Family play,reading, and other stimulation and early childhood development in five low-and-middle-income countries

This paper used longitudinal data from five studies conducted in Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, Ethiopia, and Rwanda to examine the links between family stimulation and early childhood development outcomes (N = 4904; M_age = 51.5; 49% girls). Results from random-effects and more conservative child-fixed effects models indicate that across these studies, family stimulation, measured by caregivers’ engagement in nine activities (e.g., reading, playing, singing), predicted increments in children's early numeracy, literacy, social-emotional, motor, and executive function skills (standardized associations ranged from 0.05 to 0.11 SD). Study-specific models showed variability in the estimates, with null associations in two out of the five studies. These findings indicate the need for additional research on culturally specific ways in which caregivers may support early development and highlight the importance of promoting family stimulation to catalyze positive developmental trajectories in global contexts.

Research Highlights

• Research on the links between family stimulation and early childhood development in low-and-middle-income countries (LMICs) is limited.
• We used longitudinal data from studies conducted in five LMICs to examine the links between family stimulation and early childhood development outcomes.
• Results suggest that family stimulation predicted increments in children's numeracy, literacy, social-emotional, motor, and executive function skills.
• We found variability in the observed estimates, with null associations in two out of the five studies, suggesting the need for additional research in LMICs.

     

Tactual perception of embossed Morse code and braille: the alliance of vision and touch

In three experiments observers made visual matches to tangible embossed patterns. Stained glass was used to blur vision and thus allow the effect of visual guidance of tactual exploration on the accuracy of symbol recognition to be evaluated. Stained glass rendered the embossed code invisible, but allowed sight of the hand. In the first experiment subjects identified patterns made up of dots and dashes drawn from Morse code; in the second and third experiments they studied braille. The results show that subjects are more accurate in 'reading' tangible codes when provided with visual guidance. Performance was higher for braille than for Morse code. Vision aided touch through the provision of a frame of reference and through sight of scanning movements. Naive sighted observers were able to identify invisible braille dots by watching other individuals touch the symbols, suggesting the importance of vision of kinesthetic patterns.     

An examination of some common denominators in the borderline syndrome

Commonalities in borderline patients are examined in an empirical study of three such cases in long-term psychoanalytic treatment with the author. Each case shows the preoedipal feature of a need to repeat the early maternal environment sensed as both deadly and indispensable. These mutually exclusive polarities continued to be experienced as co-existent through a significant degree of primary process functioning. Separation-individuation was arrested and self-object transferences and persecutory anxiety were evidenced. Some ego growth occurred concomitant with therapy and ongoing life circumstances. More reality life forces were released as opposed to unconscious victimization in life-death trap experiences.     

Objects, raised lines, and the haptic horizontal-vertical illusion

Experiments were conducted to determine whether the haptic horizontal-vertical illusion occurs with solid, three-dimensional objects as well as with tangible lines. The objects consisted of round or square bases, with dowel rods projecting above them at heights equal to the widths of the horizontal bases. A negative illusion, with overestimation of horizontals, was found with free haptic exploration, but not with tracing with the fingertip. The negative illusion occurred when subjects felt wooden Ls and inverted Ts with a grasping, pincers motion of the index finger and thumb. The presence or absence of illusory misperception was dependent upon exploration strategy, since the negative illusion vanished with finger tracing. A negative illusion was also found when subjects adjusted a vertical dowel so that it was judged to be equal in extent to a round or square base. A general overestimation of judged size derived from the pincers response measure, but was not found with the use of a tangible ruler. Comparable illusory results are most likely when drawings and objects promote similar haptic scanning methods. The results were consistent with the idea that the orientation of an edge or line is more important than whether one explores a tangible line or a three-dimensional object.