Gating Out Misinformation: Can Young Children Follow Instructions to Ignore False Information?

The current study investigated the effects of misinformation on children's memory reports after practice with the logic-of-opposition instruction at time of test. Four- and 6-year-old children participated in a play event in Session 1. During a two-week delay, parents presented their children with either misinformation or correct information about the play event. Prior to a memory interview in Session 2, some misled children were given a developmentally appropriate logic-of-opposition instruction to not report information provided by their parents. Results indicated that children were misled by the incorrect information, but that the logic-of-opposition instruction aided in the children's retrieval of the original memory, particularly for the 6-year-olds. Implications of the results for memory malleability and social demand effects in children are discussed. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The relationship between the cognitive style and play behaviors of 3-to-5-year-old children

Children (N=1276) ages 3 to 5 were tested for their cognitive style (field dependence/independence) and their play behaviors were observed and recorded. A repeated measures multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) for the children's play behaviors was found to be significant by the Wilks' lambda criterion, indicating that FD and FI individuals played differently. That is, FD children engaged more in play than did FI ones. Three significant interactions were found for cognitive style and play behaviors: (a) cognitive style and play behaviors, (b) age, cognitive style, and play behaviors, and (c) age, sex, cognitive style, and play behaviors. Four- and 5-year-old FD children usually had the most play behaviors except for the leadership abilities where 3-year-old FI children had the highest scores in dramatic play. In contrast, 3- and 4-year-old FI children had the least play behaviors except for frequency of play where 5-year-old FI children had the lowest scores in all of the play areas. The children's play behaviors were also influenced by their cognitive style, sex and age.     

The Children’s Developmental Play Instrument (CDPI): An Extended Validity Study

This is an extended construct validity study of the Children’s Developmental Play Instrument (CDPI), a multidimensional scale to measure play activity among mainstream children based on the psychoanalytic concepts of coping and defensive strategies. The sample included 160 children. Ten-minute videotapes were collected of children between the ages of 1.3 years and 8.5 years at play. The foci of this extended study were six “core” variables comprising the functional level of the CDPI consisting of the following scales: play engagement, symbolic functioning, adaptive play style, inhibited/conflicted play style, impulsive/aggressive play style, and disorganized play style. Good to excellent reliability was achieved by ratings of two independent raters. Regression analysis revealed the five predictors, as a set, were very strong correlates of adaptive play style. Component analysis reduced the six core functional variables to two components clarifying the relationships between the six core variables as organized along two continuums. One continuum is discussed to briefly illustrate the structure of play styles reflected in the play activity of one child.     

Teachers’ creativity,playfulness, and style of interaction with children

Abstract:

This investigation examined the relationships among a teacher's creative thinking, playfulness, and degree of sensitivity in their interactions with preschool children during play. These variables were operationally defined as scores on measures of ideational fluency, playful disposition, and quality of self‐reported play interaction. The Multidimensional Stimulus Fluency Measure, the Adult Behavior Inventory, and the Play Interaction Scale were administered to 46 students and 37 teachers of three‐ and four‐year old children. The Play Interaction Scale, developed for this study, was based on environmental components identified in earlier research as facilitative of play. Subjects indicated the frequency with which they might respond in a structured, elaborative, or unstructured manner to 20 vignettes describing the play of children. Results indicated that the expected positive relationships among creativity, playfulness, and an elaborative teaching style were found only for the students. The predicted negative relationships between creativity and a structured interaction style were found only for the experienced teachers.     

如何建立生命伦理学普适规范?--联合国教科文组织国际生命伦理学委员会第十一次会议述评

文章概述了对由IBC负责起草的"生命伦理学普适规范宣言"的不同的宗教和道德观点.在联合国教科文组织国际生命伦理学委员会第十一次会议(法国巴黎,2004年8月23-24日)上,由分别来自佛教、儒家、印度教、伊斯兰教、犹太教和天主教的代表发表了这些观点.文章评述了这个生命伦理学宣言产生的过程,其对世界上截然不同、不同通约的宗教和道德观点必定是敏感的.文章主张,具有不同道德传统的生命伦理学家,而不是生物医学科学家,应该在制定国际适用的可行的生命伦理学规范中扮演重要的角色.     

Associations between the repressive adaptive style and self-reported hope in Mexican American and Euro-American children

A large literature has examined the associations between Weinberger, Schwartz, and Davidson's (1979) repressive adaptive style (RAS) construct and various self-report measures of distress or unpleasant emotional states in adults and children. Fewer investigations have examined the role of RAS in self-reported positive psychology constructs. In this investigation, we used Weinberger et al.'s (1979) categorical typology to examine the associations between adaptive style and hope in Euro-American (n = 60) and Mexican American (n = 49) children (M age = 11.4 years) who were students at 1 of 3 parochial schools in a large Midwestern city. Partially supporting the hypotheses, a univariate 2 (ethnic group) x 2 (repressor group) analysis of variance indicated a significant main effect for adaptive style group but no significant main effect for ethnic group and no significant interaction effect. Results extend the literature on the associations between adaptive style and self-report instruments and indicate that (similar to self-reported measures of distress) self-reported hope may be subject to social desirability bias.     

Gender differences in children's divergent thinking

Block's theory (1984) of gender differences was examined to determine if it could explain inconsistencies in the reports of gender differences and the personality correlates of creativity in children. Additionally, an investigation of 244 gifted children in grades 4 to 8 is described. Two divergent thinking tests, each with a familiar and an unfamiliar item, were used to test cognitive style. The Dependency Proneness Test was used to measure independence, and the Fundamental Interpersonal Relations Orientation‐Behavior Children was used to measure social orientation. No gender differences were found on the measures of personality and cognitive style, and no significant association was found between cognitive style and personality. The results were discussed in light of the moderating influence of sex‐role flexibility and the relative freedom boys and girls experience in peer groups and play.     

Neuropsychiatric disorders in children of divorced marriages]

From the standpoint of polyethiological methods of treating children's neuropsychiatric disorder images, the present paper is concerned with the question of environmental morbific agents which play a part in the genesis of these disorders. The results have made it clear that children of divorced marriages have to be treated at medical establishments for psychiatric disorders more frequently than those coming from normal family relationships, with a marked dependence on the environment to be observed in certain groups of diagnoses. The encephalopathic child must be regarded as being particularly endangered. Suggestions are given as to the prophylaxis of such disorders, which must primarily be oriented towards the family.     

Working Together to Make Sense of the Past: Mothers' and Children's Use of Internal States Language in Conversations about Traumatic and Nontraumatic Events

Mother-child conversations about a devastating tornado and about 2 nontraumatic events were examined to determine whether there were (a) differences in use of internal states language when talking about traumatic and nontraumatic events and (b) similarities in mothers' and children's use of internal states language. At Session 1, which took place 4 months after the tornado, with conversational length controlled, there was no evidence of differential use of internal states language as a function of event for mothers or children. At Session 2, which took place 6 months later (10 months after the tornado), older children's narratives about the tornado were more saturated with internal states language, relative to their narratives about nontornado events. For both the traumatic and the nontraumatic events, there were cross-lagged correlations between maternal use of emotion language at Session 1 and children's use of emotion language at Session 2. The pattern of findings is consistent with the suggestion that mother-child conversations are one context for the socialization of language about emotional experiences.     

Play Profile Constructions: An Empirical Assessment of Children’s Play in Psychodynamic Play Therapy

Play assessment can be used therapeutically to determine whether and how play would be an appropriate intervention mode for children with clinical diagnoses, and to track their therapeutic progress. However, detailed and standardized play protocols that can catalogue children’s play behaviors in psychodynamic therapy are not widely available. The aim of this study was to empirically construct profiles of play using items selected from the Children’s Play Therapy Instrument (CPTI), reflecting the complex play patterns of children with mental health difficulties. These constructed play profiles integrate quantitative items associated with cognitive, affective, social qualities of play, as well as children’s coping strategies. The initial session of 62 children in psychodynamic play therapy was recorded, transcribed and coded using the CPTI, and children’s play profiles were computed. The reliability of the play profiles, and their preliminary associations with children’s symptomatic and behavioral functioning were tested. Results showed that the play profiles showed good inter-rater reliability, internal consistency and their associations were in expected directions with the majority of the criterion measures. Given the limitations of the current empirical play measures in clinical settings, the preliminary validation provided in this study of the play profiles add a significant contribution to existing literature.     

Outcomes of a Comparison Study into a Group-Based Infant Parenting Programme

This paper reports on a quantitative evaluation of a group-based programme designed to promote parent-infant attachment and child development. Whilst group-based parenting programmes are recommended for treating and preventing conduct disorder in older children, there is, as yet, little evidence as to whether they have a positive effect on very young children and their carers’. Recent UK Government initiatives to support families and improve parenting skills in the first 2 years of children’s lives have increased the demand for the delivery and evaluation of community-based programmes. Eighty mother–child dyads were recruited from nine areas to intervention (n = 54) and control condition (n = 26). Baseline measures were collected in the children’s home when the infants were on average 3-months-old, and follow-up measures were collected 6 months post-baseline (N = 63). Mothers’ positive play behaviours were independently coded from video recordings taken in the home. Other measures included self-reported maternal confidence and mental well-being, assessed infant development and home environment. Socio-demographic data was collected once at baseline. After controlling for baseline scores, control mothers were observed to be significantly less sensitive during play with their baby at the 6 months follow-up with a significant increase in confidence. No differences were found between the groups on the other measures. This paper provides limited evidence for the effectiveness of the Incredible Years Parents and Babies group-based programme delivered in the first year of life. Further evaluation, particularly with parents at increased risk of poorer outcomes is needed to confirm and extend these results.     

The effects of contextual information and gender on the prediction of hypnotic susceptibility

Council, Kirsch, and Hafner (1986) obtained empirical support for the hypothesis that significant correlations between questionnaire measures of absorption and hypnotic susceptibility are an artifact of subjects' beliefs about their own hypnotizability. We tested this hypothesis in a two-session experiment. During Session 1, subjects completed questionnaire measures of absorption, mystical experience, daydreaming frequency, and paranormal beliefs. During Session 2, subjects were tested for hypnotic susceptibility. Subjects were also exposed to one of three information manipulations: They were told about hypnotic testing either before or after filling out the questionnaires or were not told about hypnotic testing. The information manipulation moderated the prediction of susceptibility by the questionnaire measures for women, but not for men. For women, scores on the absorption questionnaire predicted susceptibility only when subjects were informed about hypnotic testing. In the told-after condition, this effect generalized to all of the remaining questionnaire measures. For men, none of the questionnaires was a reliable predictor of susceptibility.     

Repressive Adaptive Style Across Ethnicities

There may be significant differences in coping styles across ethnicities. Previous research has suggested disparities in the number of individuals who utilize repressive adaptive coping style among cultural groups. Repressive adaptive style is a coping mechanism in which individuals report low distress levels while they actually experience high levels of stress. Developing an enhanced understanding of the prevalence of the utilization of repressive adaptive style in different ethnic groups is important for informing intervention techniques to better account for the cultural influences on mental health. The present study investigated the utilization of repressive adaptive style across American Indian (n?=?31), African American (n?=?53), and European American (n?=?48) children in the Midwest. The age range of the children was 10 to 13 years and 50.8% were male. Dependent measures included the Children’s Social Desirability Scale and the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory for Children. Results indicated significant differences in reports of anxiety between ethnic groups. Additionally, it was discovered that African American and European American children utilized repressive adaptive style more than American Indian children, albeit not significantly. Because of the high rates of suicide and emotional distress believed to be experienced by American Indian children this result is interesting. Continued research investigating protective factors, such as high levels of cultural identity and connectedness, is warranted.     

The effects of methylphenidate on various types of activity level and attention in hyperkinetic children

The effects of methylphenidate on a number of objective measures of activity level and attention were assessed on three repeated occasions in four types of settings: free play, movie viewing, testing, and restricted play periods. Subjects were 36 boys between 5 and 12 years of age and of average intelligence. Of these, 18 were diagnosed as hyperkinetic and participated in a double-blind drug-placebo crossover design. The remaining 18 boys, matched in age and IQ with the hyperkinetic children, served as a control group and received no drugs. Results indicated that compared to placebo, methylphenidate significantly reduced wrist, ankle, locomotor, and seat movement activity in the hyperkinetic children regardless of the type of setting in which the measures were taken. Relatively fewer significant drug effects were noted on the measures of concentration or attention. While concentration to reaction time, maze performance, and a movie viewing task improved during drug treatment, the length of attention to toys in free play was not significantly improved. Parental ratings of activity level were also improved by the drug. The hyperkinetic children were also observed to increase their level of task-irrelevant activity over time while control children remained relatively stable in activity over repeated assessment. Despite the positive drug effects, clinical observations suggested that methyl-phenidate may have reduced the interest of some children in their environment.     

Temperament and adaptation in infants and young children with disabilities

The study of temperament in infants and young children has been facilitated by an increased availability of measures and a growth of interest in individual difference variables. As an index of behavioral style, temperament is well suited to examine individual differences in adaptation of infants and young children to requirements of the caregiving environment. Given the biobehavioral base attributed to temperament, it may have unique significance in understanding the complexities of adaptation of children whose disabilities are often associated with nervous system deficits. Research and clinical studies are reviewed to consider three questions: (1) to what extent do infants and young children with disabilities differ from their nondisabled peers in behavioral style, (2) in what ways may temperament mediate the adaptation of such infants to environmental demands, and (3) what are the implications for clinical practice, interpreted within a goodness-of-fit context.     

Child and mother variables in the development of stuttering among high-risk children: A longitudinal study

In this prospective study, 26 of the 93 preschool children with a parental history of stuttering who began to stutter were compared at preonset and 1 year later with those of a matched group of 26 children who continued to be seen as nonstutterers. These two groups of at-risk children were compared in terms of the development of their articulatory and language skills and in terms of the communicative style and speaking behaviors of their mothers. At preonset, the children who started to stutter demonstrated a faster articulatory rate than those who remained fluent. One year later, however, this difference was no longer statistically significant. The two groups of children did not differ in their linguistic skills at either of these time periods. Moreover, the communicative style and speaking behaviors of the mothers of the children who later began to stutter did not differ from that of the mothers of children who did not either prior to or after the onset of stuttering. This suggests that these variables did not contribute to the onset of stuttering or to its course.     

Developmental changes in depressive cognitions: a longitudinal evaluation of the Cognitive Triad Inventory for Children

As part of a longitudinal study, the Cognitive Triad Inventory for Children (CTI-C; N. J. Kaslow, K. D. Stark, B. Printz, R. Livingston, & S. L. Tsai, 1992) as well as other measures of cognitive style and depressive symptoms were administered annually to 3 cohorts of children starting in Grades 2, 4, and 6. Developmentally based analyses revealed 4 things: (a) The factor structure of the CTI-C changed over the course of middle childhood and then stabilized in early adolescence; (b) the CTI-C correlated significantly with measures of depression, self-perceived competence, self-worth, perceived controllability, and perceived contingency, but not with measures of attributional style; (c) 1-year stability correlations increased substantially from Grade 2 to Grade 8; and (d) the CTI-C did not generally predict self-reported depressive symptoms 1 year later. Implications emerge regarding developmental changes in the structure of children's depressive cognitions.     

Preschool Pretend Play Behaviors and Early Adolescent Creativity

Individual differences in creativity across the lifespan have been identified, but little research has focused on the development of creativity during early adolescence. This project examined individual differences on two measures of creativity in early adolescence as well as the predictability of adolescent creativity from pretend play behaviors during the preschool years. Realistic role‐play behavior was assessed at age 5 for 127 children who later completed two creative thinking tasks (TCT‐DP and the Alternative Uses Measure) when the children were 10–15 years of age. Realistic role‐play when the children were age 5 significantly predicted their scores during early adolescence on the Alternative Uses Measure but not the TCT‐DP. Significant sex differences were found for amount of time engaged in realistic role‐play at age 5 and performance on the TCT‐DP, with girls engaging in more role‐play at age 5 and scoring higher on the TCT‐DP during early adolescence than boys. No sex differences were observed for the Alternative Uses Measure. These results suggest that preschool role‐play behaviors represent early creativity and are tapping aspects of creativity development that are manifested in early adolescence.