Children's Preferences Research Articles

Socio-Cultural Practices and Fertility Behaviour of Rural Dwellers in Alayi, Abia State, Nigeria

This study was carried to investigate the influence of socio-cultural practice (male child preference; women marginalization and adoption of large family size) on fertility behaviour in Alayi community. Survey design was adopted for this study. Data collection was carried out using two methods (questionnaire and Focus Group Discussions-FGDs). The questionnaire consists of four sections, with twenty items arranged on four Point Likert-type formats. A pilot test of the instruments gave reliability estimates of 0.5. Using the proportional stratified and purposive sampling technique, 356 respondents were sampled from a population of 3,273 respondents across the study area. Three hypotheses were formulated and tested using chi-square at 0.05 level of significance. Results obtained indicated that there is a significant influence of male child preference, women marginalization and adoption of large family size on the fertility behaviour of Alayi people. Also, result from the socio demographic data of respondents indicates that the level of education and occupation of respondents has a far-reaching implication for large family size among the Alayi people. It is recommended among others that age of entry into marriage should be checkmated by parents and stakeholders to prevent women from falling victims of circumstances. Also, there should be an appeal for the shift in the traditional beliefs and attitudes in which people consider many children with preferences to sons and synonymous with wealth. Lastly, the existing family planning programme should be strengthened and expanded to ensure that couples and individuals have uninterrupted access to the range of contraceptive methods at affordable prices.

Inhibition and cognitive flexibility are related to prediction of one's own future preferences in young British and Chinese children

The ability to shift from current to future perspective is pivotal to future-oriented cognition. With two distinct cultural groups, UK (N = 92) and China (N = 90), we investigated 3 to 5-year-olds' understanding of preference changes occurring within themselves and their peers (another child). We administered a battery of representative tasks of executive function and theory of mind to examine their underlying relationships with children's ability to predict future preferences. British 3-year-olds outperformed Chinese children in predicting future preferences, while no country differences were observed between the 4- and 5-year-olds. Across the UK and China, children were more accurate when predicting for their peers than for themselves. They were also more accurate when their current preferences were identified first, i.e. before answering questions about the future. Chinese children outperformed their British counterparts on inhibition and cognitive flexibility tasks whereas there were no Eastern and Western differences in their theory of mind abilities. After controlling for age and children's knowledge of generic adult preferences, children's performance in the inhibition and cognitive flexibility tasks were significantly correlated with the prediction of their own future preferences, but they were not significantly correlated when predicting for a peer. These results are discussed in relation to the conflicts between multiple perspectives and the cognitive correlates of future-oriented cognition.

Children's book illustrations from China and Ukraine: Comparison of different formats

AbstractThis study was aimed at comparing different formats of illustrations for children's books created by modern Chinese and Ukrainian artists. At the same time, it was not focused just on determining the leading format, but on identifying the attractiveness factors of each format. To this end, the study investigated children's illustration preferences drawing from the following three age groups: 5–6 years old (preschoolers), 7–8 years old (second‐graders), and 9–10 years old (fourth‐graders). According to the survey, children were most concerned with illustration colourfulness (this is true for paper and pop‐up books) and viewing convenience. There were no statistically significant differences found between Chinese and Ukrainian books in terms of these parameters. At the same time, Chinese e‐books appeared to outperform the Ukrainian texts in terms of feature management and illustration colourfulness. Publishers and artists of children's books can use these data for effective creative activity and making constructive decisions. At the same time, these findings may be of interest to parents, informing or guiding book selection for children.

The Personality Predictors of Art Preferences in Children

Art has been considered as a means of enriching oneself with values, transferring socio-cultural experience and traditions. Children articulate their wonder and excitement while engaging with an artwork and it is evident through their spontaneous responses. Aesthetic experience is regarded as fundamental to human existence. Experiencing and enjoying artworks help children to encounter diversities and prepare them for a facing challenge in life. The objective of the present quantitative study is to explore the relation between personality traits and art appreciation of children. The sample constituted sixty children of grade IX from the state of Telangana. The number of boys and girls participated in the study from rural and urban backgrounds are equal and children are in the age group of 13-15 years. Children’s artistic preferences are measured by showing 48 images of artworks of two dimensions: ‘abstractedness’ and ‘complexity’. The ‘abstractedness’ dimension include representational/realistic, semi-representational and highly abstract artworks and the ‘complexity’ dimension encompass low complexity, medium complexity, and high complexity artworks. Each group has four types of paintings: landscape, portrait, still life and animal representations. The results of analysis of the relation between children’s personality traits and their art preferences using Pearson product-moment correlation coefficient (r) reveals that Agreeableness and Conscientiousness is moderately positively correlated with the perceived attractiveness of abstract paintings which is statistically significant. The results do not show any statistically significant correlation between Openness to Experience and perceived attractiveness for abstract artworks. Further, there exists a low negative correlation between Neuroticism and perceived attractiveness for abstract artworks which is statistically significant. There are no significant correlations between children’s personality traits and perceived attractiveness for Realistic, High Complexity and Low Complexity artworks. The research findings are an indication for teachers to better design their classroom activities for enriching the lives of children.

I may not like you, but I still care: Children differentiate moral concern from other constructs.

In industrialized societies, adults exhibit stable preferences for the types of people, animals, and entities they feel moral concern for (Crimston et al., 2016). Only one published study to date has utilized the moral circles paradigm to examine these preferences in children, finding that as children age, their preferences shift to become more similar to adults' (Neldner et al., 2018). However, it is currently unclear whether children's conceptualization of moral concern differs from that of other related social constructs. The aim of the current study was twofold: first, to test the moral circles paradigm in a new sample of children to see whether published patterns of moral concern could be replicated and, second, to investigate whether children distinguish moral concern from the related constructs of liking and familiarity. Australian children aged 4 to 10 years old (N = 281; 143 boys, 138 girls; predominantly middle class) placed 24 pictures of human, animal, and environmental entities on a stratified circle according to how much they cared, liked, or knew about the targets. We found similar patterns of moral prioritization to previous research (Neldner et al., 2018), replicating both stable preferences and age-related changes in children's moral concern for others. Crucially, we extend these findings by showing that children distinguish how much they care about entities from their levels of liking and knowing about them. This suggests children differentiate between moral concern and other social constructs early in development and display distinct patterns of prioritization when evaluating everyday entities according to these judgments. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

Short report: The role of oral hypersensitivity in feeding behaviors of young autistic children.

Feeding problems are common among autistic children and are linked to negative health consequences. Therefore, understanding feeding problems and factors that influence these behaviors is important for developing supports for children and families. While certain sensory processing patterns are commonly associated with feeding problems, less is known about the link between sensory processing and feeding behaviors in autism, as well as how parent behaviors and feelings during mealtime differ based on child sensory preferences. This research examined two groups of young autistic children who were reported to be picky eaters by their parents: those with and those without oral hypersensitivity. Children with oral hypersensitivity had more difficulty with food acceptance and their parents reported more negative feelings around feeding their child. However, the two groups of children (oral hypersensitive and not) did not differ in their medical/oral motor symptoms, mealtime behavior, or parent use of strategies at mealtimes. This research supports the need for personalized treatment strategies based on the child's sensory preferences to support both the child and parent in managing mealtimes.

Commercially available foods for young children (

To assess the nutritional composition of commercially available foods (CAFs) for infants and toddlers sold in Australia to determine whether they meet World Health Organization (WHO) Europe's proposed standards for nutritionally appropriate foods for children <36 months. A cross-sectional retail audit of infant (n=177) and toddler (n=73) foods found in-store and online at three major Victorian supermarkets was conducted in August/September 2019. Products were grouped according to WHO Europe's food categories and their nutrient content assessed against specific composition standards applicable to their category. The presence of added sugar in each product was also recorded. Most infant products (71%) were soft-wet spoon-able, ready-to-eat foods whereas the most prevalent category for toddler products was dry finger foods and snacks (71%). Overall, just one-third of CAFs met all the nutrient recommendations for their category, with infant foods more likely to be compliant than toddler foods (43% vs. 10%; P < .001). Around 9 in 10 infant (93%) and toddler (89%) CAFs contained added sugar according to the Public Health England definition of 'free' sugars. There is considerable scope to improve the nutritional composition of Australian CAFs for both infants and toddlers, to reduce harmful sugars in these foods and to improve the energy density of them. For CAFs marketed as suitable for toddlers there is also considerable scope to reduce the sodium content. SO WHAT?: These findings support the need for stronger regulation of CAFs for infants and toddlers to better promote healthy eating patterns and taste preferences in young children.

Comparing Interventions With Speech-Generating Devices and Other Augmentative and Alternative Communication Modes: A Meta-Analysis.

Optimal augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) systems for children with complex communication needs depend in part on child characteristics, child preferences, and features of the systems themselves. The purpose of this meta-analysis was to describe and synthesize single case design studies comparing young children's acquisition of communication skills with speech-generating devices (SGDs) and other AAC modes. A systematic search of published and gray literature was conducted. Data related to study details, rigor, participant characteristics, design information, and outcomes were coded for each study. A random effects multilevel meta-analysis was performed using log response ratios as effect sizes. Nineteen single case experimental design studies with 66 participants (M age = 4.9 years) met inclusion criteria. All but one study featured requesting as the primary dependent variable. Visual analysis and meta-analysis indicated no differences between use of SGDs and picture exchange for children learning to request. Children demonstrated preferences for and learned to request more successfully with SGDs than with manual sign. Children who preferred picture exchange also learned to request more easily with picture exchange than with SGDs. Young children with disabilities may be able to request equally well with SGDs and picture exchange systems in structured contexts. More research is needed comparing AAC modes with diverse participants, communication functions, linguistic complexity, and learning contexts. https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.22111181.

The sex preference for children in Europe: Children’s sex and the probability and timing of births

The preference for having children of a particular sex may be reflected in fertility behavior. For example, parents who want to have a son may be more likely to have another child if their firstborn child is female or if they have two female children. They

Judging a book by its older adult cover: age-related expectations and parental preference for children’s books

As they typically have limited direct contact, children’s attitudes towards older adults have more opportunity to be shaped by other social influences such as their parents and children’s literature. Children’s books have been noted for their tendency to portray older adults in stereotypical ways and their tendencies to underrepresent older adults. We investigated how the portrayal of older adults as major versus supporting characters, as well as parents’ age-related expectations were related to parental preference for children’s books. We designed 24 children’s book covers that depicted an older adult as a main character, a younger adult as a main character, or only children. One-hundred-seventy-five parents of children ages 0–12 rated their preference for the covers, their age-related expectations for the books’ stories, and their personal aging expectations. Parents preferred covers featuring only children, and this preference was stronger for parents with more positive personal aging expectations. Cover preference was further predicted by age-related story expectations. When parents expected a book to conform to older-age stereotypes, they liked that particular cover less. Controlling for parents’ age-related story expectations for each book resulted in near equal levels of preference for all types of book covers. Carefully designed children’s books could provide an opportunity to increased vicarious intergenerational contact. These finding suggests that parents’ interest in selecting these books for their children will be higher when they do not perceive the books to align with older-age stereotypes.

A Study on the Influencing Factors of Children-friendly Walking Space Perception in Elementary Schools

In this paper, based on the concept of child-friendly primary school students aged 7-12 years and their parents as the object, selected five typical primary schools in Shenyang as research cases, conducted social questionnaires and interviews, combined with the existing space problems and children's needs characteristics of the primary school walkable space are divided into children safe evacuation section and activity-friendly section. The SP method was used to obtain the perceptual preferences of children and parents in two virtual learning space segments, and the influencing factors of their perceptual preferences were explored. The results showed that green vision rate, buffer space type, and walking space width were the key factors affecting children's sense of security in the safe evacuation area, and green vision rate had no significant effect on parents' preference choice. In the child-friendly section, color vision, building line rate, building transparency along the street floor, and play space Settings have positive effects on children's comfort, while the interface aspect ratio has no obvious effect on children's comfort.

Androgens and child behavior: Color and toy preferences in children with congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH)

Human males and females show average gender/sex differences for certain psychological phenomena. Multiple factors may contribute to these differences, including sex chromosomes, exposure to gonadal hormones, and socialization or learning. This study investigated potential hormonal and socialization/learning influences on gender/sex differences in childhood preferences for color, specifically pink and red vs. blues, and for toys. Children (aged 4 to 11 years) with congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH, n = 43 girls and 37 boys), marked by elevated prenatal adrenal androgen exposure, and without CAH (n = 41 girls and 31 boys) were studied. Prior research indicates girls with CAH are masculinized for certain behaviors, such as toy choices, while boys with CAH generally do not differ from boys without CAH. In the current study, children indicated preferences for stereotyped hues of pink vs. blue as well as two control color pairs. They also indicated their preference between gender/sex-typed toys (doll vs. car) presented in black and white, in gender/sex-congruent colors (pink doll vs. blue car) and in gender/sex-incongruent colors (pink car vs. blue doll). Color findings: Control girls preferred stereotyped pink over blue more than boys or girls with CAH did; the latter two groups did not differ in their color preferences. No preference differences occurred for other color pairs. Toy findings: In black/white or gender/sex-congruent colors, boys preferred the car more than control girls or girls with CAH did, while girls with CAH preferred the car more than control girls did. In gender/sex-incongruent colors (pink car vs. blue doll), boys still preferred the car, while girls with CAH showed reduced and control girls showed increased preferences for the pink car compared to the car preferences in black/white. Results support learning theories of color preferences, perhaps also influenced by pre-existing toy preferences which may occur for other reasons, including early androgen exposure. Specifically, girls with CAH may have learned they do not enjoy stereotypical toys for girls, often colored pink, and pink coloring may subsequently diminish their preference for a car. Our results highlight the importance of gonadal hormones and learning in the development of childhood toy and color preferences.

Musical preferences of Indian children with autism spectrum disorder and acceptability of music therapy by their families: An exploratory study.

Music therapy has been in use for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) since the 1940s. However, there is limited scientific evidence on its use in the Indian context. The present study aims to explore musical preferences of children with ASD and their caregivers' acceptability of music as a form of intervention. It is a cross-sectional study of 120 subjects diagnosed with ASD as per the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-5 identified by convenience sampling. A semi-structured interview schedule consisting of 25 objective response questions with multiple choices and 11 open-ended questions (pertaining to music and the use of music) was used to explore caregivers'/parents' thoughts and beliefs. The responses to open-ended questions were collected in narrative mode. A descriptive approach of content analysis was adopted to analyse the data. The data are presented using descriptive statistics. Institutional Ethics Committee's approval was obtained for conducting the study. Most of the children liked (89.2%, n = 107) music and responded (88.3%, n = 106) actively (listen intently/hum or sing or dance along) to music. Most subjects preferred rhythm (65%, n = 78) over melody (15%, n = 18). While 98.3% (n = 118) of the parents were willing to try music therapy for their child, 61% of them (n = 72) asked follow-up questions like - "Is there available data on it?" (n = 12; 10.2%) and "Will it be worth investing our time and efforts on it?" (n = 60; 50.8%). Most of the children including those with auditory sensitivity like music and prefer rhythm over melody. Caregivers possess a positive attitude toward the use of music therapy. However, most of them wish to clarify the scientific basis of the same.

Parents’ Attitudes about Spending Free Time and Reading Habits of their Children

Nowadays, a child's free time is more often structured after he has completed his duties in kindergarten and school. This structuring is most often organized by the parents themselves, taking into account their own children's preferences and possible shortcomings in compulsory education. Thus, children most often go to sports activities, attend music schools and foreign language schools. On the other hand, parents less often include their children in programs for the development of language abilities in their mother tongue and in the development of reading competences, even though the understanding of the content of many subjects depends on them. This is precisely why the aim of this work is to examine the attitudes of parents regarding the implementation of their children's free time and the reading habits of their family and children. One hundred and twenty parents of primary school-aged children participated in the research, filling out an online questionnaire, and the data were then processed in the SPSS program for statistics. It has been shown that more educated parents structure their children's free time more often and enroll them in foreign language schools and sports programs more often. It was also shown that the choice of leisure activities will depend more on the offer of the environment in which the child grows up than on the preferences of the child himself. It has also been shown that parents do not encourage their children to read books, except for mandatory readings, and that parents who read more will take more care of their children's reading skills.

Pediatric Nurses' Person-Centered Approach to Nausea Management in Children With Cancer.

Background: Nausea is a problematic side effect of childhood cancer treatment. However, it is not clear what interventions and assessments pediatric oncology nurses make when caring for a child with nausea. A person-centered approach can illuminate nausea management in pediatric care. The aim was to investigate how pediatric nurses retrieve the patient's narrative, establish partnership, and document nausea in hospitalized children with cancer. Methods: Individual interviews with nurses were conducted and analyzed using deductive content analysis with the framework of person-centered care. Results: The pediatric nurses described retrieving the patient's narrative regarding their nausea by listening to and observing the child. The pediatric nurses tried to establish a partnership with the child by allowing previous knowledge and the child's own preferences guide the interventions that focus on decreasing the child's nausea. The pediatric nurses also documented the effect of the given interventions and described the child's nausea using subjective words. When planning for the child's care it was rare for the nurses to have a documented care plan, but they did review documentation of previously administered interventions to plan for future care. Discussion: The results highlight the pediatric nurses' willingness to listen to the child, but also emphasize the need to further include the child and the parents in the partnership and documentation of nausea management. Collaboration with the child and the parents contributes to higher quality care and a partnership with trust.

‘Maybe add something to it?’: building on The Daily Mile to enhance enjoyment and engagement

ABSTRACT The focus of this study is to investigate if a physical activity initiaitive (The Daily Mile) centred on running could be adapted to enhance primary school children’s enjoyment of and engagement with physical activity. An intervention took place over a 4-week period consisting of two components: The Daily Mile and an adapted component, The Extra Mile. The Extra Mile involved providing additional activities to the Daily Mile underpinned by self-determination theory [Deci, Edward L., and Richard M. Ryan. 1985. Intrinsic Motivation and Self-Determination in Human Behavior. New York, NY: Plenum. http://lib.ugent.be/catalog/rug01:001363062] and achievement goal theory [Nicholls, John G. 1989. The Competitive Ethos and Democratic Education. The Competitive Ethos and Democratic Education. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press]. A qualitative research approach was applied, using focus group interviews with children, children’s diary entries and teacher-researcher observation checklists to determine children’s engagement and enjoyment levels. Findings revealed that providing additional activities (within The Extra Mile) was important in increasing children’s enjoyment of and engagement with The Daily Mile. Finding the balance between each of the components to meet the needs and preferences of children is recommended.

Adjustable children’s clothing: preferences of children and their parents in Sri Lanka

PurposeAdjustable children’s clothing is being acknowledged as the best solution worldwide to reduce the unnecessary squandering of money and accumulation of waste materials in landfills because provision for size adjustment helps to increase the lifespan of a garment. There are no studies on the preferences of both children and their parents for adjustable children's clothing, although they are equally involved as consumers in the children’ clothing market. Thus, this paper aims to explore the preferences of children and their parents about adjustable children’s clothing.Design/methodology/approachFive children’s wear fashion outlets in the Colombo District were studied to explore the types of children’s clothing that are available in the Sri Lankan market. A questionnaire survey was conducted with parents who have children between the ages of 8 and 12 years to determine their perceptions on the use of adjustable children’s clothing. Five children living in the Colombo District were also interviewed.FindingsAccording to the questionnaire survey results, 53% of the respondents who have children in the age group 8–12 years were unaware of the existence of adjustable children's clothing, whereas 47% had at least some knowledge of them. Interviews with the five children showed that only two children were aware of garments with adjustment features. As it turned out though, four children were indeed wearing them but did not realize those were adjustable garments. It was found that if adjustable children's clothing were freely available in the Sri Lankan market, 79.5% of the respondents would prefer to buy them because they could appreciate the financial and environmental benefits that would result. Clothing made of standard, high quality, durable and comfortable materials were all in demand. In addition, parents expected adjustable children's clothing products to be available at affordable prices.Originality/valueThis study provides important knowledge that can fill the gap in the existing literature on adjustable children’s clothing. The findings will be beneficial for the children’s clothing product designers and developers, as well as academia.

Family risk communication preferences in pediatric surgery: A scoping review

BackgroundEffective patient-surgeon communication is vital in pediatric surgical practice. However, family (including child) preferences for the format and content of risk communication information are largely unknown. In order to optimize the shared-decision making process, this scoping review explored the family-preferred methods for risk communication in pediatric surgery. MethodsA search was conducted in 7 databases from inception until June 2020 to identify family risk communication preferences in pediatric surgical patients, with language restricted to English and French. Two independent reviewers completed the screening in Rayyan software following PRISMA protocol. Included publications were reviewed for data extraction, analyzed, and assessed for risk of bias using standardized instruments. ResultsA total of 6370 publications were retrieved, out of which 70 were included. Studies were predominantly from ENT (30.0%), general surgery (15.7%), and urology (11.4%). Family-preferred risk communication methods were classified as visual, verbal, technology-based, written, decision aids or other. Technological (32.4%) and written tools (29.7%) were most commonly chosen by families as their preferred risk communication methods. Written tools were frequently used in general surgery and urology, while technology-based tools were widely used in ENT. Most studies were cross-sectional and had a significant risk of bias. ConclusionEliciting families’ preferences for risk communication methods is critical for the implementation of shared decision-making. Different risk communication media appear to be preferred within specific surgical domains. To further improve shared-decision making in pediatric surgery, the development and usage of robust, validated risk communication tools are necessary. Level of evidenceLevel IV (Scoping Review).

Fairness Preference of Preschoolers and the Effects of Family Background in China

Purpose This study investigates the fairness preference of five-year-old children in Shanghai, observing their distributive behaviors in both stakeholder and spectator games and showing how this behavior is linked to their family background. Design/Approach/Methods Participants had to make distributive choices in two experiments and distribute between themselves and another participant in the first choice. They had to distribute between two other participants in luck, merit, or efficiency situations in the second choice. Findings The results suggest that preschoolers showed a preference for splitting equally between themselves and another participant. The second choice showed a significant difference in fairness preference under a situation of luck between genders, and only children were more likely to accept an unequal allocation than those who had siblings. Originality/Value We believe that our study makes a significant contribution to the literature because it illustrates the variety of factors that can influence a child's fairness preference and fairness behavior and suggests when and how these aspects develop in children. Further, this is an original study exploring the fairness preference of preschoolers in Shanghai using an experimental economics method.

Comparing desired spatial ratios among autistic and non-autistic children

PurposeAlthough some architects have found spatial order and proportion strategy effective in designing the environment for autistic children, it is not clear what spatial ratios are preferred for autistic people. Therefore, this study aims to find the desired ratio among autistic and non-autistic children.Design/methodology/approachThe scale model questionnaire was chosen to determine the difference in the ratio preferences for autistic and non-autistic children, whereas two access types between the space zones are also considered. The questionnaire was administered to 50 autistic children, with a half-and-half distribution of moderate and mild autism groups, while males are twofold. It was also administered to 50 non-autistic children, approximately equal in terms of gender division. The scale model was designed in the form of a dollhouse to be played with a doll in 6 varied rooms categorized by 3 different ratios (1:1, golden ratio, 1.6:1 and 5:2) and 2 access types (linear and radial access) to measure how many times each room was selected by each group to run numerical analysis.FindingsIt was shown that, although the golden ratio has been previously considered in space design for autistic children, they appealed to the ratio of 2:5 with high frequency. While there is a significant difference between the spatial ratios preferred by autistic and non-autistic children choosing the golden ratio, the same type of space access system is preferred by both groups in their results.Originality/valueDespite the prevalent use of the golden ratio in design for autism design, this research shaped an empirical study for autistic users concluding a different perspective in design for autism.