{"title":"Does the experimenter presence impact children’s working memory?","authors":"Valérie Camos , Stéphanie Mariz Elsig , Yagmur Öncü , Marion Wohlhauser , Clément Belletier","doi":"10.1016/j.cogdev.2025.101569","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.cogdev.2025.101569","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The literature on audience effect shows that the presence of even a single person is enough to undermine performance in tasks relying on executive functions. This detrimental effect would result from the automatic capture of attention. Despite evidence in adults, investigations are still lacking in children. Here, we tested for the first time whether the common situation in psychology research to have an experimenter present at testing may impact children’s working memory (WM). According to the attentional capture hypothesis, and in line with adults’ findings, an experimenter presence effect should be observed when children use attention for WM maintenance, that is after the age of 7, and younger children should be immune to this effect. The experimenter presence was manipulated in a complex span task in which children memorised names of pictures or letters while naming colours of smileys aloud. Across three experiments, we varied the age of our participants (5, 8 and 11), the memory test (recognition and serial recall), and the difficulty of the secondary task by changing the speed of the presentation of the smileys. Despite these variations, results were congruent across experiments. As expected, the presence of an experimenter did not affect performance in 5-year-olds. However, contrary to the predictions based on attentional capture hypothesis, performance in older children was similar across conditions, with evidence in favour of the absence of interaction between age and presence condition, despite the expected better performance in older compared to younger children. These results departed from what was observed in adults and have implications for understanding the audience effect.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":51422,"journal":{"name":"Cognitive Development","volume":"74 ","pages":"Article 101569"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2025-03-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143685196","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Giorgia Morosini, Alessandro Cuder, Chiara De Vita, Maria Chiara Passolunghi, Sandra Pellizzoni
{"title":"The relationship between executive functions and early numerical skills: A study on three- and four-year-old preschoolers","authors":"Giorgia Morosini, Alessandro Cuder, Chiara De Vita, Maria Chiara Passolunghi, Sandra Pellizzoni","doi":"10.1016/j.cogdev.2025.101568","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.cogdev.2025.101568","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Numerical abilities are crucial in numerate societies, which is why it is important to observe their development early in childhood. The aim of the present study was to investigate the interplay between domain-general (i.e., executive functions) and domain-specific precursors in predicting the development of cardinality understanding in early preschool. In this context, we also examined children’s finger use in pointing and touching behaviors, an aspect understudied compared to finger use to represent quantities. A sample of preschool children from the first and second years of preschool (M<sub>age</sub>= 3 years, 7 months; SD = 6 months; months range: 36 – 58; females = 49; males = 51) took part in the study. All participants were evaluated in domain-general and domain-specific precursors. We analyzed the data using a mediation model with visuospatial working memory and inhibition skills as focal variables, verbal counting, enumeration, and finger use as mediating variables, and cardinality understanding as dependent variable. Data show a direct effect of executive functions on early numerical abilities, i.e., counting and enumeration. These latter two specific precursors have an effect on cardinality understanding. Furthermore, data indicate no correlation between inhibition and finger use and a negative correlation between visuospatial working memory and finger use. Data are discussed from both a theoretical and educational perspective, highlighting the role of general cognitive and domain-specific precursors of math abilities with the possibility of observing early signals for the development of specific numerical difficulties.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":51422,"journal":{"name":"Cognitive Development","volume":"74 ","pages":"Article 101568"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2025-03-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143628710","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"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 impact of well-being on self-confidence: The mediating role of soft skills among adolescents","authors":"Lisbeth Laora Silitonga , Sahat Maruli , Haholongan Simanjuntak","doi":"10.1016/j.cogdev.2025.101567","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.cogdev.2025.101567","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study explores the relationships between well-being, soft skills, and self-confidence among adolescents, with a focus on the mediating role of soft skills. A total of 200 vocational high school students in Indonesia were recruited from a school selected for its commitment to educational innovation and diverse student population. Participants were voluntarily enrolled based on specific inclusion criteria, and informed consent was obtained prior to participation. Data were collected using the EPOCH Measure of Adolescent Well-being, a reflection instrument for soft skills, and a novel measure of academic self-confidence. Results indicated that higher well-being is associated with enhanced soft skills and self-confidence, with perseverance emerging as a key factor. Structural equation modeling revealed that soft skills, particularly time management and analytical thinking, partially mediated the relationship between well-being and self-confidence. These findings underscore the importance of integrating well-being and soft skills development into educational curricula to support adolescent growth. Further research is needed to explore additional influencing factors and validate these findings across diverse populations.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":51422,"journal":{"name":"Cognitive Development","volume":"74 ","pages":"Article 101567"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2025-03-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143628708","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}
{"title":"Arts education and its role in enhancing cognitive development: A quantitative study of critical thinking and creativity in higher education","authors":"Jian Li , Yufeng Qi","doi":"10.1016/j.cogdev.2025.101544","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.cogdev.2025.101544","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>In recent years, the significance of arts education in enhancing cognitive growth and supporting academic success in higher education has gained increasing attention. However, there remains a need for empirical research to comprehensively examine the specific impact of arts education on critical thinking, creativity, communication skills, attention, and overall holistic development among college students. This study employs a quantitative approach to explore how arts education influences cognitive development and academic performance among college students. Utilizing a purposive sampling technique, participants were selected to represent diverse levels of engagement in arts education. The study gathered data using a structured questionnaire aimed at assessing students' involvement in arts education, cognitive growth, and academic achievement. Out of 456 questionnaires distributed, 410 were completed and deemed valid, yielding a response rate of around 90 %. Analysis of the collected data using SPSS software revealed significant associations between arts education and cognitive development. Specifically, results indicate a strong positive correlation between arts education and critical thinking skills, suggesting that active participation in arts-based activities fosters deeper analytical abilities among college students. Additionally, findings demonstrate that engagement in arts activities promotes creative problem-solving skills, enhancing students' adaptability and innovation in academic pursuits. Overall, this research provides novel evidence of the transformative potential of arts education in shaping well-rounded individuals capable of thriving in academic and creative pursuits, thereby informing educational practices and policies aimed at fostering holistic student development.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":51422,"journal":{"name":"Cognitive Development","volume":"74 ","pages":"Article 101544"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2025-03-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143534922","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}
{"title":"Baby schema in clumsy movements: Attention bias to infant gait among preschoolers and adults","authors":"Sayaka Kitada , Yuki Shimizu","doi":"10.1016/j.cogdev.2025.101565","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.cogdev.2025.101565","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Lorenz (1943) stated that infants possess unique features called <em>baby schema</em>. Most previous studies have examined the responses to infants’ faces, and very little is known about responses to the clumsy movements that are unique to infants. In this study, two experiments investigated baby schema responses to infants’ clumsy gait. Two- to five-year-olds and adults were presented with stimuli converted into Point-Light-Displays of walking videos of an infant, a preschooler, and an adult. Then, their attention bias to each stimulus was measured. The results suggested that (1) baby schema responses are seen toward motor movements and (2) the onset of baby schema responses to motor movements cannot be seen at ages 2–5 years. Infants’ clumsy movements attract the attention of people surrounding them, which may be adaptive in the sense that it averts danger to the infant and increases their chances of survival.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":51422,"journal":{"name":"Cognitive Development","volume":"74 ","pages":"Article 101565"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2025-03-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143527246","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}
{"title":"Metacognitive monitoring in early elementary school-aged children: Task dependency in monitoring judgments, task consistency in monitoring behaviours","authors":"Janina Eberhart , Kou Murayama , Michiko Sakaki , Donna Bryce","doi":"10.1016/j.cogdev.2025.101561","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.cogdev.2025.101561","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Children’s metacognitive monitoring is typically considered as a domain general skill that can be applied in different tasks and situations. However, this assumption lacks empirical evidence as few studies tested whether children’s accuracy of monitoring judgments as well as their monitoring behaviours are consistent across tasks. It is also not clear if children who provide more accurate monitoring judgments also show more frequent monitoring behaviours. In the current research study 53 elementary school children’s metacognitive monitoring was assessed with four tasks: on the one hand, the accuracy of children’s monitoring judgments was assessed with two computer-based tasks (one task required monitoring of memory and the other task required monitoring of reaction times); on the other hand, the frequency with which they engaged in monitoring behaviours was assessed with two construction tasks. Correlational analysis showed that there was no significant association between children’s monitoring judgment accuracies. In turn, children’s monitoring behaviour on two construction tasks was significantly positively associated. Intercorrelations between children’s monitoring judgment accuracies and monitoring behaviours showed that children who more accurately monitored their reaction time showed significantly more monitoring behaviour when working on construction tasks. Conversely, children’s monitoring judgment accuracy on a memory task was not significantly associated with their monitoring behaviour. These findings suggest that the processes underlying children’s monitoring judgments may be task specific, whereas their tendency to engage in monitoring behaviours may be domain general. Implications for promoting metacognitive monitoring are discussed.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":51422,"journal":{"name":"Cognitive Development","volume":"74 ","pages":"Article 101561"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2025-02-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143508375","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Jenny Yun-Chen Chan , Vanessa Vieites , Jinjing (Jenny) Wang
{"title":"The links between quantitative versus spatial language knowledge and numeracy skills in kindergarten children","authors":"Jenny Yun-Chen Chan , Vanessa Vieites , Jinjing (Jenny) Wang","doi":"10.1016/j.cogdev.2025.101560","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.cogdev.2025.101560","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Relational language knowledge, including the understanding of quantitative and spatial terms, is generally associated with children’s developing numeracy skills. Still unclear, however, are the developmental trajectory and direction of the potential links between different aspects of relational language and various facets of numeracy skills. The current study used cross-lagged panel models to analyze the links between quantitative versus spatial language knowledge and facets of numeracy skills among 104 kindergarten children (5.9 years; 44 % boys; 37 % White, 25 % Black, 14 % Asian, 24 % Other), who were tested at two separate time points six weeks apart. The models revealed that, after controlling for children’s general vocabulary knowledge, their quantitative language knowledge at Time 1 predicted their number comparison skills at Time 2. In contrast, children’s number ordering skills at Time 1 predicted their spatial language knowledge at Time 2. Children’s number line estimation skills at Time 1 also predicted their spatial language knowledge at Time 2. However, when replacing general vocabulary knowledge with spatial or quantitative language knowledge as a covariate, only the link from number line estimation skills to later spatial language knowledge remained significant. Together, these results provide some evidence for the specificity and directionality of the influences between quantitative versus spatial language and facets of numeracy skills.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":51422,"journal":{"name":"Cognitive Development","volume":"74 ","pages":"Article 101560"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2025-02-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143508374","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Children’s understanding of the causal mechanisms underlying disease prevention","authors":"Phoebe Degn, Zoey Fiber, Jessica Sullivan","doi":"10.1016/j.cogdev.2025.101563","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.cogdev.2025.101563","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>What drives children’s early beliefs about disease transmission and prevention? We taught children (<em>N</em> = 152; 3;0–7;11) about three ailments (COVID-19, a novel disease Zerpox, bike-related injury) and the Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) used to prevent them (facemasks, earmuffs, helmets). Children then saw pairs of characters and decided who was safer from [getting sick/hurt]. In a preregistered 2x3x2 within-subjects design, we manipulated whether each character wore PPE or not, whether they wore the correct PPE for the ailment, and whether they wore the PPE properly. Children displayed stronger knowledge of PPE for preventing injury than illness, although there were large age effects. Performance on COVID-19 trials was generally similar to Zerpox trials, suggesting similar reasoning about novel and more familiar diseases. We classified children’s performance based on the folk theories that might underlay their behavior, showing a strong reliance on theories other than germ theory in shaping performance.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":51422,"journal":{"name":"Cognitive Development","volume":"74 ","pages":"Article 101563"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2025-02-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143512258","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}
Paul Okyere Omane , Titia Benders , Natalie Boll-Avetisyan
{"title":"Exploring the nature of multilingual input to infants in multiple caregiver families in an African city: The case of Accra (Ghana)","authors":"Paul Okyere Omane , Titia Benders , Natalie Boll-Avetisyan","doi":"10.1016/j.cogdev.2025.101558","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.cogdev.2025.101558","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Examining the language input experiences of infants growing up in multilingual African environments is essential to understanding their language acquisition. We explored the language input to 3;0–12;0-month-old infants (<em>N</em> = 121) in Ghana (Sub-Saharan Africa), a non-Western and less-economically rich social context and highly multilingual country. Data collection involved an interview assessment, followed by caregivers completing a 12-hour logbook to indicate the languages their child heard over a day. Results demonstrated consistency of the infant's language exposure across both input measurement tools, suggesting their reliability. Results revealed that Ghanaian infants are raised multilingually, exposed to between two and six languages, and engage with between two and six regular input providers. There was no evidence for associations of age with number of languages or regular input providers. Analyses of the relative amount of input in Ghanaian English, Akan, Ewe, and Ga, revealed that infants receive less direct than indirect input in Ghanaian English, with no such difference observed in Akan, Ewe, Ga, and no evidence of age effects. These findings shed light on the language environment and input to African infants raised in multilingual societies, highlighting the impact of social and cultural contexts on linguistic input. We conclude with reflections on studying infants in non-Western, less-economically Rich social contexts in multilingual Africa.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":51422,"journal":{"name":"Cognitive Development","volume":"74 ","pages":"Article 101558"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2025-02-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143465447","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Dissociations between short and long-term effects of coronavirus pandemic closures: The case of math fluency","authors":"Sarit Ashkenazi , Sonia Hasson","doi":"10.1016/j.cogdev.2025.101562","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.cogdev.2025.101562","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Over the last years, many studies have explored the effect of the Coronavirus pandemic closures on learning and discovered that it resulted, mostly, in learning loss. However, studies that tested the long-term effects of the closures are lacking. Hence, the effects of the closures on the ability to solve addition or multiplication facts, in typically developing children and children with developmental dyscalculia were tested. A group of children that were in the 1st and 2nd grades during the closure were selected and were tested 2 years later. Another group of children with similar characteristics, before the closures (during 2018), served as the control group. Interestingly, concerning multiplication, participants who were during the closures showed improved abilities. Children with developmental dyscalculia showed weakness in addition and multiplication but with more severe weakness in multiplication. These results indicated that learning loss is related to the time of acquisition of the subject matter.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":51422,"journal":{"name":"Cognitive Development","volume":"74 ","pages":"Article 101562"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2025-02-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143453141","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}