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15,273 reports · page 319 of 1528
Jara-Ettinger and Dunham diminish institutions by conflating institutional roles with roles in a very broad sense. In doing so, they obscure the important conceptual changes that occur during middle childhood. I review the evidence, undiscussed by Jara-Ettinger and Dunham, that shows the absence of a Theory of Institutions in early childhood.
Noyes A
Background: Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) have been linked to various physical and psychological problems in adulthood, with their effects even carrying over into the next generation through disrupted parenting. To better address the impact of ACEs, identifying the key mediating and moderating factors that influence parenting outcomes is crucial.Objective: This study examined the relationships among ACEs, adaptive and maladaptive cognitive emotional regulation (CER), social support and sense of parenting competence within a sample of Korean mothers of infants.Methods: In this descriptive, cross-sectional study, 290 women raising young children completed an online survey using structured questionnaires. Descriptive statistics, univariate analyses, and moderated mediation analyses were conducted using SPSS and PROCESS Macro.Results: The final sample consisted of 290 first-time mothers (M = 33.02 years, SD = 3.08). Moderated mediation analysis showed that adaptive CER mediated the relationship between ACEs and sense of parenting competence, with this indirect effect being significantly moderated by social support (index of moderated mediation: B = 0.01, p < .01). It was found that mothers with higher levels of social support had stronger positive associations between adaptive CER and sense of parenting competence.Conclusions: These findings suggest that strengthening adaptive CER may be particularly effective for mothers with higher levels of social support. For those with lower levels of social support, the first priority should be enhancing social support to lay the groundwork for emotional regulation interventions.
Lee H, Park J, Kim S et al.
Cross-frequency coupling describes interactions between neural ensembles operating at different frequency bands, and has been proposed to underlie coordination of brain activity over multiple temporal and spatial scales. Phase amplitude coupling (PAC) describes modulation of the amplitude of high-frequency oscillations by the phase of low frequency oscillations. MEG work in adults has demonstrated that alpha-gamma PAC may support visual perception. However, very little work has investigated visual PAC in children, or the development of this process between childhood and adulthood. Here we investigated the development of PAC in a sample of 101 individuals, comprising 50 children (aged 2-13 years) and 51 adults (21-34 years). Participants completed a passive visual stimulation paradigm while neural responses were recorded using a wearable whole-head OPM-MEG system. Sensor-level data were spatially resolved to visual cortex, and we quantified coupling between the phase of low-frequency oscillations (5-13 Hz) and the amplitude of broadband gamma oscillations (28-100 Hz) in each participant. In the adult data, we identified a cluster of phase-amplitude frequency pairs (phase: 7-11 Hz, amplitude: 52-66 Hz) in which there was strong evidence for an increase in PAC following stimulus presentation relative to baseline. Within this cluster, the magnitude of stimulus-induced PAC was positively correlated with age across all participants. Meanwhile, we did not see credible evidence for visual PAC at any frequency pair(s) within the child group. These results suggest that, alongside well-documented developmental changes in band-specific oscillatory power and connectivity, visual PAC represents a distinct functional process which matures with age.
Bailey LM, Rhodes N, Seymour RA et al.
Exposure to early life adversity (ELA) increases risk of poor mental health outcomes, including attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). In fact, ELA, especially in the form of "household ACEs" (e.g., socioeconomic disadvantage, incarceration of a caregiver), is among the most robust environmental predictors of a later ADHD diagnosis. Exposure to unpredictability is an understudied form of ELA that captures instability or inconsistency in routines, household experiences, and family relationships. The purpose of this study was to examine associations between unpredictability and ADHD symptoms in children and adolescents. Participants were drawn from two independent cohorts (Cohort 1: N = 99, Mage = 7.31 years [SD = 0.31]; Cohort 2: N = 217, Mage = 14.39 years [SD = 1.32]) participating in ongoing longitudinal studies of exposure to ELA. Unpredictability was measured by the Questionnaire of Unpredictability in Childhood, and ADHD symptoms were measured by the Child Behavior Checklist Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Problems subscale, the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function, and the Kiddie Schedules for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia ADHD Screener. Childhood experiences of unpredictability were associated with ADHD symptoms in both cohorts and during childhood and adolescence. Further, associations were stronger in females than males. These findings show that unpredictability is a risk factor for ADHD which suggests that it should be explored as an early target for intervention to reduce the development of ADHD symptoms.
Sweiss EC, Vargas V, Sandman C et al.
Abstract This study examines the relationship between constructivist pedagogy, experiential learning, and creativity in early childhood education through a structured literature review, with implications for the Qatari context. While contemporary curricula increasingly promote child-centered and inquiry-based approaches, their implementation remains uneven. The objective is to synthesise existing research to understand how experiential pedagogies—particularly nature-based learning, role-play, and hands-on activities—support creativity and cognitive development. A structured search of major academic databases identified a set of peer-reviewed studies, of which 15 were selected for thematic analysis. The findings indicate that while constructivist principles are widely embedded in policy frameworks, their effectiveness depends on teacher capacity, institutional conditions, and contextual alignment. The review highlights a persistent gap between curriculum design and classroom practice, suggesting that creativity emerges not from formal structures alone but from the quality of experiential engagement.
Brdarova V
Mechanism-based prevention has transformed developmental psychopathology by shifting the focus from whether interventions work to understanding how they work through the modification of neurobehavioral processes underlying risk. We argue that this framework remains incomplete without equal consideration of when during development interventions are delivered. Because neurobehavioral mechanisms emerge and mature along distinct developmental trajectories, interventions are likely to be most effective when they target mechanisms during periods of heightened developmental plasticity. We propose a framework of mechanism-specific developmental windows of opportunity, in which the timing of intervention is considered alongside mechanistic target selection. Evidence from developmental neuroscience and prevention research suggests that interventions delivered during different developmental periods may capitalize on distinct forms of neurobehavioral plasticity, from broad foundational processes in infancy to more specialized systems that continue maturing throughout childhood and adolescence. We further highlight that environmental context, particularly early adversity, may shape the malleability of these systems and influence responsiveness to intervention. Integrating developmental timing into mechanism-based prevention has the potential to improve intervention precision and alter trajectories of child and adolescent psychopathology.
Burkhouse KL, Luby JL
Background Unconditional cash transfer emerges as a key instrument for reducing child poverty and promoting human capital development. However, limited evidence exists on the association with early childhood development outcomes in middle-income countries, particularly regarding unintended effects on household resource allocation and children's technology exposure. Objective This study examines the associations between Thailand's unconditional Child Support Grant (CSG), early childhood development, access to educational materials, and electronic device usage. Methods We analyze nationally representative data from the 2019 and 2022 Thailand Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys (MICS). We employ propensity score matching with nearest neighbor matching to balance observed covariates between CSG recipients and non-recipients. Outcomes include child development, number of children's books, children's engagement with different types of toys, electronic device access, and daily screen time. Results Children in households receiving the CSG demonstrate modest but statistically significant improvements in early childhood development. CSG receipt is associated with a 1.71 percentage point increase in developmental outcome, representing approximately 2% improvement relative to non-recipients. However, the analysis uncovers unexpected resource allocation patterns: recipient households possess significantly fewer children's books, although children show increased engagement with homemade toys. In addition, CSG receipt is associated with greater access to electronic devices and longer screen time among children. Conclusion Thailand's unconditional cash transfer program successfully enhances child developmental outcomes. However, the findings also reveal complex household behavioral responses that suggest a need for complementary interventions, particularly to promote access to educational materials and provide guidance on appropriate electronic device use. The study offers important implications for policymakers seeking to maximize the developmental benefit of child-focused cash transfer programs in middle-income settings.
Damrongplasit K, Atalay K
Background Early-life gut microbiome composition has been linked to childhood asthma risk, but the metabolic pathways underlying this association remain unclear. Objective To integrate infant gut microbiome and metabolome data to identify pathways associated with asthma risk. Methods Participants were from the INSPIRE birth cohort with early infancy 16S rRNA microbiome data (n=402), urinary metabolomics (n=199), and stool metabolomics (n=58). Overlapping datasets included 89 (urine) and 58 (stool) infants. Current asthma at age 6 was assessed by validated questionnaires. Nested sparse partial least squares discriminant analysis prioritized metabolites and amplicon sequence variants (ASVs) feature selection, followed by Spearman rank correlations to evaluate metabolite-microbiome associations with Bonferroni correction. Results Several significant correlations were identified in associations between the stool microbiome and metabolites, primarily involving lipid-related metabolites and microbiome taxa such as Staphylococcus sp. (unclassified), Enterobacteriaceae sp. (unclassified), Veillonella sp. (unclassified), Thomasclavelia ramosa, Bacteroides sp.(unclassified), and Clostridium innocuum group. The correlations between stool microbiome and urine metabolites were weak. Many associated metabolites are likely diet-derived, with microbiome co-metabolising. Conclusion Exploratory microbiome-metabolite correlations suggest diet-related metabolites may link the infant gut environment to later asthma risk.
Turi KN, Wu X, Li Y et al.
Introduction This study examined the contribution of AI enhanced learning activities to the digital literacy of preservice early childhood education student teachers. Methods A quantitative post-intervention explanatory design was used involving 212 Early Childhood Education students at a university in Jiangxi Province, China, who participated in AI-enhanced learning activities for one semester. Data were collected through a structured questionnaire and analyzed using descriptive statistics, Pearson's correlation, and SEMPLS. Results Students demonstrated a moderate level of digital literacy, with information usage and organization showing the highest scores, while metacognition and problem-solving were relatively lower. Engagement in AI-enhanced learning activities was positively and significantly related to all dimensions of digital literacy. SEM results further showed that AI-enhanced learning activities made a significant positive contribution to overall digital literacy. Discussion These findings suggest that integrating AI enhanced learning activities into pre-service teacher education may support the development of student teachers' digital literacy and better prepare them to integrate AI meaningfully in early childhood settings.
Zhu W, Vorawattanachai P
Background Perspective taking, working memory and social problem solving are central to early childhood social and cognitive development, yet they have rarely been examined jointly within a single model. Aim The present study examined whether the association between three perspective-taking sub-dimensions (cognitive, perceptual, affective) and social problem solving in Turkish preschoolers was indirect, operating through working memory, and whether this indirect association varied with age. Method A sample of 457 Turkish preschoolers aged 48-72 months (50.3% girls) was recruited from independent preschools and kindergarten classrooms affiliated with primary schools in Bolu. Children completed the Perspective-Taking Test for Children and the Wally Social Problem-Solving Test, and mothers completed the working-memory subscale of the Self-Regulation Skills Scale. Three separate moderated mediation models, one for each perspective-taking sub-dimension, were estimated using PROCESS Model 59 with age group as the moderator of all three paths and 5,000 bootstrap resamples. Results Indices of moderated mediation were significant in all three models (cognitive 0.60, perceptual 0.52, affective 0.15) and indirect effects through working memory strengthened systematically with age. Conclusion Perspective taking was indirectly associated with social problem solving through working memory, and this indirect association was stronger in older preschoolers. Because the design is cross-sectional, these patterns are associational and require longitudinal confirmation. The findings are consistent with curricular approaches that address cognitive and social-emotional components together.
Küçükkara MF
