Young Children's Performance Research Articles

Effects of Sex-Typed Labels and Their Source on the Imitative Performance of Young Children

Effects of Sex-Typed Labels and Their Source on the Imitative Performance of Young Children

Age Differences in Children's Ability to Model Motor Behavior

Abstract In order to investigate the effects of modeling behavior for seven- and nine-year-old children, 30 seven-year-old and 30 nine-year-old females were randomly assigned within age level to three groups. These groups differed according to whether a model was presented at the beginning, midway, or not at all during 12 trials on the stabilometer. Both age groups were found to be similar in performance in the no model condition and, for both age groups, the beginning model condition was found to facilitate performance. However, the introduction of the model after six trials had a detrimental effect on the performance of younger children but facilitated older children's performance. These findings were interpreted in light of a likely increase in the processing capacity of nine year olds as well as an increase in the number of movement schemes that were previously stored in the older girls.

The Effects of Instruction on Length Relations on the Qualitative Seriation Behavior of First- and Second-Grade Children

In The Child's Conception of Number, Piaget and Szeminska (1952) describe various levels of young children's performances on seriation of linear objects. According to Piaget and Szeminska, operational seriation-referred to as Stage III behavior-is crucial and necessary in the development of concept of number, number being defined as a synthesis of class and asymmetrical (p. 184). It is further stated, Our hypothesis is that the construction of number goes hand in hand with the development of logic, and that pre-numerical period corresponds to the pre-logical level S.. logical and arithmetical operations therefore constitute single system ... the resulting from generalization and fusion of the first, under the complementary headings of inclusions of classes and seriation of relations, quality being disregarded (p. viii). An analysis of Stage III seriation behavior reveals that the subject possesses logical, systematic procedure using asymmetrical transitive relations (e.g., longer than, shorter than) that allows him to impose correct ordering on set of sticks, strings, or other linear objects. Piaget and Szeminska argue that asymmetrical transitive relations are also involved in the ordinal aspect of number. For example, in the act of counting set of objects, the child determines first object, second object, and so on, basing the enumeration on the relation comes before or precedes. Once counted, the objects in the set are

Brief Reports: The Effects of Instruction on length Relations on the Qualitative Seriation Behavior of First– and Second-Grade Children

In The Child's Conception of Number. Piaget and Szeminska (1952) describe various levels of young children's performances on seriation of linear objects. According to Piaget and Szeminska, operational seriation-referred to as Stage Ill behavior-is crucial and necessary in the development of a concept of number, number being defined as “a synthesis of class and asymmetrical relations” (p. 184). It is further stated, “Our hypothesis is that the construction of number goes hand in hand with the development of logic, and that a pre-numerical period corresponds to the pre-logical level… logical and arithmetical operations therefore constitute a single system… the second resulting from generalization and fusion of the first, under the complementary headings of inclusions of classes and seriation of relations, quality being disregarded” (p. vi ii). An a nalysis of Stage III seriation behavior reveals that the subject possesses a logical, systematic procedure using asymmetrical transitive relations (e.g., “longer than,” “shorter than”) that allows him to impose a correct ordering on a set of sticks, strings, or other linear objects. Piaget and Szeminska argue that asymmetrical transitive relations are also involved in the ordinal aspect of number. For example, in the act of counting a set of objects, the child determines a “first” object, “second” object, and so on, basing the enumeration on the relation “comes before” or “precedes.” Once counted, the objects in the set are ordered analogous to the set of sticks. Thus, the ability to form ordered series becomes important for both logical and numerical activities.

Relationship between Grade, Sex, Race, and Motor Performance in Young Children

Abstract Black and white children (N = 553) in kindergarten, grade one, and grade two, as part of a total test battery were tested on items of agility, speed, power, flexibility, and endurance. An ANOVA design was employed for both equal and unequal cell frequencies to determine the effects of grade, sex, and race on gross motor performance. Significant (p < .01) improvements were found at each grade for speed, power, and endurance items; males had significantly better performances (p < .01) than females on all items with the exception of flexibility; black children had significantly (p < .01) lower values than white children in the speed item at each grade level.

Pursuit Rotor Speed, Sex Differences, and Reminiscence in Young Children.

Data collected in a study of pursuit rotor abilities of 39 first grade pupils revealed that speed of response is a major dimension of performance in young children. Evidence for the early appearance of reminiscence was found, including data showing a significantly greater amount of reminiscence in males as compared with females. Moderate correlations between rotation speeds reflected the specificity of performance requirements at each speed. Data were interpreted in terms of the rapid rate of perceptual motor skill development at this age and suggested the need for more intense study of specific subskills needed for task success.

An Examination of Verbal Imitative Performance in Young Children

Abstract The present study examined the effects of CA, MA, and IQ on verbal imitation of five-year-old children. Three dependent measures of imitation were used: total, mimical, and conceptual. The results indicated that a transition occurs during the fifth year of life as young five-year-olds emitted more mimical and less conceptual responses than older five-year-olds. Furthermore, IQ is an important factor, as high IQ subjects, except when their CAs were less than five years, emitted fewer total and mimical responses than low IQ subjects.

Transfer between the oddity and relative size concepts: Reversal and extradimensional shifts

Young children's transfer performance was investigated in three studies using the relational concepts of oddity/similarity and relative size. Transfer within relational concepts (e.g., large to small) was compared with transfer between relational concepts (e.g., large to odd). For the original learning condition of Exp. I, three- and four-year-old children were randomly assigned to either same or large as the correct solution. Those who reached criterion were then transferred to either a Reversal (R) or Extradimensional (ED) concept shift. R shifts were superior to ED shifts for both age groups. The four-year-olds learned the R shift faster, and the ED shift slower, than the original learning problem. The three-year-old Ss also showed a decrement on the ED shift but no facilitation was present in their performance on the R task. Experiments II and III introduced an optional shift procedure which permitted the Ss to treat the ambiguous shift problems as either an R or an ED shift. The test phase resulted in 35 40 S s in Exp. II and 17 18 S s in Exp. III choosing the R solution. The results are inconsistent with theories of learning which posit a developmental progression from single unit processes to complex mediational processes, unless that progression can be said to occur before three years of age.

Effects of an adult's presence and praise on young children's performance

The separate effects of praise from an adult and the presence of that adult on preschool children's performance rate change at a simple motor task were studied for 32 4-year-old children of each sex. Following a base-line minute during which the experimenter was present but nonresponsive to the subject, the child was assigned to one of four experimental groups for the next 5 min in which the experimenter: (a) either made supportive comments or remained nonresponsive, and (b) either remained present or was absent behind a screen. The session was completed by a 5-min extinction phase in which the base-line conditions were reinstituted. The major finding was that performance increased under both adult praise and adult presence, with the effects being additive: performance increase was highest when the adult was present and praising the child, and lowest (actually decreasing) when the adult was absent and nonresponsive to the child. The reintroduction of the experimenter during extinction also facilitated performance. The results were related to previous research on both social reinforcement and imitation, and several developmental changes were hypothesized for the effects of both adult reactions and an adult's presence.

Young children's performance on a two-choice task as a function of social reinforcement, base-line preference, and response strategy.

Young children's performance on a two-choice task as a function of social reinforcement, base-line preference, and response strategy.

Competence versus Performance in Young Children's Use of Adjectival Comparatives

Competence versus Performance in Young Children's Use of Adjectival Comparatives

COMPETENCE VERSUS PERFORMANCE IN YOUNG CHILDREN'S USE OF ADJECTIVAL COMPARATIVES

STERN, CAROLYN, and BRYSON, JUANITA. Competence versus Performance in Young Children's Use of Adjectival Comparatives. CHILD DEVELOPMENT, 1970, 41, 1197-1201. To test whether disadvantaged preschoolers can be taught to produce comparatives, 12 children 50-60 months old were given 3 12-minute programmed lessons using rule-given versus echoic instructional treatments. Ea'ch of 10 paired pictures presented an adjective and its comparative (e.g., ,fat pig; fatter pig). The criteria included a selection and a labeling task. The mean score on the selection pretest was over 85 percent; on the labeling the score was less than 10 percent. After training, both treatments made significant gains (.01 level), scoring 85 percent or better on the labeling posttest. This gain was retained over a 6-month period.

Effects of reinforcement history on timing (DRL) performance in young children

This study sought to show that special repertoires created by differential reinforcement schedule history markedly affect the very young child's ability to learn to withhold and space responses in a free operant, temporal discrimination task (DRL schedule, i.e., differential reinforcement of low rate). Twelve Ss were tested for DRL 18-sec acquisition following experience with one of four schedules, either a VR 10, FI 18 sec, DRL 10 sec, or limited (DRL 2 sec) training. The DRL 10-sec trained Ss during the initial DRL 18-sec session exhibited the lowest rate of responding, highest rate of reinforcement, and greatest proportion of IRT's in the vicinity of 18 sec, whereas the VR 10 trained Ss were consistently poorest on these same measures of temporal responding. Subjects in the other training groups assumed intermediate positions. By the sixth DRL 18-sec session the performance of most Ss had approximated the efficiency of the DRL 10-sec trained Ss, although the VR 10 trained Ss continued to exhibit rapid sequential responding. Retesting of three Ss on the DRL 18-sec after a 3-week period of experimental inactivity showed timing behavior to be intact.

Changes in copying ability of young children.

This study focused upon definition and description of rate and Wind of changes in children's form copying ability by evaluating Bender Gestalt performances of 140 children in September, November, February, and May of their kindergarten year. The findings emphasize the need to consider age, extent of school experience, and sex, when interpreting young children's performance on the Bender.

Sex differences in rotary pursuit performance of young children: a follow-up.

A 30-rpm or a 45-rpm rotary pursuit task was given to 72 boys and 72 girls from Grades 1 to 5 of a lower-class and a middle-class school; each S was given 5 125-sec. trials with a 1-min. rest period between trials. Analyses of time-on-target showed a different pattern of results for each school. No significant sex differences were found except through interaction with sex of E. Level of performance was determined primarily by speed of rotation and grade level of S, but there was a lag in performance of Ss from the first two grades of the lower-class school.

Successive Reversal Performance in Young Children as a Function of the Delay Interval between Reversals

Successive Reversal Performance in Young Children as a Function of the Delay Interval between Reversals

The Performance of Young Children on Three Discrimination-Learning Tasks

The Performance of Young Children on Three Discrimination-Learning Tasks

Factors Associated with the Performance of Young Children on Intelligence Scales and Tests of Speech Development

Factors Associated with the Performance of Young Children on Intelligence Scales and Tests of Speech Development