Frequent frames as a cue for grammatical categories in child directed speech

This paper introduces the notion of frequent frames, distributional patterns based on co-occurrence patterns of words in sentences, then investigates the usefulness of this information in grammatical categorization. A frame is defined as two jointly occurring words with one word intervening. Qualitative and quantitative results from distributional analyses of six different corpora of child directed speech are presented in two experiments. In the analyses, words that were surrounded by the same frequent frame were categorized together. The results show that frequent frames yield very accurate categories. Furthermore, evidence from behavioral studies suggests that infants and adults are sensitive to frame-like units, and that adults use them to categorize words. This evidence, along with the success of frames in categorizing words, provides support for frames as a basis for the acquisition of grammatical categories.     

"Frequent frames" in German child-directed speech: a limited cue to grammatical categories

Mintz (2003) found that in English child-directed speech, frequently occurring frames formed by linking the preceding (A) and succeeding (B) word (A_x_B) could accurately predict the syntactic category of the intervening word (x). This has been successfully extended to French (Chemla, Mintz, Bernal, & Christophe, 2009). In this paper, we show that, as for Dutch (Erkelens, 2009), frequent frames in German do not enable such accurate lexical categorization. This can be explained by the characteristics of German including a less restricted word order compared to English or French and the frequent use of some forms as both determiner and pronoun in colloquial German. Finally, we explore the relationship between the accuracy of frames and their potential utility and find that even some of those frames showing high token-based accuracy are of limited value because they are in fact set phrases with little or no variability in the slot position.     

An examination of the first/second-grade form of the pictorial scale of perceived competence and social acceptance: Factor structure and stability by grade and gender across groups of economically disadvantaged children

We tested the structure of the Pictorial Scale of Competence and Social Acceptance (PSPCSA) across groups of first and second grade children from economically disadvantaged backgrounds. We used confirmatory factor analysis, including latent mean structures analysis, to test the fit of competing PSPCSA factor models and examined invariance across time and gender. Cohort 1 data were used to find a best fitting model. Cohorts 2 and 3 data were used for model cross-validation and invariance testing across time. Gender differences were examined with the multiple indicators, multiple causes model. We found support for a time invariant three-factor model but uncovered issues of concern related to score reliability. Consistent with the hypothesized decline in children's early optimistic bias, we found a statistically significant moderate decline in perceptions of cognitive and peer competence over time. In addition, we identified differences between boys and girls: (a) on perceptions of cognitive competence and (b) across several items within each of the PSPCSA subscales.     

Grammatical gender and inferences about biological properties in german-speaking children

In German, nouns are assigned to one of the three gender classes. For most animal names, however, the assignment is independent of the referent's biological sex. We examined whether German-speaking children understand this independence of grammar from semantics or whether they assume that grammatical gender is mapped onto biological sex when drawing inferences about sex-specific biological properties of animals. Two cross-linguistic studies comparing German-speaking and Japanese-speaking preschoolers were conducted. The results suggest that German-speaking children utilize grammatical gender as a cue for inferences about sex-specific properties of animals. Further, we found that Japanese- and German-speaking children recruit different resources when drawing inferences about sex-specific properties: Whereas Japanese children paralleled their pattern of inference about properties common to all animals, German children relied on the grammatical gender class of the animal. Implications of these findings for studying the relation between language and thought are discussed.     

Emerging effortful control in infancy and toddlerhood and maternal support: A child driven or parent driven model?

This study examined the association between children's temperamental characteristics of rudimentary effortful control (EC) and mothers’ supportive reactions to their children's negative emotions in infancy and toddler period. One hundred and fifty eight (78 girls) Taiwanese children's EC was assessed at 12 and 24 months with mothers’ report on the very short-form scales of Infant Behavior Questionnaire (IBQ) and Early Childhood Behavior Questionnaire (ECBQ) respectively. The mothers also completed questionnaires to assess their comforting behaviors at 12 months and both comforting and cognitive assistance to their children's expression of negative emotions when the child was 24 months old. A structural model was used to examine within- and across-time relations between children's EC and the maternal support. The results showed continuity of EC related temperament from infancy to toddlerhood and the 12-month rudimentary EC positively predicted mothers’ comforting and cognitive assistance at 24 months, suggesting that mothers modulate their use of support in accordance with their prior knowledge of their children's regulatory capacities. The results indicated an influence of infants’ temperament on adult behaviors, supporting potential evocative child effects on mothers’ emotion coaching behaviors.     

Parental strategies and trajectories of peer victimization in 4 to 5 year olds

This study was designed to examine how parental strategies contribute to explaining trajectories of peer victimization in young children. A total of 73 4 and 5 year old children identified as victims of peer aggression in the fall semester and their parents were recruited from 46 classrooms in 18 schools in the Netherlands. All children were followed-up twice in order to determine for whom victimization was stable. Hypothetical vignettes describing various forms of victimization were presented to one parent of each child in order to assess parental responses to victimization events. Findings indicated that autonomy supporting and autonomy neutral strategies were associated with a decrease of victimization in the first semester of the school year. No protective effects were found in the second semester. Autonomy undermining strategies were not related to the course of peer victimization. These findings underscore the importance of joint and coordinated efforts of teachers and parents as partners in supporting victimized young children at school.     

Psychophysical design influences frequency discrimination performance in young children

We investigated how different psychophysical procedures affect frequency discrimination performance in children. Four studies used a design in which listeners heard two tone pairs and had to identify whether the first or second pair contained a higher frequency target tone. Thresholds for 6- and 7-year-olds were higher than those for 8- and 9-year-olds and adults. Two manipulations led to lower (better) thresholds in young children: (a) moving the standard comparison tone before the target tone and (b) using three target comparison tone pairs. It is suggested that young children benefit from designs that help cue them to when they need to attend to a target tone. The two-interval, forced-choice procedure that is widely used in studies of developmental disorders led to variable performance even in adults and did not give a realistic picture of the perceptual capabilities of children under 8 years of age.     

The relation of parenting,child temperament,and attachment security in early childhood to social competence at school entry

A wealth of research demonstrates the importance of early parent–child interactions on children's social functioning. However, less is known about the interrelations between child and parent characteristics and parent–child interactions in early childhood. Moreover, few studies have broadly examined the longitudinal relations between these constructs and social competence. This study is an examination of the relations between parent responsiveness, negativity, and emotional supportiveness, attachment security, and child temperament, and their impact on children's social competence from infancy to kindergarten entry. The sample was derived from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study – Birth Cohort and included 6850 parent–child dyads. Observational and rating scale data were used. The proposed model was nearly fully supported by path analysis, and it provides insight into the complex relations between early parenting behaviors, child characteristics, and parent–child interactions in the development of social competence.     

幼儿自我调控的中日比较及其跨文化分析

实验以中日166名4、5岁幼儿为被试(其中中国幼儿84名,日本幼儿82名),采用故事法比较了中日幼儿在故事情境中的自我调控反应。结果表明:(1)中日幼儿自我调控的反应方式因交往对象的不同表现出了差异。在幼儿与成人的矛盾情境中,日本幼儿比中国幼儿表现出了更多的自我抑制反应,在幼儿与同伴的矛盾情境中,日本幼儿比中国幼儿表现出了更多的自我主张反应;不论在幼儿与成人的矛盾情境中还是在幼儿与同伴的矛盾情境中,中国幼儿都比日本幼儿表现出了更多的依赖成人反应。(2)中日幼儿自我调控的反应方式因情境类型的不同没有表现出差异。不论在幼儿与同伴的矛盾情境中,还是在幼儿与同伴的非矛盾情境中,日本幼儿比中国幼儿表现出了更多的自我主张反应,中国幼儿比日本幼儿表现出了更多的依赖成人和冲动行为反应。     

Re‐conceptualizing spirituality in the light of educating young children

What is meant by spirituality in relation to a young child? Palmer (2003 Palmer, P. J. 2003. “The heart of a teacher: identity and integrity”. In The Jossey‐Bass Reader on Teaching, Edited by: Lieberman, A. 3–25. San Francisco: Jossey‐Bass.  [Google Scholar]) asserted that spirituality is an elusive word with a variety of definitions—some compelling, some witty, some downright dangerous. The spirituality of a young child involves actively living by being connected to a natural source within the moral universe and affectively belonging with relationships that are interconnected within a child’s culture and community. Children’s spirituality is transformational by inspiring others and directive by facilitating and encouraging peers by connecting with others within a classroom community. This paper discusses a re‐conceptualization of children’s spirituality through autobiographical experiences and self‐reflection that embrace early childhood relationships and involve interconnected transformational and directive spiritual experiences. These spiritual experiences build trustful, moral, relational learning moments in an early childhood classroom with peers.     

Fear of Hypoglycemia in Parents of Young Children with Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus

The current study examined fear of hypoglycemia in 81 mothers and 64 fathers of young children with type 1 diabetes (T1DM) using the Hypoglycemia Fear Survey-Parents of Young Children (HFS-P-YC possible range = 26–130). Mothers and fathers completed the HFS-P-YC at enrollment and mothers completed it 2 weeks later. Families recorded daily blood glucose on a standardized meter for 2 weeks. Mothers’ mean total HFS-P-YC score was 75.0 (SD = 17.2) and fathers’ mean score was 66.5 (SD = 18.0). Mothers reported greater HFS-P-YC total and behavior subscale scores than fathers. Mothers’ HFS-P-YC scores were comparable to published HFS scores for mothers of preadolescents with T1DM and higher than adult patients with T1DM. The HFS-P-YC had good internal consistency and test–retest reliability in this sample. These findings suggest parents of young children with T1DM report a high level of fear of hypoglycemia. Additionally, the HFS-P-YC appears to be a reliable measure in this population.     

Factors influencing young children's risk of unintentional injury: Parenting style and strategies for teaching about home safety

This study examined mothers' teaching about home-safety issues to 24–30 month and 36–42 month old children, explored the relationship of teaching strategies to parenting styles, and assessed how these factors are related to children's risk of unintentional injury. A structured interview assessed home-safety issues relevant to falls, burns, cuts, poisoning, and suffocation/strangulation/choking. Mothers identified safety issues relevant to her child, and indicated the type and extent to which she utilized teaching as a strategy to address each safety issue. Standardized questionnaires provided information about parenting style and children's history of injuries. Results revealed that mothers' endorsements of home-safety issues did not vary with child age, mothers used teaching to manage safety issues for all types of injuries, and type of teaching strategy (explanations, rules, behavior modification) varied with parenting style. Greater use of explaining and less rule usage was linked to permissive parenting; these teaching strategies predicted children's medically-attended injury among highly-permissive mothers. Thus, teaching about safety is a common risk-management strategy mothers use to address hazards in the home. However, the specific type of teaching strategy used varies with parenting style, which has implications for children's risk of injury.     

Les effets du port du masque sanitaire sur les jeunes enfants en lieux d’accueil collectif

IntroductionMandatory for professionals working in collective care facilities with children aged 3 months to 3 years, the wearing of a mask modifies information that is crucial for verbal and non-verbal communication, which is essential for social development.ObjectiveAn exploratory survey aims to collect the perception of these professionals of the children's reactions to the wearing and removal of the mask.MethodIn mid-December 2020, 586 people recorded 895 observed reactions to the wearing of masks and 793 to their removal in a questionnaire posted on a site dedicated to early childhood professionals.ResultsThe content analysis of the discursive corpus indicates that 75% of the observations on the wearing of the mask mainly concern problems in interactional experiences and difficulties in language activities, with 25% indicating no notable reaction in the children. When the mask is removed, more than half of the observations refer to positive effects: improved relational exchanges, better involvement in activities, particularly language activities, positive emotional reactions, etc. The testimonies also evoke an ostensible attentional activity to the (re)discovery of the adult's whole face, negative emotional reactions and sometimes a non identification of the adult.ConclusionThe majority of professionals perceive difficulties in the areas of language communication and social-emotional interaction. The overall data, although not conclusive due to the inherent limitations of the method used, are consistent with the results of other studies on the effects of wearing a mask on speech and social perception.     

Modifications des relations intrafamiliales dans les familles françaises de jeunes enfants pendant le premier confinement lié à la COVID-19

IntroductionIn the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, the French state implemented containment measures requiring parents to stay at home with their children, while ensuring, in addition to daily tasks and work, their schooling.ObjectiveThe objective of this publication is to present the modifications of parent-child and spousal relationships during this period and their main sources according to the parents.MethodAn online questionnaire from 28 April 2020 to 29 May 2020 collected data from 490 French families with at least one child from birth to six years old. A content analysis of the discursive corpus was carried out with NVivo software (version 10). Quantitative statistical processing (using STATA software, version 16.1) tested the relationships between socio-demographic variables, as well as those relating to the parents’ experiences, and “strained” and “strengthened” intrafamily relationships.ResultsWhile for 33.3% of the respondents, family relationships did not change, they became stronger for 42.5% and tense for almost a quarter (24.3%).ConclusionUnderstanding the sources of tension experienced by families of young children during lockdown, as well as what enabled other families to better cope with this situation, may enable measures to be implemented to deal with the consequences of the discomfort generated by the lockdown and to avoid further psychological problems during possible future ones.