026-04-01 Epub Date: 2026-02-09 DOI: 10.1016/j.cogdev.2026.101686

Ted Ruffman , Jill Hayhurst , Ben Lorimer , Aastha Puri , Kangning Du , Damian Scarf , Qiuyi Kong

{"title":"Exposure to repeated behaviors in everyday life and pattern recognition ability predict preschoolers' subsequent theory of mind","authors":"Ted Ruffman , Jill Hayhurst , Ben Lorimer , Aastha Puri , Kangning Du , Damian Scarf , Qiuyi Kong","doi":"10.1016/j.cogdev.2026.101686","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.cogdev.2026.101686","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>We examined whether two variables – pattern recognition (i.e., predicting which chute a ball would come down), and exposure to repeated behaviors in the home environment (e.g., drinking from a cup or folding washing multiple times) – predicted children’s later theory of mind (ToM). These two variables have been hypothesized to assist ToM development because they help children learn to recognize patterns in behavior, and therefore predict future behavior. Because this behavior is underpinned by mental states (e.g., people act in particular ways due to their desires and beliefs), repeated behaviors accompanied by pattern recognition should also help children to eventually acquire a ToM. We studied these questions using a longitudinal study of 56 children (primarily of European ethnicity, 22 girls, 34 boys) at four timepoints (21, 24, 27 and 30 months). Replicating previous research, we found that repeated behaviors were very frequent (<em>M</em> = 143.4 per hour). Crucially, we also found that both repeated behaviors and pattern recognition were unique predictors of children’s subsequent ToM (along with their earlier language ability), consistent with the idea that pattern recognition and repeated behaviors facilitate children’s subsequent ToM.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":51422,"journal":{"name":"Cognitive Development","volume":"78 ","pages":"Article 101686"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146175012","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

引用次数: 0

Children’s meta-perceptions about the out-group and their association with intergroup attitudes 儿童对外群体的元认知及其与群体间态度的关系

IF 1.8 3区心理学

Cognitive Development Pub Date : 2026-04-01 Epub Date: 2026-02-04 DOI: 10.1016/j.cogdev.2026.101674

Noa Golani Marcus , Meytal Nasie

{"title":"Children’s meta-perceptions about the out-group and their association with intergroup attitudes","authors":"Noa Golani Marcus , Meytal Nasie","doi":"10.1016/j.cogdev.2026.101674","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.cogdev.2026.101674","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Intergroup meta-perceptions are beliefs regarding views the out-group holds about one’s in-group. Although intergroup meta-perceptions may have a critical role in intergroup relations, their manifestations and implications have not been studied in children. This study examines the meta-perceptions of 108 Jewish-Israeli children (5–8- and 11-year-olds, 46 % females) about Arabs (“conflict” out-group) and about Scots (“neutral” out-group) and their association with intergroup attitudes. The findings revealed that already at age 5 children express meta-perceptions of different types and valence about out-groups, and with age, their amount and their complexity increase. In addition, children’s meta-perceptions, in the form of meta-stereotypes about out-groups, are correlated with intergroup attitudes. These findings reveal a divergence in children’s meta-perceptions of unfamiliar neutral versus familiar conflict out-groups (e.g., Scots and Arabs). Specifically, children tend to hold stable, stereotypical meta-perceptions about unfamiliar neutral groups, whereas their meta-perceptions about the familiar conflict out-group are more nuanced. Additionally, there is a developmental shift: younger children typically express negative, stereotypical meta-perceptions about both out-groups, while older children show increasingly positive meta-perceptions about unfamiliar neutral out-groups. Exploring children’s meta-perceptions allows us to identify misperceptions that may require early intervention.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":51422,"journal":{"name":"Cognitive Development","volume":"78 ","pages":"Article 101674"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146116421","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

引用次数: 0

Shaping minds together: A pilot study of the cooperation council’s impact on 8-year-olds’ executive function 共同塑造思想：合作委员会对8岁儿童执行功能影响的试点研究

IF 1.8 3区心理学

Cognitive Development Pub Date : 2026-04-01 Epub Date: 2026-04-07 DOI: 10.1016/j.cogdev.2026.101702

Philippe Gay , Amélie Cassaz , Catherine Audrin , Sébastien Urben , Elena Lucciarini , Sylvie Richard , Nicolas Bressoud

{"title":"Shaping minds together: A pilot study of the cooperation council’s impact on 8-year-olds’ executive function","authors":"Philippe Gay , Amélie Cassaz , Catherine Audrin , Sébastien Urben , Elena Lucciarini , Sylvie Richard , Nicolas Bressoud","doi":"10.1016/j.cogdev.2026.101702","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.cogdev.2026.101702","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Self-regulation, including executive function (EF), refers to essential processes that enable children to regulate their thoughts, emotions, and behaviors in alignment with environmental demands, particularly in school settings. While various interventions exist to enhance EF, there is a need for cost-effective, classroom-based approaches. This pilot study examined whether a nine-week cooperative council intervention could enhance EF performance in 8-year-old children. Seventy-six students from six fourth-grade classes were assigned to either an experimental group, which engaged in weekly structured cooperative councils, or a control group, which followed standard curriculum. EF was measured pre- and post-intervention using an adapted Head–Toes–Knees–Shoulders task. Results revealed a significant greater improvement in EF among the experimental group. We argue that cooperative councils support cognitive development by requiring inhibitory control, working memory, and cognitive flexibility during social interactions. These low-cost, classroom-based routines may offer a practical avenue to foster self-regulation and learning in everyday school settings. Future work should involve randomized designs, longitudinal follow-up, and exploration of mechanisms underlying EF improvement.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":51422,"journal":{"name":"Cognitive Development","volume":"78 ","pages":"Article 101702"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147649493","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

引用次数: 0