Times are displayed in (UTC-05:00) Central Time (US & Canada) Change
About this paper symposium
| Panel information |
|---|
| Panel 4. Cognitive Processes |
| Paper #1 | |
|---|---|
| How Adults’ Behavior Affects Children’s Peer Connection Formation | |
| Author information | Role |
| Eren Fukuda, University of Wisconsin-Madison | Presenting author |
| Rachel A. King, University of Chicago, United States | Non-presenting author |
| Kristin Shutts, University of Wisconsin-Madison, United States | Non-presenting author |
| Katherine D. Kinzler, University of Chicago, United States | Non-presenting author |
| Abstract | |
|
Early peer connections are crucial for young children’s well-being. Indeed, children with positive peer relationships fare better in domains ranging from mental health to academics (e.g., Bulotsky-Shearer et al., 2012; Torres et al., 2015). The benefits of peer relationships have led researchers and practitioners to develop programs that support children’s friendships and social skills (e.g., Hanish et al., 2022; Miller et al., 2017). Many of these programs involve adults, but to date it is unclear what adult behaviors are most useful in supporting children’s peer connections—especially during the earliest phases of peer relationship formation. In the present research, we asked whether scaffolding provided by an adult could help children establish a new peer connection. Because young children are still developing social and communication skills, we reasoned that having an adult scaffold children’s initial conversation with a new peer would be beneficial for forming a positive peer connection. We further tested the role of more vs. less intrusive scaffolding in facilitating a new peer connection. We reasoned that providing more intrusive scaffolding would limit children’s agency and stifle their ability to form genuine connections. To test these hypotheses, we designed a novel experimental paradigm for Zoom. Participants (5-11 years in the U.S.; N=288) were assigned to same-gender or different-gender age-matched pairs. Some pairs were randomly assigned to complete an adult-scaffolded activity designed to help children get to know one another. Half of scaffolded pairs experienced more intrusive support and half experienced less intrusive support. In the former case, the adult asked both members of the pair a predetermined set of questions (“what is your favorite food?”); in the latter case, children asked each other the same predetermined questions. Remaining pairs were assigned to a baseline condition that featured no scaffolded activity. Dependent measures included a “free talk” measure (participants interacted with their partner independently for two minutes) as well as self-report measures focused on how children felt about their partner (see Figure 1 depicting the procedural flow). Preregistered analyses examined the effects of condition and pair gender composition on children’s connections, measured by 1) adult ratings of children’s free talk and 2) children’s self-reports. Both types of measures revealed the same pattern: Pairs in scaffolded conditions connected better than pairs in the baseline condition, and the scaffolded conditions – especially the condition that involved less intrusive participation on the part of the adult – eliminated gender ingroup-favoritism (Figure 2 depicts results of the free talk adult ratings). Taken together, these results suggest that adult-led scaffolding can promote the formation of positive peer connections between young children. However, scaffolding that maintains children’s autonomy during peer interactions may be particularly effective for encouraging connections between children who struggle to connect spontaneously (here, children of different genders). With its controlled methodology and focus on testing mechanisms of connection, this research introduces a new experimental approach to illuminate factors facilitating the formation of positive peer connections in childhood. |
|
| Paper #2 | |
|---|---|
| Examining Baseline Relations Among Parent-Child Interactions, STEM Learning and Engagement | |
| Author information | Role |
| Skyler Gin, Brown University, United States | Presenting author |
| David M. Sobel, Brown University, United States | Non-presenting author |
| Abstract | |
|
The relation between parental involvement and children's engagement and learning in STEM tasks is central to understanding educational dynamics in informal learning environments. Prior research has shown that certain types of parent-child interactions, particularly when parents are directive, can reduce children’s engagement in independent STEM activities (Sobel et al., 2021). However, these studies have not compared parent-child interactions to a baseline condition where children engage in tasks without prior parental involvement. The present study addresses this gap by incorporating a baseline measure, examining children's engagement and performance in a series of circuit-building challenges with and without prior parent-child interaction. Sixty-eight children between the ages of 4-7 (M = 71.86 months) completed a set of circuit-building challenges with no prior experience with the circuits. Their results were compared with 111 four- to 7-year-olds who participated in the same challenges but who previously explored the circuit materials with a parent. Each challenge consisted of a building question, followed by a structured interaction with the experimenter to ensure that participants completed each challenge even if they could not do so independently. After each challenge (up to 8 possible), children were asked if they wanted to continue. The number of challenges attempted measured engagement, while performance was measured by the proportion of challenges solved independently. The baseline group, which had no prior experience with circuit components, was compared with the 111 children whose interaction was coded in terms of parental goal setting, with parents being overly parent-directed, jointly-directed, or more child-directed. Children in the baseline group engaged in more challenges compared to the parent-directed group (shown in Figure 1), beta = -0.77, SE = 0.39, 95% CI [-1.53, -0.02], Wald χ²(1) = 4.04, p = .05, Odds Ratio = 0.46, but were not engaged differently from the jointly- or child-directed groups (p = .75 and p = .94, respectively). Children in all three parent-child interaction groups solved a higher proportion of challenges on their own (our measurement of learning), compared to the baseline group (data shown in Figure 2), parent-directed: beta = 1.23, SE = 0.38, p < .001; jointly-directed: beta = 1.63, SE = 0.37, p < .001; child-directed: beta = 1.41, SE = 0.38, p < .001. Additionally, children whose parents used more causal language during free play provided more causal explanations of how the circuits they built functioned, rho(108) = .20, p = .03, particularly in the jointly- and child-directed conditions, p = .01 and p = .04, respectively. These findings suggest that although parent directive behavior may reduce children’s engagement, the use of causal language enhances children's ability to provide explanations, supporting children’s learning. This contributes to our understanding of how different forms of parental involvement impact children's engagement and learning in STEM tasks, emphasizing the importance of balancing guidance and independence in informal learning settings. |
|
| Paper #3 | |
|---|---|
| Parent Provision of Choice Predicts Executive Function in Preschool Children | |
| Author information | Role |
| Stephanie M. Carlson, University of Minnesota, United States | Presenting author |
| Romulus Castelo, University of Minnesota, United States | Non-presenting author |
| Abstract | |
| Children’s executive function (EF) skills have been linked to a host of positive outcomes including academic achievement, social competence, and overall well-being (Best et al., 2011; Moffit et al., 2011; Willoughby et al., 2019; Zelazo & Carlson, 2020). Positive parenting behaviors have been consistently associated with individual differences in EF skills (Fay-Stammbach et al., 2014). Research has shown that parents’ support of children’s autonomy may be beneficial to the development of these skills, particularly in early childhood, whereas parental control is inversely related to child EF (Bernier et al., 2010). Most existing studies have reported on this association using global indicators of autonomy support. However, according to Self-Determination Theory, autonomy support is multidimensional and consists of different yet interrelated parenting behaviors (Ryan & Deci, 2000). These include supporting children’s competence by scaffolding help, using positive verbalizations, and providing opportunities for children to play an active role through choice-making. Emerging evidence suggests that not all autonomy-supportive behaviors contribute equally to children’s EF skills (Castelo et al., 2022). In the present study, we collected behavioral data from 127 parents and their 2- to 5-year-old children to examine how different aspects of parent autonomy support relate to children’s EF skills. Parent and child dyads worked on a set of jigsaw puzzles that were designed to be slightly too difficult for children to complete on their own. Parents were rated on four autonomy-supportive behaviors adapted from a well-established coding scheme: 1) support of child competence 2) use of positive verbalizations 3) acknowledgement of child feelings and perspective and 4) provision of choice (Whipple et al., 2011). Children competed a battery of behavioral EF tasks including the Minnesota Executive Function Scale, Backward Word Span, and Gift Delay, as well as novel tasks measuring their preference for choice. Findings revealed that overall parent autonomy support was positively correlated with a composite measure of child EF skills (r = .30, p <.01). In a linear regression model, autonomy support predicted child EF over and above child age and verbal IQ (B = .18, t = 2.03, p < .05). Follow-up analyses on the individual autonomy support subscales revealed that only the provision of choice subscale was significantly correlated with child EF skills (r = .36, p < .01). Indeed, a hierarchical linear regression showed that the choice subscale predicted child EF over and above child age, verbal IQ, and the other autonomy support subscales. In model 3, the choice subscale accounted for an additional 1.8% of the variance in child EF scores (see Table 1). This association was partially mediated by children’s preference for choice. Overall, findings suggest that the provision of choice in early childhood may be an effective parenting approach to help children build a capacity for autonomy which in turn promotes their EF skills. Future research should consider diversifying how parent autonomy support is measured. Additionally, capturing parent provision of choice more directly will contribute to help advance this line of research. | |
| Paper #4 | |
|---|---|
| Lower Family Income Predicts Overparenting Across Four Datasets | |
| Author information | Role |
| Reut Shachnai, Yale University | Presenting author |
| Natalie Masetti, Yale University, United States | Non-presenting author |
| Arielle Belluck, Princeton University, United States | Non-presenting author |
| Lingyan Hu, University of Pennsylvania, United States | Non-presenting author |
| Allyson Mackey, University of Pennsylvania, United States | Non-presenting author |
| Wendy Berry Mendes, Yale University, United States | Non-presenting author |
| Julia A. Leonard, Yale University, United States | Non-presenting author |
| Abstract | |
|
Persistence is critical for children's academic and interpersonal success, but parents often take over and complete challenging, developmentally-appropriate tasks for their children, a behavior known as “overparenting”. Overparenting is increasingly common in the United States (Doepke et al., 2019) and is associated with worse cognitive and motivational outcomes for children (Gurland & Grolnick, 2005; Leonard et al., 2021; Moilanen & Lynn Manuel, 2019). However, little is known about the individual differences that underlie overparenting. Here, we explored the relation between overparenting and various family demographics (child age, child gender, parent gender, parent income, parent education) across four datasets (total N = 390). In Studies 1-3, 4-8-year-old children were given a developmentally-appropriate task: solving a block design puzzle (Study 1; n = 109), dressing in hockey gear (Study 2; n = 140), or making slime (Study 3; n = 97). Across datasets, we consistently find that a single demographic variable – household income – relates to taking over behavior, such that parents with lower incomes completed more actions for their child (i.e., put in more puzzle pieces: β = -.16, p = .001; completed more dressing actions: β = -.42, p = .016; and poured more slime ingredients: β -.44, p = .008) (Figure 1). Other demographic differences also emerged but were not consistent across datasets. In ongoing Study 4 (current N = 44 of our preregistered sample of 130), we are examining the role of emotions (e.g., stress as measured via self-reports and cardiac reactivity) in the relationship between lower income and overparenting. To this end, we ask 4-5-year-old children to solve the same puzzles used in Study 1, while using ECG (electrocardiogram) to assess interbeat interval and heart rate variability in parents and children. To date, we replicate the observed linear income-overparenting relationship, where parents with lower income take over more (β = -.36, p = .029) (Figure 2A). Preliminary self-report data suggests that while parents across levels of income report equal levels of negative emotions in themselves (e.g., being stressed, frustrated; r = .01, p = .949), parents with lower incomes perceive more negative emotions in their children (r = -.38, p = .025) (Figure 2B). Children across income levels, in contrast, report similar (low) levels of negative emotions (r = -.10, p = .556) (Figure 2C). Importantly, child competence cannot explain the association between lower income and overparenting: children from lower-income families are equally competent at the puzzles (i.e., complete the same number of puzzles, controlling for parent taking over, r = -.02, p = .910) and their parents do not view them as less competent (r = .06, p = .733). Families’ cardiac reactivity will determine whether parents’ and children’s self-reports of negative emotions align with physiological stress levels, and whether physiological stress levels predict more taking over. Taken together, we detect a robust and consistent negative relationship between parental income and overparenting, with preliminary evidence suggesting that parents with lower incomes might take over more (at least in lab settings) because they perceive more negative emotions in their children. These findings have the potential to inform interventions to support autonomy in early childhood. |
|
⇦ Back to session
Parents’ involvement in learning: Balancing guidance and autonomy to improve children’s social and cognitive outcomes
Submission Type
Paper Symposium
Description
| Session Title | Parents’ involvement in learning: Balancing guidance and autonomy to improve children’s social and cognitive outcomes |