Children's Estimation Research Articles

I'm not a little kid anymore! Reciprocal social influence in child-adult interaction.

Human decisions are often influenced by others' opinions. This process is regulated by social norms: for instance, we tend to reciprocate the consideration received from others, independently of their reliability as information sources. Nonetheless, no study to date has investigated whether and how reciprocity modulates social influence in child–adult interaction. We tested 6-, 8- and 10-year-old children in a novel joint perceptual task. A child and an adult experimenter made perceptual estimates and then took turns in making a final decision, choosing between their own and partner's response. We manipulated the final choices of the adult partner, who in one condition chose often the child's estimates, whereas in another condition tended to confirm her own response. Results reveal that 10-year-old children reciprocated the consideration received from the partner, increasing their level of conformity to the adult's judgements when the partner had shown high consideration towards them. At the same time, 10-year-old children employed more elaborate decision criteria in choosing when trusting the adult partner compared to younger children and did not show egocentric biases in their final decisions. Our results shed light on the development of the cognitive and normative mechanisms modulating reciprocal social influence in child–adult interaction.

A Multi-Level Analysis of the Effects of Epoch Length on the Estimates of Children’s Moderate to Vigorous Physical Activity

Using an ActiGraph GT3X+ accelerometer, the study examined the effects of different epoch lengths on children’s moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA). The study also tested how different MVPA levels influence the relationship between epoch length and MVPA. The participants included third (n = 28) and fourth grade (n = 35) students. The third graders participated in a physical education class while the fourth graders were engaged in an active video game (AVG) class. Data were downloaded using six different epoch lengths. MVPA estimates were determined by five different cut points. Multi-level analyses were used to analyze the data. Results showed that when lower cut points were used, MVPA was positively related to epoch lengths, and this relationship was stronger when the MVPA level was higher. When higher cut points were used, epoch length was negatively related to MVPA, and this relationship was stronger when the MVPA level was lower. This study revealed that different epoch lengths generate various estimates of MVPA, and the relationship between epoch length and MVPA is affected by MVPA levels.

An Alghoritm of Age Estimation in Children Using the Eruption Sequence of Canines and Premolars

An Alghoritm of Age Estimation in Children Using the Eruption Sequence of Canines and Premolars

Comparison of Aphakic Refraction and Biometry-Based Formulae for Secondary In-The-Bag and Sulcus-Implanted Intraocular Lens Power Estimation in Children

Purpose: The aim of the study was to compare the accuracy of refractive outcomes in children undergoing secondary in-the-bag or cilliary sulcus intraocular lens (IOL) implantation, using aphakic refraction (AR)-based formulae (Hug and Khan) and biometry-based formulae (Holladay 1, Hoffer Q, SRK/T, and SRK II). Methods: In this retrospective study, a total of 65 eyes of 44 patients who underwent secondary in-the-bag or cilliary sulcus IOL implantation were included and divided into 2 groups: 39 eyes of the in-the-bag IOL group and the other 26 eyes of the sulcus-implanted IOL group. Holladay 1, Hoffer Q, SRK/T, and SRK II formulae were employed depending on the biometric data, while Hug and Khan formulae were used based on preoperative AR. The prediction error (PE) and the absolute value of predicted error (APE) were compared between the 2 groups and formulae. Results: In the in-the-bag IOL group, nonsignificant differences of APE were found among the 6 formulae, while the Holladay 1, Hoffer Q, SRK/T, and SRK II all demonstrated a significant hyperopic shift of median PE value compared to the Hug formula (p < 0.05, all), and Holladay 1 and SRK II also showed a significant hyperopic shift of PE compared to the Khan formula (p < 0.05, both). Higher percentages of eyes with PE <1 D were found using Hoffer Q and SRK/T. In the sulcus-implanted group, the Holladay 1, Hoffer Q, and SRK/T had a significantly smaller median value of APE than the Hug and Khan formulae (p < 0.05, all), and the SRK II had a significantly smaller median value of APE than the Hug formula (p < 0.05), while Holladay 1 had the lowest value of APE. Higher percentages of eyes within PE <1 D were found using Holladay 1, Hoffer Q, and SRK/T, while the highest one was SRK/T. Significantly larger hyperopic shifts of median PE value using all the 6 formulae were found in eyes with sulcus-implanted IOL than eyes with in-the-bag implanted IOL (p < 0.05, all). In the eyes of with in-the-bag implanted IOL, the Hug and Khan formulae had significantly smaller APE values when compared with the eyes with sulcus-implanted IOL (p < 0.05, both). Conclusions: Whether IOL was in the bag or implanted in the sulcus, almost all the formulae showed hyperopic shift, SRK/T showed the best accuracy. Biometry-based formulae were superior to AR-based formulae in accuracy of IOL power calculation, especially when IOL was implanted in the sulcus. In-the-bag IOL implantation should always be with higher priorities, especially when using AR-based formulae in IOL power calculation.

Only Familiar Information is a "Curse": Children's Ability to Predict What Their Peers Know.

The ability to make inferences about what one's peers know is critical for social interaction and communication. Three experiments (n=309) examined the curse of knowledge, the tendency to be biased by one's knowledge when reasoning about others' knowledge, in children's estimates of their peers' knowledge. Four- to 7-year-olds were taught the answers to factual questions and estimated how many peers would know the answers. When children learned familiar answers, they showed a curse of knowledge in their peer estimates. But, when children learned unfamiliar answers to the same questions, they did not show a curse of knowledge. These data shed light on the mechanisms underlying perspective taking, supporting a fluency misattribution account of the curse of knowledge.

Salt/Sodium Intake Estimation in Children and Adolescents of Costa Rica

The objectives of this study were to estimate sodium intake and to identify the main dietary sources of this nutrient in young people. Cross-sectional study performed in 2685 students from 64 schools and high-schools of Costa Rica. A food frequency survey was applied to study the food and beverage intake habits of the participants. The average daily sodium intake for children and adolescents 7 to 18 years of age was 3214 mg. Around 97% of the students had sodium intakes > 2300 mg per day with significant differences by age subgroup, sex and nutritional status due to excess body weight (p < 0.001). The average sodium density of the diet was 1698 mg sodium/1000kcal, and the average addition of salt to the food was 445 mg of sodium (1.1 grams of salt). Including the amount added to the served food, the average sodium intake for children and adolescents from 7 to 18 years of age increased to 3434 mg and the overall average sodium density increased to 1821 mg of sodium/1000kcal, maintaining significant differences by age subgroups (p < 0.001). These results justify carrying out social marketing campaigns that include educational processes with sense and meaning for children, adolescents and families, in such a way that these groups of the population become motivated to modify gradually their eating habits, such as reducing the use of sauces, seasonings and salt in food preparation and at the table. If the habit of adding salt to the served food is gradually reduced or avoided, the children and adolescents in Costa Rica could decrease the intake of salt per day from 1 to 2 grams. This decrease could be even more effective if youngsters additionally would remove the intake of sauces, contributing in this way to achieve the maximum salt intake recommendation (5 g per day).

Accuracy of Demirjian and Willems Methods for Age Estimation of Children from Northern Argentina

The dental development is widely used to estimate the chronological age; one method frequently used is that of Demirjian, applied in Franc-Canadian children, and the other is that of Willems, adapted from the first one to Belgian children. Demirjian uses scores according to the degree of calcification of the seven permanent mandible teeth of the left side; Willems adapts to years the scale of scores of Demirjian. Objective: To analyze the accuracy in determining the chronological age through the degree of dental calcification using the methods of Demirjian and of Willems in children from Tucumán, Argentina. Methods: 66 children (29 female and 37 male) who assisted to radiological studies previous to the dental treatment were selected. Panoramic X-rays were taken. Dental ages were calculated using the corresponding tables of the methods of Demirjian and Willems. Chronological ages were calculated between the date of birth and the date of the study. The statistical paired t-test was used. Results: Through the method of Demirjian the mean of the differences was 0.44 ± 0.96 for girls and 0.49 ± 1.02 for boys, being significant differences between both genders. The method of Willems was more accurate than that one of Demirjian (-0.08 ± 0.92 for girls and 0.19 ± 0.94 for boys), being no significant differences between the dental and the chronological ages. Conclusion: According to these results both methods could be used to estimate the chronological age through the observed dental calcification in radiographic images of children from northern Argentina. Nevertheless, greater statistical accuracy with the method of Willems would be reached for both genders.

1406. Augmented Renal Clearance Using Aminoglycoside Population-Based Pharmacokinetic Modeling with Bayesian Estimation in Children in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit

BackgroundAugmented renal clearance (ARC) in critically ill pediatric patients has been evaluated in limited studies. We evaluated ARC using clearance of aminoglycosides (CLAMINO) derived from population-based pharmacokinetic modeling.MethodsA retrospective, cohort study was conducted at two pediatric hospitals in patients who received aminoglycosides from 1999 to 2016. ARC was defined as a CLAMINO of ≥130 mL/minute/1.73 m2 within the first 24 hours of therapy. Pharmacokinetic (PK) models with nonparametric parameter estimation were constructed using Pmetrics in R, with the ultimate model selected by Akaike score and rule of parsimony. Covariate modifiers considered included: age, total body weight (TBW), serum creatinine (SCr) and sex. Noncompartmental analysis was performed on the Bayesian posteriors from the first dose to generate CLAMINO within the first 24 hours and other PK exposure metrics (i.e., area under the curve for first 24 hours [AUC24], maximum concentration [CMAX]). Summary of patient demographics and statistical analysis were performed using GraphPad Prism version 7.ResultsARC was identified in 34 of 117 (29%) subjects using 275 aminoglycoside serum concentrations. A two-compartment model fit the data well (See Figure 1: Population [a], Bayesian [b]). Allometric scaling of CLAMINO utilized a fixed exponent of 0.75 and volume of distribution (VD) scaling utilized a fixed exponent of 1 in the final model. The final population model for CLAMINO (L/hour) was 3.45 × (TBW/40)0.75 + 0.05 × 10(SCr/AGE) and VD was 10.64 × (TBW/40)1. Median age and baseline SCr were similar in those with and without ARC (13 [IQR 10–16] vs. 11.0 [5.0–15.0] years, P = 0.11, and 0.37 [0.27–0.49] vs. 0.38 [0.28–0.50] mg/dL, P = 0.67, respectively). Median TBW was found to be significantly higher in those with vs. without ARC (44.9 [26.9–61.7] vs. 34 [17.6–54.9] kg P = 0.04). Median 24 hours CLAMINO was also found to be significantly higher in those with vs. without ARC (147.3 [138.7–163.9] vs. 94.5 [79.4–112.9], mL/minute/1.73 m2, P < 0.001). Patients with vs. without ARC had significantly lower AUC24 and CMAX (40.7 [33.3–54.4] vs. 55.7[46.7–66.4] mg hour/L, P ≤ 0.001 and 5.06 [4.11–6.76] vs. 6.32 [5–7.44], µg/mL, P = 0.01).ConclusionThe incidence of ARC observed was similar to adult studies. Patients that exhibited ARC had lower AUC24 and CMAX; thus, higher doses may be warranted. Disclosures All authors: No reported disclosures.

Dynamics and development in number-to-space mapping

Young children's estimates of numerical magnitude increase approximately logarithmically with actual magnitude. The conventional interpretation of this finding is that children's estimates reflect an innate logarithmic encoding of number. A recent set of findings, however, suggests that logarithmic number-line estimates emerge via a dynamic encoding mechanism that is sensitive to previously encountered stimuli. Here we examine trial-to-trial changes in logarithmicity of numerosity estimates to test an alternative dynamic model (D-MLLM) with both a strong logarithmic component and a weak response to previous stimuli. In support of D-MLLM, first-trial numerosity estimates in both adults (Study 1, 2, 3, and 4) and children (Study 4) were strongly logarithmic, despite zero previous stimuli. Additionally, although numerosity of a previous trial affected adults’ estimates, the influence of previous numbers always accompanied the logarithmic-to-linear shift predicted by D-MLLM. We conclude that a dynamic encoding mechanism is not necessary for compressive mapping, but sequential effects on response scaling are a possible source of linearity in adults’ numerosity estimation.

Cognitive Function Estimation in Children with Tuberous Sclerosis

Tuberous sclerosis (TSC) is a genetic disease characterized by cerebral structural abnormalities (such as cortical tubers, subependymal nodes and abnormal cerebral white matter) which are detected by means of neuroimaging methods (e.g., MRI). Typically, these events cause neurological complications (i.e., epilepsy).Objective: cognitive function estimation in TSC children considering severity and nature of clinical course of the disease. 15 children with tuberous sclerosis (i.e., experimental group) and 46 children with normal development (i.e., control group) aged 6-16 years old underwent neuropsychological examination. As a result, polymorphic disorders of higher mental functions were revealed in TSC children. Neuropsychological deficit (p&lt;0.05) was detected. Namely, voluntary attention and memorization impairments were found in TSC children with normaldevelopment. Operational thinking disorders, immaturity of dynamic and kinesthetic movement basis, somatosensory gnosis, optical spatial or quasi-three-dimensional imaging, as well as insufficient oral/aural and semantical memorization were mentioned in TSC children with mental retardation. Regardless of mental development, TSC children demonstrate neurodynamic activity disorder (p&lt;0.05) presented by slow task performance, increased exhaustibility and attention fluctuation. According to comparison between research findings and clinical course data, severity of cognitive disorders substantially depends on epilepsy onset age because early onset results in more severe developmental disorder (p&lt;0.05). Since tuberous sclerosis is a dynamic disease with new potential symptoms arising over a lifetime, neuropsychological testing will provide timely mental status qualification and development of corrective actions to activate the cognitive activity of a child.&#x0D; Keywords: tuberous sclerosis, children, higher mental function (HMF) developmental disorders.

Are Books Like Number Lines? Children Spontaneously Encode Spatial-Numeric Relationships in a Novel Spatial Estimation Task.

Do children spontaneously represent spatial-numeric features of a task, even when it does not include printed numbers (Mix et al., 2016)? Sixty first grade students completed a novel spatial estimation task by seeking and finding pages in a 100-page book without printed page numbers. Children were shown pages 1 through 6 and 100, and then were asked, “Can you find page X?” Children’s precision of estimates on the page finder task and a 0-100 number line estimation task was calculated with the Percent Absolute Error (PAE) formula (Siegler and Booth, 2004), in which lower PAE indicated more precise estimates. Children’s numerical knowledge was further assessed with: (1) numeral identification (e.g., What number is this: 57?), (2) magnitude comparison (e.g., Which is larger: 54 or 57?), and (3) counting on (e.g., Start counting from 84 and count up 5 more). Children’s accuracy on these tasks was correlated with their number line PAE. Children’s number line estimation PAE predicted their page finder PAE, even after controlling for age and accuracy on the other numerical tasks. Children’s estimates on the page finder and number line tasks appear to tap a general magnitude representation. However, the page finder task did not correlate with numeral identification and counting-on performance, likely because these tasks do not measure children’s magnitude knowledge. Our results suggest that the novel page finder task is a useful measure of children’s magnitude knowledge, and that books have similar spatial-numeric affordances as number lines and numeric board games.

Do children understand fraction addition?

Many children fail to master fraction arithmetic even after years of instruction. A recent theory of fraction arithmetic (Braithwaite, Pyke, & Siegler, 2017) hypothesized that this poor learning of fraction arithmetic procedures reflects poor conceptual understanding of them. To test this hypothesis, we performed three experiments examining fourth to eighth graders' estimates of fraction sums. We found that roughly half of estimates of sums were smaller than the same child's estimate of one of the two addends in the problem. Moreover, children's estimates of fraction sums were no more accurate than if they had estimated each sum as the average of the smallest and largest possible response. This weak performance could not be attributed to poor mastery of arithmetic procedures, poor knowledge of individual fraction magnitudes, or general inability to estimate sums. These results suggest that a major source of difficulty in this domain is that many children's learning of fraction arithmetic procedures develops unconstrained by conceptual understanding of the procedures. Implications for education are discussed.

A unified framework for bounded and unbounded numerical estimation.

Representations of numerical value have been assessed by using bounded (e.g., 0-1,000) and unbounded (e.g., 0-?) number-line tasks, with considerable debate regarding whether 1 or both tasks elicit unique cognitive strategies (e.g., addition or subtraction) and require unique cognitive models. To test this, we examined how well a mixed log-linear model accounted for 86 5- to 9-year-olds' estimates on bounded and unbounded number-line tasks and how well it predicted mathematical performance. Compared with mixtures of 4 alternative models, the mixed log-linear model better predicted 76% of individual children's estimates on bounded number lines and 100% of children's estimates on unbounded number lines. Furthermore, the distribution of estimates was fit better by a Bayesian log-linear model than by a Bayesian distributional model that depicted estimates as being anchored to varying number of reference points. Finally, estimates were generally more logarithmic on unbounded than bounded number lines, but logarithmicity scores on both tasks predicted addition and subtraction skills, whereas model parameters of alternative models failed to do so. Results suggest that the logarithmic-to-linear shift theory provides a simple, unified framework for numerical estimation with high descriptive adequacy and yields uniquely accurate predictions for children's early math proficiency. (PsycINFO Database Record

Parental misperception of child's weight and related factors within family norms.

Parental perception of their child's weight may be a crucial factor in parental ability for action with regard to their child's weight problem. This aim of this study was to investigate parental perception of their child's weight status and dietary healthiness, amount of food consumed and physical activity level and its related factors. A cross-sectional survey was conducted among children (Grades 4-6) selected by cluster sampling in two schools. Children were invited to participate in the measurements of anthropometry and their parents were asked to classify their child's weight and health behaviors. In total, 41.8% of parents misperceived their child's weight, of which 82% underestimated their child's weight, in particular regarding overweight or obesity. As parents of overweight or obese children underestimated their child's weight, around 65% were not concerned with their child's current weight and about becoming overweight in the future. Factor associated with underestimation of overweight children was not having a sibling, while among children with normal weight, the underestimation was associated with boys, lower body mass index (BMI), maternal employment and low household income. Furthermore, parents underestimating their child's weight were more likely to be optimistic about their child's dietary healthiness, food amount taken, and physical activity level than those with correct child's weight estimates. Findings show a high proportion of parental misperception of their child's weight status. Family-based weight control interventions will need to incorporate parental misperceptions of the body weight and health behaviors of their children.

The Development of Symbolic and Non-Symbolic Number Line Estimations: Three Developmental Accounts Contrasted Within Cross-Sectional and Longitudinal Data.

Three theoretical accounts have been put forward for the development of children’s response patterns on number line estimation tasks: the log-to-linear representational shift, the two-linear-to-linear transformation and the proportion judgment account. These three accounts have not been contrasted, however, within one study, using one single criterion to determine which model provides the best fit. The present study contrasted these three accounts by examining first, second and sixth graders with a symbolic and non-symbolic number line estimation task (Experiment 1). In addition, first and second graders were tested again one year later (Experiment 2). In case of symbolic estimations, the proportion judgment account described the data best. Most young children’s non-symbolic estimation patterns were best described by a logarithmic model (within the log-to-lin account), whereas those of most older children were best described by the simple power model (within the proportion judgment account).

Machine Learning to Improve Energy Expenditure Estimation in Children With Disabilities: A Pilot Study in Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy.

BackgroundChildren with physical impairments are at a greater risk for obesity and decreased physical activity. A better understanding of physical activity pattern and energy expenditure (EE) would lead to a more targeted approach to intervention.ObjectiveThis study focuses on studying the use of machine-learning algorithms for EE estimation in children with disabilities. A pilot study was conducted on children with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) to identify important factors for determining EE and develop a novel algorithm to accurately estimate EE from wearable sensor-collected data.MethodsThere were 7 boys with DMD, 6 healthy control boys, and 22 control adults recruited. Data were collected using smartphone accelerometer and chest-worn heart rate sensors. The gold standard EE values were obtained from the COSMED K4b2 portable cardiopulmonary metabolic unit worn by boys (aged 6-10 years) with DMD and controls. Data from this sensor setup were collected simultaneously during a series of concurrent activities. Linear regression and nonlinear machine-learning–based approaches were used to analyze the relationship between accelerometer and heart rate readings and COSMED values.ResultsExisting calorimetry equations using linear regression and nonlinear machine-learning–based models, developed for healthy adults and young children, give low correlation to actual EE values in children with disabilities (14%-40%). The proposed model for boys with DMD uses ensemble machine learning techniques and gives a 91% correlation with actual measured EE values (root mean square error of 0.017).ConclusionsOur results confirm that the methods developed to determine EE using accelerometer and heart rate sensor values in normal adults are not appropriate for children with disabilities and should not be used. A much more accurate model is obtained using machine-learning–based nonlinear regression specifically developed for this target population.

Place-value understanding in number line estimation predicts future arithmetic performance.

In multi-digit numbers, the value of each digit is determined by its position within the digit string. Children's understanding of this place-value structure constitutes a building block for later arithmetic skills. We investigated whether a number line estimation task can provide an assessment of place-value understanding in first grade. We hypothesized that estimating the position of two-digit numbers requires place-value understanding. Therefore, we fitted a linear function to children's estimates of two-digit numbers and considered the resulting slope as a measure of children's place-value understanding. We observed a significant correlation between this slope and children's performance in a transcoding task known to require place-value understanding. Additionally, the slope for two-digit numbers assessed at the beginning of grade 1 predicted children's arithmetic performance at the end of grade 1. These results indicate that the number line estimation task may indeed constitute a valid measure for first-graders' place-value understanding. Moreover, these findings are hard to reconcile with the view that number line estimation directly assesses a spatial representation of numbers. Instead, our results suggest that numerical processes involved in performing the task (such as place-value understanding) may drive the association between number line estimation and arithmetic performance.

Development of Children's Estimation Skills: The Ambiguous Role of Their Familiarity With Numerals

AbstractEstimating magnitudes is central to life, as well as to mathematics. Symbolic estimates involve assigning symbolic numerals to nonsymbolic magnitudes (or vice versa), whereas nonsymbolic estimates refer to mapping between two nonsymbolic magnitudes. In general, estimates on both types of tasks become more accurate with age and among adults, are more accurate for smaller than larger magnitudes. However, children and adults show task‐specific biases in their estimates. Moreover, young children systematically over‐ or underestimate, especially concerning smaller magnitudes. In this article, I discuss potential explanations for children's estimation biases, considering children's familiarity with numerals, which enhances their ability to discriminate between numerals but seems to temporarily make their estimates in their familiar number range less accurate. I also consider developmental asynchronies in the production and comprehension of number words.

Logarithmic to linear shifts in Chinese children's representations of numerical and non-numerical order

Most studies about the developing representation of numerical information and non-numerical ordered sequences involved Western children. It is not as certain that children from other parts of the world display a similar pattern. Moreover, the issue of gender differences was seldom considered. To shed more light on the above issues, we conducted four experiments involving a total of 322 1st and 2nd graders in Mainland China. Children either estimated the locations of numbers on number lines or the locations of months on month lines. Across four experiments, children produced estimates consistent with a linear function for smaller numbers. For larger numbers and months, younger children produced estimates consistent with a logarithmic function but older children's estimates were best fitted through a linear function. There were complex differences between boys and girls: Overall, whereas boys were more accurate estimating numbers, girls were better at estimating months. In conclusion, the representation of numerical order in Chinese numbers mirrored the representation of numerical order in Arabic numbers, demonstrating the universal developmental pattern of numerical representation from the less accurate logarithmic function to the more accurate linear function. Also, like Western children, Chinese children's representation of non-numerical order showed the same developmental pattern as numerical order, although this ability appeared to be first acquired in the numerical domain.

Consistency of Response Patterns in Different Estimation Tasks

The current study aimed at addressing two issues concerning children's estimation performance: (1) to investigate whether the log-to-linear framework or the proportional judgment framework provided a better explanation of children's estimation patterns, and (2) to examine the consistency of response patterns in different estimation tasks. A sample of 179 Chinese first graders was assessed on their arithmetic performance and estimation skills (including numerosity naming, numerosity production, and number line). The log-to-linear framework was suggested to provide a better framework in explaining children's estimation patterns. Under this framework, we identified both common features and uniqueness of children's response patterns in different estimation tasks. Furthermore, different estimation skills uniquely contributed to children's arithmetic performance. The theoretical and practical implications of the findings are discussed.