Mind In Children Research Articles

Caregivers' cognitions about infants' mental and emotional states

AbstractGiven the relevance of caregivers' perceptions, cognitions, and emotions about their child's mental states for caregiving behavior and children's development, researchers from multiple theoretical perspectives have developed constructs to assess caregivers' cognitions, resulting in a large but scattered body of literature. In this article, we highlight the conceptual overlap among and uniqueness of six constructs assessing caregivers' cognitions about their child at 36 months and younger: infant intentionality, mental representations, mind‐mindedness, parental embodied mentalizing, parental empathy, and parental reflective functioning. We define constructs, present approaches to measurement, and propose elements of importance that fall under the umbrella of caregivers' cognitions and that may be associated differentially with children's early cognitive and social–emotional development. We conclude with recommendations for researchers aiming to capture caregivers' cognitions about their child's mental states, whether focusing on one of the six reviewed constructs or on specific elements (e.g., awareness of the child's mind or accuracy of caregivers' perceptions of their child) under the umbrella of caregivers' cognitions.

Language, Theory of Mind and Cognitive skills in Arabic-speaking children with and without autism: Evidence from network and cluster analyses

IntroductionAutism spectrum disorder (ASD) is characterized by impairments in social interactions, social communication, and repetitive and stereotyped patterns of behavior. Previous studies have reported mixed findings regarding the links between language (i.e., phonology, morphosyntax, lexicon and pragmatics), theory of mind (ToM), executive functions (EFs), and central coherence measures in children with ASD. MethodsA total of 163 Palestinian-Arabic-speaking children aged 4-11 participated: 76 with ASD and 87 with typical language development (TLD). The children`s phonological, morphosyntactic, lexical, and pragmatic skills and verbal and non-verbal ToM abilities were evaluated. Additionally, cognitive assessments included non-verbal IQ, EF, and central coherence processing. ResultsGroup-level results showed that children with ASD scored lower than their TLD peers in all measures. Network analysis revealed robust interconnections between language, ToM, and cognitive skills in both groups. In autistic children, language was a central node, with pragmatics prevailing over morphosyntax and lexicon, while age was central in the TLD group. Cluster analysis identified four language clusters within the ASD group, demonstrating dissociations between language domains: (1) high performance across all domains, (2) moderate performance in phonology and morphosyntax with low pragmatic abilities, (3) moderate performance in phonology and lexicon with low morphosyntax and pragmatics, and (4) moderate phonology and lexicon with extremely poor morphosyntax and pragmatics. Autistic children with enhanced language abilities performed better in verbal and non-verbal ToM and EF tasks. ConclusionsOur findings underscore the variability in language, ToM, and cognitive profiles of autistic children, showing dissociation within and between different domains in some autistic children. These results offer insights for applied interventions.

The Spiritual Education Value and Practical Approaches of Early Childhood Dance

Early childhood dance is an art activity for young children created according to the characteristics of their physical and mental development, which is characterized by intuitive image, sociality, and children's fantasy. It is characterized by intuitive image to show the form of all things for young children, which shows the knowledge of truth; young children shape their good character in the collective dance environment of cooperation and communication, which is for the sake of goodness; and young children experience the charm of dance art in the dance world of children's fantasy, which is for the sake of cultivating beauty. The truth, goodness and beauty it contains can nourish young children's hearts and promote the formation of positive psychological qualities in young children, which is an important way to educate young children. In this sense, educators should fully explore the value of early childhood dance according to the level of physical and mental development of young children, so as to achieve the dance wisdom - to promote the development of young children's cognitive ability, to dance ideology - to enhance the quality of young children's will, to dance and express their feelings. --Cultivate young children's positive emotions and feelings, nurture children's personality, and guide children's pro-social behavior. To realize dancing to nurture the heart and dancing to nurture people, and to promote the comprehensive and harmonious development of young children's body and mind.

The Effects of ‘Dialogic Reading’ on the Development of Mental State Vocabulary in Children with ASD

Objectives: Children with Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) have difficulties in understanding thoughts, intentions, and beliefs of others, which are related to the development of theory of mind. The purpose of this study was to facilitate the production of mental state vocabulary related to theory of mind in these children through ‘Dialogic book-reading’ intervention and to verify the intervention and generalization effects.Methods: A “PEER” strategy was conducted with children with ASD. The pattern of mental state vocabulary production was analyzed through a picture task, and generalization effects were examined using a parent-report checklist.Methods: A “PEER” strategy was conducted with children with ASD. The pattern of mental state vocabulary production was analyzed through a picture task, and generalization effects were examined using a parent-report checklist.Conclusion: This study provides evidence for the intervention and generalization effects of the interactive book reading strategy on the production of mental state vocabulary in children with ASD, highlighting the significance of using this strategy in clinical settings for training theory of mind in children with ASD.

The Health Effects of Modern Gaming Devices and Phones n the Child's Mind and Intellectual Level

This study included 200 children between the ages of 2-12 years, who use mobile phones for multiple purposes. This study was conducted by distributing questionnaires to parents, and their answers were approved for their children. This study showed that the age group >=5 years had the highest percentage, reaching 60% of children. The study sample was mostly females (girls) at 54%, while the remaining section was males (boys) at 46%. This study showed that children in an urban environment use mobile phones more than children who live in a rural environment, where their percentage reached (66%). The study showed that the educational level of the parents of these children was good, as most of them held a university degree (38.0%, 36. %) for both the mother and the father, respectively. The study showed a significant relationship P = 0.0001 between parents’ occupation and Children used mobile phones and gaming devices, and the percentage was higher if both parents worked (42% and 78%) for the mother and father, respectively. The study showed that most children belong to a middle-income family environment. The study showed that the percentage of children who use modern phones and gaming devices reached (96%), while those who do not use mobile phones (4%). Most of the families had more than two phones at home (58%), and (78%) of the children used the phone throughout the day, and (48%) of them felt happy as a result of using the mobile phone, and (52%) of the study sample used the mobile phone for a period of time. (two years or more). The study showed that 56% of children suffer from lack of concentration and a low level of intelligence. According to the results of the study, 54% of them suffer from problems in their fingers as a result of frequent use of toys, and 70% of children suffer from dry eyes and a constant feeling of sleepiness as a result of radiation emitted from toys and devices. 93% of them suffer from anxiety and depression. The study also showed that (72%) of the children were addicted to the phone and the phone caused them headaches. It is clear from this study that children’s use of the phone causes them many problems, including psychological and physical ones. Therefore, parents must keep their children away from mobile phones as much as possible, and if they have to, allow them to use them. There must be a specific time for using phones, and the harmful effects of phones must be explained to them, whether in the short or long term.

Identifying individual brain development using multimodality brain network

The cortical development of our brains is in a hierarchical manner and promotes the emergence of large-scale functional hierarchy. However, under interindividual heterogenicity, how the spatiotemporal features of brain networks reflect brain development and mental health remains unclear. Here we collect both resting-state electroencephalography and functional magnetic resonance imaging data from the Child Mind Institute Biobank to demonstrate that during brain growth, the global dynamic patterns of brain states become more active and the dominant networks shift from sensory to higher-level networks; the individual functional network patterns become more similar to that of adults and their spatial coupling tends to be invariable. Furthermore, the properties of multimodality brain networks are sufficiently robust to identify healthy brain age and mental disorders at specific ages. Therefore, multimodality brain networks provide new insights into the functional development of the brain and a more reliable and reasonable approach for age prediction and individual diagnosis.

Theory of mind and executive functioning in children:Scientific mapping and literature review using citation network analysis

Numerosos estudios han analizado la Teoría de la Mente (ToM) y el Funcionamiento Ejecutivo (FE) en población infantil. Sin embargo, los hallazgos respecto al desarrollo y relación entre ToM y FE en niños no son concluyentes al considerar las variaciones en el neurodesarrollo típico y alterado. El objetivo de este estudio fue analizar la producción científica y evidencia empírica sobre la relación entre el desempeño en ToM y FE en niños y su incidencia en el desarrollo neurotípico, el trastorno de déficit de atención e hiperactividad y el trastorno del espectro autista. Se trató de un estudio bibliométrico basado en la teoría de grafos. La búsqueda documental se hizo en la Web of Science y se utilizó bibliometrix, Sci2 Tool y Gephi para los distintos análisis. Los hallazgos indican que niños con TDAH presentan un menor desempeño en tareas de control inhibitorio en comparación con niños con desarrollo típico. Así mismo, se reportó que la memoria de trabajo y el control inhibitorio predicen el rendimiento de niños con TDAH, TEA y DT en tareas de falsas creencias. Sin embargo, los niños con TEA presentan un déficit en el rendimiento de tareas de ToM en comparación con los demás grupos. Finalmente, se halló que la FE se correlaciona directamente con la ToM en niños con desarrollo típico de distintas características sociales (e.g bajo nivel socioeconómico). Esto hallazgos son relevantes porque ayudan a comprender mejor los mecanismos cognitivo-sociales y neuropsicológicos vinculados al neurodesarrollo infantil.

Investigating the Effectiveness of Cogniplus Cognitive Training Program on Social Cognition (Theory of Mind) in 6- to 8-year-old Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder

Objective Autism is one of the most common neurodevelopmental disorders. It causes problems in social cognition, communication, and understanding of self and others’ feelings, and has a negative effect on the quality of a person’s life. The present study determines the effectiveness of the Cogniplus cognitive training program on the social cognition (theory of mind (ToM) of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Materials & Methods In a semi-experimental study with a pre-test, post-test design, and a control group with a two-month follow-up, 65 children (44 male and 21 female) from 6 to 11 years old with ASD were selected based on the convenience sampling method from individuals referred to one of autism rehabilitation centers in Shahr-e-Ray City, Iran. They were assessed by the autism spectrum screening questionnaire (ASSQ). Overall, 50 children (33 male and 17 female) with a score of 19 and above on the autism spectrum screening questionnaire were diagnosed with high-functioning autism. They entered into the study according to the inclusion criteria as follows: having speech ability, the absence of motor or intellectual disability, and visual and hearing impairments. Meanwhile, they were matched based on their age. They were randomly and equally assigned to two experimental and control groups. The parents completed the ToM test. The experimental group participated individually in 20 sessions (twice a week, 30 min per session), in the Cogniplus cognitive training program, but the control group only received mainstream services (occupational therapy, speech therapy, art therapy, and music therapy). The parents completed the ToM test in the last session and two months follow-up. The data were analyzed by the correlation analysis, analysis of regression, and generalized estimating equations in the SPSS software, version 27. Results The results of generalized estimating equations analysis showed that the Cogniplus cognitive training program improved social cognition (total, first level, and second level of ToM). Meanwhile, the β coefficient showed that 2.9, 3.08, and 0.96 of the variations, respectively, in the ToM levels as the first, the second, and the total, in children with ASD who received Cogniplus cognitive training program. Also, the variations lasted after a two-month follow-up. Conclusion Considering the positive effect of the Cogniplus cognitive training program on social cognition, the use of the Cogniplus cognitive training program can solve the need for therapists who have new cognitive insight into training. Also, the implementation of such programs can help to improve the social cognition of children with autism disorder with high functioning in real-life situations.

Theory of Mind and physical bullying in preschool children: the role of peer rejection and gender differences

BackgroundPreschool represents the budding and initial stage of bullying behavior, where perpetration of physical bullying predominates as the primary form of bullying. An in-depth understanding of the factors linked to preschool physical bullying behavior is crucial for enabling early prevention and intervention strategies.ObjectiveThe purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between Theory of Mind and physical bullying behavior in 4–6 years old children in kindergarten and the mediating role of peer rejection and gender in this relationship.MethodsData on perpetration of physical bullying and peer rejection were obtained from 310 preschool children (age range = 52–79 months, M = 66.85, SD = 7.04) by the peer nomination method, and their Theory of Mind was measured by the Theory of Mind Development Scale.ResultsThe results showed that Theory of Mind negatively predicted perpetration of physical bullying in preschool children and that Theory of Mind was related to perpetration of physical bullying in preschool children only through peer rejection. Boys were also found to have a stronger association between peer rejection and perpetration of physical bullying in preschool children than girls.ConclusionPeer rejection may play a mediating role between Theory of Mind and perpetration of physical bullying in preschool children. In addition, the relationship between peer rejection and perpetration of physical bullying appears to be stronger for boys than for girls. This contributes to our understanding of the relationship between Theory of Mind and perpetration of physical bullying in preschool children and has implications for how bullying prevention and intervention can be tailored to the gender of young children.

Beyond the false belief task: How children develop their knowledge about the mind

AbstractPrevious research on children's knowledge about the mind has primarily focused on their comprehension of false beliefs, leaving the conceptualization of thoughts and thinking less explored. To address this gap, we developed a new assessment tool, the interview about the mind (IaM), to assess children's understanding of the mind. Two studies involving Polish preschool and early school‐aged children were conducted to assess the validity and reliability of the tool: a cross‐sectional study with 212 preschoolers aged three to 6 years (106 boys, M = 59 months) followed by a longitudinal study with approximately 200 children (110 boys) assessed at ages 5.5, 6.5, and 7.5 years. We found that the IaM possesses robust psychometric properties and a one‐factor structure. Younger children recognize that thoughts are imperceptible to the senses and identified the mind's location as the head. Older children exhibited difficulties with analogical or abstract definitions of thoughts. As expected, a linear developmental trajectory was evident from ages 5.5–7.5, with children's language abilities showing a positive correlation with IaM scores. Future research should explore the relationship between knowledge about the mind and theory of mind (ToM), as well as cross‐cultural differences in children's mind conceptualization.

Hot and cool executive function and theory of mind in children with and without specific learning disorders

Executive function (EF) in specific learning disorders (SLD) has been investigated using mainly cool EF tasks, whilst less is known about hot EF and theory of mind (ToM) in this population. The aim of this study was to examine group differences in hot and cool EF and ToM in school-aged children with SLD relative to typically developing peers. It also attempted to investigate whether EF measures are significant predictors of ToM in SLD and typical development. Cross-sectional data were collected from 135 school-aged children with and without SLD (8–10 years old), tested on measures of cool & hot EF and ToM. Significant group differences were observed in EFs inhibition (p= .04), working memory (p= .04) and delay of gratification (p < .001), as well as ToM mental state/emotion recognition (p = .019). Inhibition and planning contributed to 22% of the explained variance of ToM mental state/emotion recognition, but not false belief overall. Results suggest that cool EF may be a crucial predictor of ToM in children with and without SLD. Finally, stepwise logistic regression analysis identified specific hot EF and ToM measures contributing to group differentiation, specifically delay of gratification (odds ratio=.995, 95% CI [.993–.998]) and mental state/emotion recognition (odds ratio= .89, 95% CI [.796–.995]). This study contributes to our understanding of cognitive deficits and socio-cognitive impairment in children with SLD, which hold promise for informing interventions aimed at addressing these cognitive challenges.

Mothers' Mental State Talk and 3- to 5-Year-Old Children's Theory of Mind: Their Reciprocal Dynamic Impact.

The development of children's social function is influenced by the social environment, and children also play an active role in shaping and nurturing this environment. The present study investigated the potential reciprocal dynamic impact of mothers' mental state talk (MST) and the development of theory of mind (ToM) in children. Using a cross-sectional design, we explored the development of ToM in 3- to 5-year-old children using an unexpected location task, an unexpected content task, an appearance-reality task, and mothers' MST during mother-child reading. The results showed the following: (1) the mothers' MST exhibited a shift from a predilection for subjective terms (such as desires) to a preference for objective terms (such as cognitions) as their children matured; (2) the development of the children's ToM was closely related to their mothers' MST. The overall MST scores, as well as the different categories and referents used in MST, were closely associated with the children's ToM development. Notably, at the age of four, a critical period emerged where the correlation between maternal MST and ToM became significantly pronounced. These findings highlight the reciprocal nature of mother-child interactions as a two-way adaptive process.

An analysis on the impact of social media on the children's minds in modern Sri Lankan society

Today, the number of children spending their daily time on social media in Sri Lanka has grown exponentially. Therefore, this research was conducted with the aim of analytically studying the impact of social media on the minds of Sri Lankan children. The research problem focuses on what kind of impact social media has on the minds of Sri Lankan children. Data analysis used a mixed methodology of qualitative and quantitative methods with a sample of 180 children from the Colombo, Gampaha, and Kalutara districts in the Western Province. Questionnaires, observation, and semi-structured interview methods were used to collect quantitative and qualitative data. Based on the results of the data analysis, it was found that children use different social media platforms at different stages, and imitating the characters and activities of social media content creates a dependent personality in the child. It was clear that 46% of the respondents indicated that social media affected the child in a positive way, 27% indicated in a negative way, and 26% of the respondents did not have an idea about the kind of effect of social media on their children's minds. Accordingly, by verifying the research hypothesis and research problem that social media affects the mind of the Sri Lankan child, it was concluded that social media affects the mind of the Sri Lankan child. The research provides an in-depth study of the child's daily routine changes, the new social and human contexts that are formed due to the mental change in the child, and measures for the control and prevention of negative effects.

Dollhouse dilemmas

ABSTRACT Everyone has memories of play from their childhood, no matter what they look like. For some, playing, and arguing, over the dollhouse people and furniture was just part of growing up. In children's minds, all arguments are important, especially when it comes to playing and being fair. No matter the outcome, the play continues with compromise, conversation, and enough patience to work through the challenges of creating your own world.

Comparison of Executive Functions, Sensory Processing and Theory of Mind in Children from Divorced Families and Ordinary Children

Introduction: Divorce is not only an event but also a process that has short-term and long-term effects on children. Aim: The present study was conducted to compare executive functions, sensory processing and theory of mind in children from divorced families and ordinary children. Method: This is causal-comparative research. The statistical population included 180 male and female students between 9 and 12 years old in Districts 5 and 18 of Tehran in the academic year 2021-2022 selected by convenience sampling method and divided in two groups of children from divorced families and ordinary children (n=90 in each group). For data collection, Executive Function System (D-KEFS) (Delis, Kaplan, &amp; Kramer, 2001), Sensory Profile (Dunn, 1999) and Theory of Mind (Hutchins et al., 2012) were used. The research data was analyzed by independent t-test and SPSS 24. Results: The results showed a significant difference in working memory (t=6.08, P&lt;0.05), mental flexibility (t=5.12, P&lt;0.05), inhibitory control (t=7.16, P&lt;0.05), sensory register (t=6.72, P&lt;0.05), sensation-seeking (t=4.65, P&lt;0.05) and sensory sensitivity (t=7.36, P&lt;0.05), and theory of mind levels including level 1 (t=7.12, P&lt;0.05), level 2 (t=7.14, P&lt;0.05), and level 3 (t=9.32, P&lt;0.05). The mean of ordinary children was higher than that of children from divorced families, but no significant difference was observed in the mean of sensory avoiding in both groups (P˃0.05). Conclusion: The status of executive functions, sensory processing and theory of mind in normal children was better than that of children from divorced families. Therefore, the use of educational programs to strengthen cognitive dimensions of the mind of children from divorced families with emphasis on executive functions, sensory processing and theory of mind can be effective on improving their cognitive performance.

The influence of story character realism and theme on protagonists’ internal states and dialogue in children’s retells

Anthropomorphised animals are a prevalent character type in children’s books. However, stories with fantastical protagonists are associated with poorer social learning than those with human protagonists. We explored whether children’s representations of characters’ internal states and dialogue in story retells were related to story character realism (anthropomorphised animal, human), story theme (sharing, busyness), age, and vocabulary. Three- to seven-year-olds (N = 171) listened to one of four versions of an illustrated storybook that manipulated character realism and theme. Developmental trends were evident: Older children included more internal state references and dialogue in their retells than younger children. Of note, children retelling a prosocial story with human protagonists included more socio-relational language than those retelling a busy-themed story featuring humans; the same advantage was not evident for stories with animal protagonists. These findings imply that realistic protagonists may elicit more robust representations of social ideas in the minds of young children.

Risk ambassadors and saviours: Children and futuring public health interventions.

Schools are increasingly positioned as sites for intervening on the bodies and minds of children in the here and now in order to bring about health gain for the future. Public health interventions for schools bring together coalitions of commercial, statutory and philanthropic actors with children and their teachers and carers. Drawing on ethnographic case studies in London, UK, this paper explores two such interventions: one aiming to increase levels of physical activity and one to reduce exposure to air pollution. Both interventions not only evoke care for children's own current and future wellbeing but also fold in imaginaries of collective health futures, which orient and legitimise particular intervention logics and actions. As interventions unfold, children are recruited as monitors of health risks in the present. They are also positioned as risk ambassadors, who will leverage care about unhealthy environments and lifestyles across space, to risky domestic environments, and into imagined health futures. These 'futuring' school-based interventions open up small alternative spaces in which imaginaries of collective and resistant public health practices emerge. However, in the here and now, children appear to be bearing a disproportionate burden of responsibility, as ambassadors for, and imagined saviours of, public and environmental health.

War: not an unlikely topic for science lessons.

As a seven-year-old child, I experienced war in Cyprus. Armed conflict has not been far from my conscience ever since. At a time when there are active conflicts in many parts of the world, war is unlikely to be far from many children's minds globally today. Can a "war" theme be included in science lessons and play a role in helping young children develop into socially responsible scientists and peaceful citizens?

Prognosis and clinical management of asymptomatic family members with RYR2-mediated catecholaminergic polymorphic ventricular tachycardia: a review.

Despite its low prevalence, the potential diagnosis of catecholaminergic polymorphic ventricular tachycardia (CPVT) should be at the forefront of a paediatric cardiologists mind in children with syncope during exercise or emotions. Over the years, the number of children with a genetic diagnosis of CPVT due to a (likely) pathogenic RYR2 variant early in life and prior to the onset of symptoms has increased due to cascade screening programmes. Limited guidance for this group of patients is currently available. Therefore, we aimed to summarise currently available literature for asymptomatic patients with a (likely) pathogenic RYR2 variant, particularly the history of CPVT and its genetic architecture, the currently available diagnostic tests and their limitations, and the development of a CPVT phenotype - both electrocardiographically and symptomatic - of affected family members. Their risk of arrhythmic events is presumably low and a phenotype seems to develop in the first two decades of life. Future research should focus on this group in particular, to better understand the development of a phenotype over time, and therefore, to be able to better guide clinical management - including the frequency of diagnostic tests, the timing of the initiation of drug therapy, and lifestyle recommendations.

Social cognition in children with neurofibromatosis type 1

ABSTRACT Introduction Neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) is a genetic pathology that can lead to impaired social functioning that has a negative impact on patients’ quality of life. To date, although the hypothesis of impaired social cognition has been proposed as a potential explanation for these difficulties, very few studies have focused on theory of mind in children with NF1. Furthermore, other complex sociocognitive abilities have never been investigated. The aim of the present study was to assess theory of mind, moral reasoning, and social information processing in children with NF1 compared with a control group. Method We administered the Paediatric Evaluation of Emotions, Relationships and Socialization® to 38 children with NF1 aged between 8 years and 16 years 11 months (mean = 11.4, SD = 2.3) and 43 control children with comparable sociodemographic characteristics. Results Patients performed significantly worse than controls on moral reasoning and social information processing tests, but there was no significant difference on theory of mind. Conclusions These results seem to confirm the presence of social cognition difficulties in NF1 that could explain, at least in part, their social difficulties, although not all dimensions are concerned. The differences between the processes we assessed are discussed in relation to the methodologies used to measure them, and raises questions about the complementarity of traditional tools and more ecological assessments.