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1.
J Child Fam Stud ; 31(8): 2108-2120, 2022.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-35505672

ABSTRACT

In recent years, mindfulness-based practices in grade schools have been associated with students' improved cognitive skills and general classroom behavior. In the majority of studies, however, only teacher and parent feedback are elicited, omitting a considerably significant voice - that of the students. Our study aims to fill this gap by exploring student opinions and perceptions regarding the implementation of a classroom-based mindfulness program. Elementary school students (N = 51) took part in teacher-facilitated mindfulness activities which were incorporated into their daily classroom routines. Over the course of the 8-week intervention period, students participated in focus groups about their perceptions of the program. Through qualitative content analysis, two major findings emerged from the focus group data: student opinions about the mindfulness program varied substantially and the mindfulness activities were not always liked and enjoyed. Critically, if students do not enjoy classroom-based mindfulness programs, they may be less motivated to engage in mindful activities and in turn may not experience the benefits that mindfulness has to offer. To maximize student engagement with mindfulness while addressing their concerns, the following recommendations are made: A balance between the entertaining and educational aspects of the program, flexible program delivery, and encouraging students to pursue mindful living outside of the classroom. This research is important to educational and clinical practitioners as student insight will benefit the development and modification of classroom-based mindfulness programs to ensure that students are better able to engage with and benefit from these programs.

2.
Cogn Res Princ Implic ; 6(1): 42, 2021 05 29.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-34050824

ABSTRACT

One of the many sources of information easily available to children is the internet and the millions of websites providing accurate, and sometimes inaccurate, information. In the current investigation, we examined children's ability to use credibility information about websites when learning about environmental sustainability. In two studies, children studied two different websites and were tested on what they had learned a week later using a multiple-choice test containing both website items and new distracters. Children were given either no information about the websites or were told that one of the websites (the noncredible website) contained errors and they should not use any information from that website to answer the test. In both studies, children aged 7- to 9-years reported information from the noncredible website even when instructed not to, whereas the 10- to 12-year-olds used the credibility warning to 'edit out' information that they had learned from the noncredible website. In Study 2, there was an indication that the older children spontaneously assessed the credibility of the website if credibility markers were made explicit. A plausible explanation is that, although children remembered information from the websites, they needed explicit instruction to bind the website content with the relevant source (the individual websites). The results have implications for children's learning in an open-access, digital age where information comes from many sources, credible and noncredible. Education in credibility evaluation may enable children to be critical consumers of information thereby resisting misinformation provided through public sources.


Subject(s)
Internet , Memory , Adolescent , Child , Humans
3.
Br J Dev Psychol ; 39(3): 393-406, 2021 09.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-33587318

ABSTRACT

Culture shapes children's memories. However, scant attention has been given to the influence of culture on specific memory stages. Thus, we conducted two controlled experiments to examine cultural differences in memory recall at immediate and delayed retrieval phases. In Studies 1 and 2 (n = 217), 7- to 10-year-old Chinese and Euro-Canadian children watched a story involving both social- and individual-focused scenarios. Participants then recalled the story immediately afterwards (Study 1) and 5-7 days later (Studies 1 and 2). Findings reveal that Chinese children accurately reported more details from the social-focused events than did their Euro-Canadian counterparts in the immediate interview, and this result was replicated after a delay in both studies. Moreover, as expected, within-country comparisons showed that Euro-Canadian children had better memory for individual- than for social-focused events in both studies. Chinese children, however, showed better memory for social- than for individual-focused events only in the immediate interview in Study 1; their delayed retrieval was not affected by event focus. These findings reveal that cultural variations in memory are evident in both immediate and delayed retrieval. Implications for future research are discussed.


Subject(s)
Memory , Mental Recall , Attention , Canada , Child , Humans
4.
BMC Public Health ; 21(1): 46, 2021 01 06.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-33407291

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Over the last 10 years HENRY has been working to reduce and prevent child obesity by training health and early years professionals to deliver its evidence-based programme to parents. The aim and unique contribution of this study was to evaluate whether training volunteers to deliver this programme on a one-to-one basis was feasible. METHODS: Mixed-methods service evaluation with parent-reported pre- and post-programme outcomes and focus groups conducted with parents and volunteer facilitators. The programme consisted of 8 one-to-one sessions delivered weekly by volunteers (n = 18) to build food and activity-related knowledge, skills, and understanding, and improve parenting efficacy, and parent and child eating and physical activity. Programmes took place at parent's (n = 69) home or local community venues in four London boroughs, United Kingdom. Parent-reported parenting efficacy, emotional wellbeing, eating, and physical activity data were captured, alongside parent ratings of the programme and volunteer ratings of the training. Parent and volunteer focus groups explored involvement, expectations, and experiences of the programme, training and delivery, feedback, and impact. RESULTS: Parents were mostly female, had varied ethnic backgrounds, and were often not working but well educated. There were statistically significant improvements of a medium-to-large size in parent and child emotional wellbeing, parenting efficacy, fruit and vegetable consumption, family eating and food purchasing behaviours. Parent ratings of the programme were positive and qualitative data highlighted the holistic nature of the programme, which focused on more than just food, and the relationships with volunteers as key facets. Volunteers were also mostly female, had varied ethnic backgrounds, and were often well educated, but more likely to be employed than parents. Volunteers rated the training and delivery as useful in enabling them to deliver the programme confidently and for their own wellbeing. Despite finding some sessions challenging emotionally, volunteers reported positive family lifestyle improvements by parents and children and that the experience would be useful for future employment. CONCLUSIONS: It is feasible to recruit and train volunteers to deliver a structured preschool obesity prevention programme, which parents considered acceptable and enjoyable, with preliminary reports of parent and child benefits.


Subject(s)
Parenting , Pediatric Obesity , Child , Child, Preschool , Feasibility Studies , Female , Humans , London , Male , Parents , Pediatric Obesity/prevention & control , United Kingdom , Volunteers
5.
J Exp Child Psychol ; 202: 104995, 2021 02.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-33096368

ABSTRACT

Destination memory (the ability to remember who one has told information to) has been studied in adult samples, but not with child participants. The goals of the current research were to describe the development of children's destination memory abilities across early to middle childhood and to compare destination memory with source-monitoring abilities within the same age range. In two studies, children aged 5-10 years had conversations with two puppets and were later asked to recall which puppet they had disclosed specific information to. Study 1 (N = 86) revealed age to be a significant predictor of destination memory accuracy. Study 2 (N = 90) demonstrated that source memory and destination memory were related and shared a similar developmental trajectory but that source accuracy was higher on average than destination accuracy. This research contributes to our theoretical understanding of children's memory development, and directions for future research are highlighted in the Discussion. Implications for investigative interviews in which children are asked about prior disclosures are discussed.


Subject(s)
Child Development , Disclosure , Mental Recall , Child , Child, Preschool , Female , Humans , Male , Play and Playthings
6.
Adv Child Dev Behav ; 58: 189-213, 2020.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-32169196

ABSTRACT

The prevalence of "mindfulness" in popular media, academia, and professional circles is difficult to miss. Newspapers, magazines, online articles, clinical programs, podcasts, scholarly and professional meetings, sports organizations, and many other outlets focus on the benefits of mindfulness. Despite the intense focus on mindfulness in Western society, it is astonishing that the evidence base (i.e., documented, scholarly, peer-reviewed evaluations) for these programs is woefully inadequate. Varying definitions of what mindfulness is, what it entails, what specific benefits to psychological functioning are observed (if any), and inadequate scientific testing all contribute to a lean knowledge base. Evaluation of potential benefits of mindful practice with children is even more difficult because children are a more heterogeneous group than adults; the differing developmental levels are likely to have profound effects on the efficacy of mindfulness-based programming with children. We review these issues and provide an explanation of the strength of different kinds of evidence, with suggestions for (a) researchers who study mindfulness with children and (b) clinical professionals and educators interested in developing mindful attitudes and techniques with children.


Subject(s)
Child Development , Evidence-Based Practice , Mindfulness , Outcome and Process Assessment, Health Care , Program Evaluation , Child , Child, Preschool , Humans
7.
Child Care Health Dev ; 45(6): 850-860, 2019 11.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-31209923

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Childhood obesity is a major public health concern. In the United Kingdom, a quarter of children are overweight or obese at age 5 years. Overweight and obese children are more likely to develop serious health issues such as diabetes later in life. Consequently, there is an urgent need for effective, early obesity prevention and intervention. This study investigated the impact of an 8-week child obesity intervention-HENRY (Health Exercise Nutrition for the Really Young)-designed to help parents with preschool children develop the skills and knowledge needed to improve family lifestyle and well-being. We were particularly interested in exploring the potential mechanisms by which HENRY may have a positive impact. METHOD: Focus groups (n = 7, total participants = 39) were completed with mothers attending the HENRY programme at one of seven locations across England. They took place within 2 weeks of programme completion. Follow-up telephone interviews were completed with a subsample of participants (n = 10) between 17 and 21 weeks later. RESULTS: Parents consistently reported enhanced self-efficacy in terms of improved confidence in their ability to encourage healthier behaviours such as eating fruit and vegetables and increasing physical activity, and improvements to family health behaviours. Many changes were reportedly sustained at follow-up. Data provided insights into the potential mechanisms that created the conditions for the positive changes. Participants described the importance of mutual support, being listened to by facilitators, and encouragement to identify their own ideas. Their comments indicated the success of a solution-focused, strength-based, partnership approach to supporting family lifestyle change. CONCLUSION: The results of this study contribute to the body of evidence suggesting that HENRY may have a positive impact on parenting and family lifestyle behaviour. Although data were collected in 2011, the findings contribute to an understanding of the components of effective obesity prevention in young children.


Subject(s)
Diet, Healthy/statistics & numerical data , Health Behavior , Parenting , Parents/education , Pediatric Obesity/prevention & control , Achievement , Adult , Child , Child, Preschool , Empowerment , Exercise , Family Health , Female , Follow-Up Studies , Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice , Health Promotion , Humans , Male , Parents/psychology , Portion Size , United Kingdom/epidemiology
8.
Adv Child Dev Behav ; 56: 183-225, 2019.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-30846047

ABSTRACT

Memory is socially constructed. The types of information that children pay attention to and remember, as well as how children organize and recall their memories can differ as a function of sociocultural background. This chapter presents an overview of cultural variations on children's memory and cognition. We draw attention to the necessity of conducting controlled experiments to examine cultural differences in the specific processes involved in episodic memory (e.g., encoding, retention, discrimination skills). We highlight potential challenges (e.g., language, measurement equivalence) that researchers need to overcome to conduct valid cross-cultural research. In light of cultural transformations in recent decades, we outline promising avenues for future research as well as the applications of this research to important issues for forensics and immigrants and asylum-seekers.


Subject(s)
Child Development , Cognition , Culture , Language , Memory , Child , Humans
9.
Psychiatr Psychol Law ; 24(1): 74-89, 2017.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-31983940

ABSTRACT

The purpose of this study is to elicit guidance from prosecutors across Australia on questioning children about repeated events. Two focus groups were conducted. The first sought broad feedback concerning questioning children about repeated events. The second focused more specifically on eliciting feedback about techniques for aiding children in describing specific instances of repeated events. The techniques used are derived from a combination of empirical research and best practice interview guidelines. Data from both focus groups were compiled because themes were highly similar. Thematic analysis of the focus group discussions revealed three broad themes in prosecutors' perceptions about questioning children about repeated abuse: a) permitting children to provide a full generic account before describing individual episodes of abuse, b) using the information obtained during the generic account to create episode labels, and c) probing incidences of abuse chronologically. These themes are discussed within the context of the child development and mnemonic literature, and implications for interviewing protocols are drawn.

10.
Dev Psychol ; 52(12): 2191-2201, 2016 12.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-27709993

ABSTRACT

Children learn information from a variety of sources and often remember the content but forget the source. Whereas the majority of research has focused on retrieval mechanisms for such difficulties, the present investigation examines whether the way in which sources are encoded influences future source monitoring. In Study 1, 86 children aged 3 to 8 years participated in 2 photography sessions on different days. Children were randomly assigned to either the Difference condition (they were asked to pay attention to differences between the 2 events), the Memory control condition (asked to pay attention with no reference to differences), or the No-Instruction control (no special instructions were given). One week later, during a structured interview about the photography session, the 3- to 4-year-olds in the No-Instruction condition were less accurate and responded more often with 'do not know' than the 7- to 8-year-olds. However, the older children in the Difference condition made more source confusions than the younger children suggesting improved memory for content but not source. In Study 2, the Difference condition was replaced by a Difference-Tag condition where details were pointed out along with their source (i.e., tagging source to content). Ninety-four children aged 3 to 8 years participated. Children in the Difference-Tag condition made fewer source-monitoring errors than children in the Control condition. The results of these 2 studies together suggest that binding processes at encoding can lead to better source discrimination of experienced events at retrieval and may underlie the rapid development of source monitoring in this age range. (PsycINFO Database Record


Subject(s)
Aging/physiology , Attention/physiology , Child Development/physiology , Cognition/physiology , Learning/physiology , Age Factors , Child , Child, Preschool , Female , Humans , Male
11.
Front Psychol ; 5: 405, 2014.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-24847302

ABSTRACT

Previous research on the relationship between executive function and source monitoring in young children has been inconclusive, with studies finding conflicting results about whether working memory and inhibitory control are related to source-monitoring ability. In this study, the role of working memory and inhibitory control in recognition memory and source monitoring with two different retrieval strategies were examined. Children (N = 263) aged 4-8 participated in science activities with two sources. They were later given a recognition and source-monitoring test, and completed measures of working memory and inhibitory control. During the source-monitoring test, half of the participants were asked about sources serially (one after the other) whereas the other half of the children were asked about sources in parallel (considering both sources simultaneously). Results demonstrated that working memory was a predictor of source-monitoring accuracy in both conditions, but inhibitory control was only related to source accuracy in the parallel condition. When age was controlled these relationships were no longer significant, suggesting that a more general cognitive development factor is a stronger predictor of source monitoring than executive function alone. Interestingly, the children aged 4-6 years made more accurate source decisions in the parallel condition than in the serial condition. The older children (aged 7-8) were overall more accurate than the younger children, and their accuracy did not differ as a function of interview condition. Suggestions are provided to guide further research in this area that will clarify the diverse results of previous studies examining whether executive function is a cognitive prerequisite for effective source monitoring.

12.
Br J Dev Psychol ; 31(Pt 3): 318-33, 2013 Sep.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-23901845

ABSTRACT

Developmental differences in the use of social-attention cues to imitation were examined among children aged 3 and 6 years old (n = 58) and adults (n = 29). In each of 20 trials, participants watched a model grasp two objects simultaneously and move them together. On every trial, the model directed her gaze towards only one of the objects. Some object pairs were related and had a clear functional relationship (e.g., flower, vase), while others were functionally unrelated (e.g., cardboard square, ladybug). Owing to attentional effects of eye gaze, it was expected that all participants would more faithfully imitate the grasp on the gazed-at object than the object not gazed-at. Children were expected to imitate less faithfully on trials with functionally related objects than those without, due to goal-hierarchy effects. Results support effects of eye gaze on imitation of grasping. Children's grasping accuracy on functionally related and functionally unrelated trials was similar, but they were more likely to only use one hand on trials where the object pairs were functionally related than unrelated. Implications for theories of imitation are discussed.


Subject(s)
Attention , Child Development , Cues , Goals , Imitative Behavior , Pattern Recognition, Visual , Psychomotor Performance , Social Behavior , Adolescent , Association Learning , Child , Child, Preschool , Female , Functional Laterality , Hand Strength , Humans , Male , Orientation , Video Recording , Young Adult
13.
Dev Psychol ; 48(1): 111-22, 2012 Jan.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-22004342

ABSTRACT

Children (N = 157) 4 to 8 years old participated 1 time (single) or 4 times (repeated) in an interactive event. Across each condition, half were questioned a week later about the only or a specific occurrence of the event (depth first) and then about what usually happens. Half were prompted in the reverse order (breadth first). Children with repeated experience who first were asked about what usually happens reported more event-related information overall than those asked about an occurrence first. All children used episodic language when describing an occurrence; however, children with repeated-event experience used episodic language less often when describing what usually happens than did those with a single experience. Accuracy rates did not differ between conditions. Implications for theories of repeated-event memory are discussed.


Subject(s)
Memory, Episodic , Mental Recall/physiology , Psychology, Child , Age Factors , Analysis of Variance , Chi-Square Distribution , Child , Child, Preschool , Female , Humans , Language , Male , Neuropsychological Tests , Time Factors
14.
Child Abuse Negl ; 35(3): 180-7, 2011 Mar.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-21481456

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: This study examined the effect of event repetition on the amount and nature of story-grammar produced by children when recalling the event. METHOD: Children aged 4 years (N=50) and 7 years (N=56) participated in either 1 or 6 occurrences of a highly similar event where details varied across the occurrences. Half the children in each age and event group recalled the last/single occurrence 5-6 days later and the other half recalled the last/single occurrence after 5-6 weeks (the final and single occurrence was the same). Children's free recall responses were classified according to the number and proportion of story-grammar elements (Stein & Glenn, 1979-setting, initiating event, internal response, plan, attempt, direct consequence, and resolution) as well as the prevalence of causal links between the individual story-grammar elements. RESULTS: More story-grammar detail and more links between individual story-grammar elements were reported about the final compared to single occurrence. The amount of story-grammar increased with age and decreased over time. Further, an interaction was revealed such that the effect of retention interval on the production of story-grammar was negligible for older children who experienced the repeated event. CONCLUSIONS: Event repetition has a beneficial effect on the production of children's story-grammar content in situations where event details varied from occasion to occasion. This study highlights the importance of eliciting free recall when conducting evidential interviews with child witnesses about repeated events.


Subject(s)
Language , Mental Recall , Narration , Analysis of Variance , Child , Child Abuse/diagnosis , Child Abuse/psychology , Child, Preschool , Humans , Interviews as Topic , Psychology, Child
15.
Child Abuse Negl ; 34(8): 585-92, 2010 Aug.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-20541260

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: Young children's descriptions of maltreatment are often sparse thus creating the need for techniques that elicit lengthier accounts. One technique that can be used by interviewers in an attempt to increase children's reports is "paraphrasing," or repeating information children have disclosed. Although we currently have a general understanding of how paraphrasing may influence children's reports, we do not have a clear description of how paraphrasing is actually used in the field. METHOD: The present study assessed the use of paraphrasing in 125 investigative interviews of allegations of maltreatment of children aged 4-16 years. Interviews were conducted by police officers and social workers. All interviewer prompts were coded into four different categories of paraphrasing. All children's reports were coded for the number of details in response to each paraphrasing statement. RESULTS: "Expansion paraphrasing" was used significantly more often and elicited significantly more details, while "yes/no paraphrasing" resulted in shorter descriptions from children, compared to other paraphrasing styles. Further, interviewers more often distorted children's words when using yes/no paraphrasing, and children rarely corrected interviewers when they paraphrased inaccurately. CONCLUSIONS AND PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS: Investigative interviewers in this sample frequently used paraphrasing with children of all ages and, though children's responses differed following the various styles of paraphrasing, the effects did not differ by the age of the child. The results suggest that paraphrasing affects the quality of statements by children. Implications for investigative interviewers will be discussed and recommendations offered for easy ways to use paraphrasing to increase the descriptiveness of children's reports of their experiences.


Subject(s)
Child Abuse/legislation & jurisprudence , Forensic Psychiatry/methods , Interviews as Topic/methods , Adolescent , Age Factors , Child , Child Abuse/psychology , Child, Preschool , Crime Victims/legislation & jurisprudence , Crime Victims/psychology , Female , Humans , Male , Speech , Suggestion
16.
Child Dev ; 78(4): 1137-52, 2007.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-17650130

ABSTRACT

The current study addressed how the timing of interviews affected children's memories of unique and repeated events. Five- to six-year-olds (N=125) participated in activities 1 or 4 times and were misinformed either 3 or 21 days after the only or last event. Although single-experience children were subsequently less accurate in the 21- versus 3-day condition, the timing of the misinformation session did not affect memories of repeated-experience children regarding invariant details. Children were more suggestible in the 21- versus 3-day condition for variable details when the test occurred soon after misinformation presentation. Thus, timing differentially affected memories of single and repeated events and depended on the combination of event-misinformation and misinformation-test delays rather than the overall retention interval.


Subject(s)
Attention , Concept Formation , Culture , Mental Recall , Retention, Psychology , Suggestion , Child , Child, Preschool , Conflict, Psychological , Female , Humans , Interview, Psychological , Male , Reality Testing , Time Factors
17.
J Exp Child Psychol ; 94(1): 68-89, 2006 May.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-16513130

ABSTRACT

Participants (6- and 7-year-olds, N=130) participated in classroom activities four times. Children were interviewed about the final occurrence (target event) either 1 week or 4 weeks later, during which half of the event items were described inaccurately. Half of these suggestions were consistent with the theme of the detail across the occurrences (e.g., always sat on a kind of floor mat) or were inconsistent (e.g., sat on a chair). When memory for the target event was tested 1 day later, children falsely recognized fewer inconsistent suggestions than consistent suggestions, especially compared with a control group of children who experienced the event just one time. Furthermore, the longer delay reduced accuracy only for consistent suggestions. Source-monitoring ability was strongly and positively related to resistance to suggestions, and encouraging children to identify the source of false suggestions allowed them to retract a significant proportion of their reports of inconsistent suggestions but not of consistent suggestions. The results suggest that the gist consistency of suggestions determines whether event repetition increases or decreases suggestibility.


Subject(s)
Mental Recall , Psychology, Child , Set, Psychology , Suggestion , Truth Disclosure , Analysis of Variance , Child , Female , Forensic Sciences , Humans , Interviews as Topic , Male , Psychological Theory , Victoria
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