Children's Preferences Research Articles

The study of the influence of cartoon products on the socialization of children in the practice of sociological research

The development of mass communication media and an increase in the volume of information have actualized the issue of the peculiarities of children's socialization in an information society. An animated product is a spectacular and accessible way to convey important social information to children. The article attempts to identify and describe existing research practices on the content and impact of cartoon products on the socialization of children in Russia over the past decades. In particular, the objects of research (cartoon products and children) are analyzed, as well as the methods used in these studies. The object and methods of studying the influence of cartoon products on the socialization of children have been identified as the subject of our research. The research methodology is based on the application of content analysis methods, traditional document analysis, and elements of structural and semantic analysis. The empirical material was articles by domestic researchers published in the period from 2000 to 2024 and containing the results of studying the impact of media content on children. The objects of studying the influence of media content on the socialization of the younger generation are cartoon products and children. Methods of content analysis, narrative analysis, phenomenological and hermeneutic approaches are used to analyze media content. Children's preferences and media practices are clarified through surveys and projective techniques. The choice of children as an object of research requires taking into account their age characteristics in the application of research methods and strategies. In this context, sociographic methods, projective methods, the case study method, as well as forms of surveys based on associations, the use of which should take into account the characteristics of each age period, are promising.

Empowering Library Services through User‐Centric Analysis of Co‐loan Patterns

ABSTRACTBy examining loan data from public libraries in South Korea, we seek to understand patterns in user borrowing behaviors and explore thematic connections among borrowed books. The subject headings of 55.5 million book sets borrowed by individual users on the same day were analyzed using ITEM2VEC. We have identified 40 subject heading communities through cosine similarity of each subject vector, and we have labeled each community using a large language model. Two prominent communities were identified: Global Modern Literature and Novels and Children's Literature, Fairy Tales, and Folklore. The latter community was associated with a diverse array of subjects, indicating an expansion in children's reading preferences. The study results will be useful for improving collection development and the relevance of book recommendations, as well as for incorporating user information behavior into traditional library material classification schemes.

Walking to School: What Streets Do Children Prefer?

Active school travel provides children with a daily opportunity to engage actively with their local urban environments. Despite widespread recognition that understanding the underlying factors of children’s navigation choices is crucial for developing effective environmental interventions to promote active school travel, there is limited evidence on children’s experiences regarding their school journeys. This is due in part to the fact that most studies rely on GIS-calculated routes which may not adequately represent children’s actual home-school journeys, and hence actual experiences. This study aims to identify specific environmental attributes influencing children’s navigation choices based on children’s (9–10 year olds) actual walking routes to school in Newcastle upon Tyne, UK. 45 pairs of selected and avoided streets were compared using a range of urban form (e.g., street connectivity measured through space syntax variables) and street design (e.g., footpath width) characteristics. Statistical analysis highlighted significant design attributes as potential determinants of navigation selections. In-depth street-level observations provided insight into the urban character of these street pairs, identifying the environmental qualities that could offer opportunities for active and safe commuting among children. This study contributes to the literature by broadening our understanding of the environmental attributes that may promote active school travel. Our findings, based on children’s actual experiences, may also inform urban planners and designers on designing inclusive child-friendly cities.

Egalitarian preferences in young children depend on the genders of the interacting partners

In decisions between equal and unequal resource distributions, women are often believed to be more prosocial than men. Previous research showed that fairness attitudes develop in childhood, but their—possibly gendered, developmental trajectory remains unclear. We hypothesised that gender-related fairness attitudes might depend not only on the gender of the Allocator, but also on that of the Recipient. To examine this, we tested 332 three to 8-year-old children in a paired resource allocation task, with both boys and girls acting as Allocators and Recipients. We indeed found gender-related effects: girls more than boys aimed to reduce advantageous inequity, and Allocators of both genders were more averse against male Recipients being better off. Notably, older girls exhibited an envy bias, i.e., they tolerated disadvantageous inequity more when the resource allocation was in favour of other girls than when it favoured boys. We also observed a gender-related spite gap in boys aged 7-8: unlike girls, boys treated other boys with spite, i.e., they valued unfair distributions in their own favour over equal outcomes, especially if rejecting advantageous inequity was costly. This pattern hints at contextualised gender-related fairness preferences that evolve with age that could depend on same- and cross-gender past interaction experiences.

Electronic Patient Reported Outcomes Measures (e-PROMs) in Pediatric Palliative Oncology Care: A Scoping Review.

Objective: Research findings regarding child-centered care and electronic patient reported outcome measures (e-PROMs) within pediatric palliative oncology care reveal an intricate field of study. This study aimed to map innovations in e-PROMs for the pediatric cancer population in palliative care and their impact on symptom management, and communication with healthcare professionals. Methods: A scoping review was designed following the Arksey and O'Malley framework. Literature searches were conducted in CINAHL, Embase, MEDLINE, PsycINFO, SCOPUS, and Web of Science. Inclusion criteria targeted children aged 0-18 years with cancer, receiving palliative and/or end-of-life care, and using e-PROMs. Results: Twelve articles were included: 10 quantitative studies, one qualitative study, and one mixed-method study. A narrative synthesis approach was used to summarize the findings, categorized into three sections: (a) technological innovation of e-PROMs in pediatric palliative oncology care; (b) the impact of e-PROMs on symptom monitoring, management, and children's care; (c) the effects of e-PROMs on communication between children and healthcare professionals in pediatric palliative oncology care. Conclusion: e-PROMs have proven effective in empowering children to express their perspectives and actively engage in their end-of-life care. Due to flexible software and devices designed for various age groups, these tools fit seamlessly into children's daily routines and preferences, including the use of play-oriented applications. They facilitate a deeper understanding, and management of physical and emotional symptoms while ensuring care remains child-centered. This emphasizes the importance of preserving the essence of childhood and addressing the unique needs and experiences of young patients in pediatric palliative oncology care.

Phenomenological Study of Fatherlessness in the Lives of Daughters

In a family, both the mother and father’s roles are equally important. A father's role goes beyond being the breadwinner or the head of the family; he is also expected to play a complete role in supporting a child's development and sharing responsibilities with the mother as a wife. When a father doesn't fulfill his role effectively, the issue of "fatherless" arises in the family, which has long-term impacts on the child, including a daughter's perception of her future life partner. Previous research has shown that the absence of a father's role at home (fatherlessness) can influence how a child interacts and shapes a child's preferences in choosing a partner or determining their romantic relationships. This study, employing phenomenology and in-depth interviews with four female informants who have experienced fatherlessness, draws on family communication, attachment theory, penetration theory, and gender role theory. The research findings highlight that the experience of fatherlessness becomes a major communication barrier, affecting the informants in initiating romantic relationships. Respondents express difficulties in trusting and maintaining open communication with close friends. They state that disappointment in their father figure leads them to seek a partner to fulfill their psychological needs related to the missing fatherly figure. The study also confirms factors influencing the perceptions of fatherless daughters in choosing life partners, including a father's involvement in child-rearing, healthy communication between father and child, traumatic experiences, and current parent-child communication relationships. This research can serve as a reference for further studies interested in examining family communication from the perspective of the father's role and the communication between daughters and their fathers.

Self-identification and Racial Preference in Urban and Rural Primary School Children from Southern Peru

Objective: This study aimed to understand the dynamics of self-identification and racial preference in urban and rural primary school children in southern Peru, and to discern the underlying causes of discrimination and racism in these contexts. Materials and Methods: The research adopted a naturalistic paradigm with a qualitative approach and a case study design. Participants included 24 students from urban and rural educational institutions in the southern highlands of Peru. Data was collected using the "Doll Test" questionnaire, based on the original "Doll Test" designed in the 1940s in the USA. Re-sults: The study revealed a concerning trend in students' perceptions of beauty related to the skin color of dolls. Stereotypes were evident in students' perceptions, associating the black doll with "bad" and the white doll with "good". A marked preference was identified for the blonde doll, but a majority identified with the black doll in terms of similarity. Most students anticipated an economically disadvantaged future for the black doll and a privileged one for the blonde doll. Discussion: The findings unveil the palpa-ble presence of racial stereotypes and prejudices in students' perceptions and preferences regarding skin color. This underscores the urgent need to promote a culture of inclusion and respect from childhood and the importance of implementing educational and cultur-al interventions to eradicate these stereotypes.

Research on the design of growable children’s beds based on combined hierarchical analyses

Although the market share of domestic children’s furniture is increasing annually, some potential problems limit its long-term and stable development, and there is still a gap in China compared with foreign countries. This study focused on the demand preferences for growable children’s beds and examined the design features that influence these preferences. This study introduces a combination of Hierarchical Analyses (AHP), Quality Function Development (QFD), and the Platts Conceptual Decision Matrix (PUGH) into the innovative design of a research model for children’s furniture (AHP-QFD-PUGH). This study screened and classified the decision-making indicators obtained from the research, ranked their importance by quantitative calculation, and finally proposed an optimal design solution. Additionally, to further study the structural characteristics, the function-behavior-structure (FBS) model served as a supplementary analysis tool to effectively circumvent subjective factors in product design. This integrated model accurately explored user needs and product characteristics, providing substantial guidance and new ideas for optimizing the design of growable children’s beds and enhancing growth of the children’s furniture industry.

Screen preference and extraversion: key factors in the link between mother phubbing and preschoolers’ problematic media use

ABSTRACT Problematic media use among preschoolers is a growing concern. This study investigates the relationship between mother phubbing and problematic media use in preschoolers, examining the mediating role of child screen preference and the moderating effect of extraversion. 772 mothers (Meanage = 34.13 years) with preschool-aged children from Shanghai completed an online survey. The study found a significant positive correlation between mother phubbing and child problematic media use, mediated by the child's screen preference. Extraversion moderated the link between mother phubbing and child screen preference, with the relationship weakening as the child's extraversion increased. These findings highlight the complex interplay between parental behaviour, child characteristics, and media use patterns in early childhood, emphasizing the need for tailored interventions considering both environmental and individual factors.

The influence of entertainment and brand characters on children's object preferences and monetary judgments

Companies often use images of popular characters from children's media on their products. The current study investigated how different types of popular characters (i.e., entertainment or brand) influence children's trust, preference for, and monetary judgments of objects. Additionally, we explored whether children's own parasocial relationships with such characters influence their preferences and judgments. Participants included 66 four- and five-year-olds (Mage = 5.06; SD = 0.48; 34 boys; 32 girls). First, children completed a selective trust task measuring their preference for information from a familiar or unfamiliar character. Then children asked which object (i.e., damaged with a familiar character image or undamaged without a familiar character image) they would want and which people would pay more money for. Results indicated regardless of character type (i.e., entertainment or brand), children did not trust (i.e., seek out new information or endorse specific testimony) the familiar marketing character more than an unfamiliar character. Children across all character conditions did not display a preference for either object, however they were more likely to rate the undamaged object as more valuable than the damaged object featuring the familiar character. Parasocial relationships for all types of characters were high and did not relate to children's preferences or judgments. These findings expand on previous research suggesting that although the presence of familiar media characters can influence children's preferences for individual objects, children can also weigh more relevant features of an object, such as potential flaws in the design, when making other decisions (e.g., value).

From interdependence to pro-environmental behavior: Development and validation of the Preference for Explanations in Terms of Interdependence (PETI) scale for children

Interdependence, a mutual dependence between entities, is a key concept to understand interactions occurring in social and natural environments. We argue that understanding social and natural phenomena in terms of interdependence could predict children's pro-environmental behaviors (PEBs). The existing literature reveals a lack of studies promoting PEBs among children. We first reviewed the literature on interdependence to demonstrate why it is a theoretically viable construct to foster PEBs in children. Second, we identified a lack of instruments to measure children's preference for explanations in terms of interdependence. Thus, in study 1, we developed and administered a 9-item vignette-based scale combining pictures and everyday situations with various explanations, the Preference for Explanations in Terms of Interdependence scale—PETI to 351 Swiss pupils (10-12 years old). Exploratory factor analysis revealed a one-dimensional structure. Analyses showed satisfying nomological and predictive validity (on self-reported behaviors). Study 2 (N = 96) was conducted at recreational areas and aimed at extending the predictive validity of the PETI scale to actual behaviors. Contrary to our expectations, results revealed no direct effect of the PETI score, but a significant main effect of age, and a significant interaction effect between PETI and age showing that PETI was more positively associated to PEBs for older (10-13 years old) than for younger (6-9 years old) children. Reliability analyses suggested that the PETI scale is better suited for children aged 10 and over. We discuss the utility of the PETI scale in studying the relationship between children's understanding of interdependence and the endorsement of PEBs.

Social reward predicts false belief understanding in Namibian Hai||om children

AbstractSocial motivation is theorized to promote Theory of Mind development in childhood, but research testing this link is scarce and largely limited to urban middle‐class milieus of the Global North. Here, we investigated the link between social motivation (i.e., social reward responsivity) and Theory of Mind (i.e., false belief understanding) among N = 59 Hai||om children (AgeRange = 2.3–8.0 years) from rural Namibia, an indigenous community where children's social experience with peers and adults differs much from urban middle‐class milieus typically sampled in developmental science research. Children's preference for adult, but not peer faces predicted their false belief performance. Moreover, their false belief performance increased with age, showing mastery of the current false belief task by the preschool years. These results accommodate universalist claims on the link between social motivation and Theory of Mind while suggesting a particular contribution of the social reward responsivity to adult social partners.

Children's social preference for peers engaged in brilliance-required activities: The impact of gender and race.

Women's underrepresentation in academic fields and professions emphasizing high intellectual talents persists as a prominent societal issue. To explore early antecedents of this gender imbalance, the present study investigated the developmental changes in children's social preference of boys and girls who pursue brilliance-required (vs. effort-required) activities. Importantly, we took an intersectional perspective to explore whether children consider target race in their social preference. Five- to 9-year-old U.S. children (N = 207; Mage = 7.53; 104 girls and 103 boys; 48% White) were presented with pairs of Asian, Black, and White characters matched in gender. One character was depicted as enjoying a game requiring high intellectual talents and the other enjoyed a game requiring effort. Participants were then asked to choose the character that they liked more, as an indicator of their social preference. With age, children became increasingly likely to prefer White boys and girls of color (i.e., Black and Asian girls) pursuing activities requiring brilliance (vs. activities requiring effort). In contrast, children did not develop increasing social preference for White girls or boys of color who opt in for brilliance-required activities. Our data suggest that, as early as elementary school years, children's social preference in contexts valuing sheer brilliance becomes both gendered and racialized. These findings highlight the importance of using an intersectional approach to identify the specific developmental processes that contribute to social disparities in brilliance-required contexts. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Illustration in Children's Food Packaging Involved Methods and Applications

With the growth of the global population, the children's food market is expanding, and the design of children's food packaging is increasingly being paid attention to. As an intuitive and vivid visual language, illustration plays a vital role in children's food packaging. It can not only attract children's attention and improve the appeal of the product but also increase the interest in the package through the story context and game elements, thereby enhancing children's awareness and loyalty to the brand. Therefore, the application method and effect of illustration in children's food packaging have become a problem worth studying. In-depth understanding of children's preferences and cognitive characteristics of illustration in different age groups is helpful to design food packaging that better meets children's needs. With the continuous expansion of the modern children's consumer market, illustration design, as an indispensable element in children's food packaging, has a unique visual appeal and emotional connection ability to attract children consumers. This paper will study the method of integrating illustration design into children's food packaging and discuss the three parts of hand-drawn design, vector drawing, and digital synthesis technology in detail. This paper aims to explore the application methods and effects of illustration in children's food packaging, identify the research gaps in this field by summarizing the current research progress, and put forward the research theme and specific problems of this paper. Then, the methods adopted in this study will be introduced in detail, and their significance will be expounded. Finally, future development will be predicted, and suggestions for possible problems will be put forward.

Evaluation of Nutritional Preferences of School-Age Children and Parents Attitudes Towards Child Nutrition: A Cross-Sectional Study

Objective: This study aimed to examine the nutrition of school-age children and the influence of their parents. Method: The study involved 259 school-age children aged 9-12 and their volunteering parents from a province in Türkiye. A questionnaire was administered to the children questioning sociodemographic data and basic nutritional information, anthropometric measurements were taken, and the Parent Mealtime Action Scale was applied to their parents. The obtained data were analyzed in SPSS 26 program. Results: It was found that the snack consumption status of children was related to the income status of the family's daily fruit and vegetable consumption (p<0.01). It has been found that animal fat restricted diet is associated with growth status in children (p<0.01). It has been determined that the children's eating situation is related to the persistent behavior of parents (p<0.05). It has been found that children who do not consume chips at all are also fed restricted animal fats in their daily diet. It was determined that bagel/cereal consumption was also excessive in children in whom rewarding was applied excessively (p<0.05). Conclusion: As a result, it was determined that school-age children's own preferences in food choices, as well as the parent's behavior and educational status, and the family's income level also have a significant impact. It is thought that it will be beneficial to provide nutrition education to parents and children in order to develop the right eating habits in school-age children and to increase the level of nutrition knowledge.

Children consider informants' explanation quality with their social dominance in seeking novel explanations.

Identifying high-quality causal explanations is key to scientific understanding. This research (N = 202; 50% girls; Mage: 5.82 years; 64% Asian, 33% White, and 3% multiracial; data collected from 2018 to 2024) examined how explanation circularity and informants' social dominance impact children's learning preferences for causal explanations. Raised in a culture valuing circular logic, Chinese children still preferred non-circular explanations and learning from informants providing non-circular explanations (d ≥ 0.50). When informants with non-circular explanations were subordinate to those with circular explanations, Chinese and American children preferred non-circular over circular explanations (d = 1.10), but did not prefer learning new information from either informant. Although children weigh explanation quality over informant dominance when seeking explanations for given questions, they consider both cues when evaluating informants' credibility.

Congruence Between Older Chinese Immigrants and Their Adult Children on Hospice Attitudes and Preferences: An Actor-Partner Interdependence Model.

Objectives: This study investigates the alignment of awareness, attitudes, and preferences regarding hospice care between older Chinese immigrants and their adult children. Methods: Forty older Chinese immigrants and their adult children in New York City were assessed for their awareness, attitudes, and preferences for hospice care. McNemar's and Cohen's Kappa tests examined differences and congruence within parent-child dyads. The Actor-Partner Interdependence Model (APIM) was employed for dyadic analysis using structural equation modeling (SEM). Results: Discrepancies were observed between older parents and adult children, with the latter showing higher awareness and more positive attitudes toward hospice care compared to their parents. While 84.2% of older parents expressed willingness to accept hospice care, only 65.7% of their children believed their parents would desire hospice, and only 39.5% of children expressed a preference for hospice care for their parents. Kappa coefficients indicated poor-to-slight agreement within parent-child dyads, but there was a fair level of agreement in children's perceptions of their parents' preferences and their own preferences for parents. APIM revealed significant actor effects but nonsignificant partner effects, suggesting that parents' and children's preferences are influenced by their own attitudes, but not by those of other family members within the parent-child dyads. Conclusion: The incongruence in attitudes and preferences for hospice care between Chinese immigrant older adults and their children emphasizes the need for culturally-informed education and interventions to facilitate open conversations and ensure patient-centered end-of-life care for older Chinese immigrants.

Characteristics and influencing factors of caregivers’ healthcare preferences for young children under COVID-19 lockdown: a cross-sectional study in Shanghai, China

BackgroundMissed or delayed child healthcare caused by the COVID-19 lockdown has threatened young children’s health and has had an unpredictable influence on caregivers’ child healthcare preferences. This study investigated caregivers’ child healthcare preferences and the factors that influence them among families with young children (0–3 years) during the lockdown in Shanghai.MethodsParticipants in this cross-sectional study were enrolled through random encounter sampling. Questionnaires were distributed online from June 1 to November 10, 2022, in Shanghai. A total of 477 valid questionnaires were received. The demographics of caregivers and their families, children’s characteristics, COVID-19-related information, and caregivers’ healthcare preferences were analyzed. The statistical analyses included frequency and percentage, chi-square tests, and multinomial logistic regression.ResultsCaregivers preferred child healthcare professionals in the community health service system (CHS; 47.6%) followed by hospital pediatricians (40.0%) during lockdown. Caregivers with the following characteristics preferred CHS: those with an annual household income of CNY 200,000–300,000, those whose youngest children were aged 8–12 months, and those who experienced early childhood physical development issues. Caregivers preferred hospitals if they had experienced healthcare-seeking-related difficulties in accessing professional guidance from hospital pediatricians.ConclusionsDuring pandemic lockdowns, policymakers should allocate more resources to CHS to meet caregivers’ childcare demands. Moreover, special attention should be given to the healthcare needs for CHS among families with specific demographics.Trial registrationApproval was obtained from the Ethics Committee of Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine School of Public Health (SJUPN-202,109; June 1, 2022).

Influence of changing dentition on food texture preferences and perception of eating difficulty in Australian children.

The transition from primary to permanent dentition is an important phase in children's oral development, yet its impact on texture perception and food acceptance are less explored. This study aimed to investigate how changing dentition and tooth loss influence texture preferences and perception of eating difficulty among children aged 5 to 12 years. Children (n = 475) completed a forced-choice questionnaire featuring drawings of six food pairs, each available in hard or soft texture, and reported whether they had started losing primary teeth and the number of tooth gaps present. They also tasted four samples: chocolate snacks (cake and biscuits) and cheddar cheese (grated and cubes), evaluating their perceived eating difficulty and liking for each sample. Analysis of questionnaire responses showed a general preference for softer food textures among children, with a 36% probability of choosing hard foods. Preferences were not related to child's dental state, including primary teeth loss (p = .13) or number of tooth gaps (p = .45). In the taste test, chocolate biscuits and cheese cubes were perceived as significantly more difficult to eat than chocolate cake and grated cheese, respectively (both p < .0001). Children with more than two tooth gaps reported greater eating difficulty for chocolate biscuits and cheese cubes compared to children with fewer or no tooth gaps. This study demonstrated that children's texture preferences for hardness of foods remained consistent during dentition change, while their perception of eating difficulty could vary based on their dental state at specific points in time.

The Relationship Between School-Age Children’s Physical Activity and Their Leisure Activity Interests: An Exploratory Study

ABSTRACT Physical activities and leisure engagement are important occupations that children partake in. However, the association between physical activities and leisure engagement preferences in children remains largely unexplored in Australian contexts. As such, this study investigated the relationship between children’s physical activities and their leisure activity engagement preferences. A study was conducted involving 27 pairs of school-aged children and their parents/caregivers. Children completed the Preferences for Activities of Children and Children’s Leisure Assessment. Parents/caregivers completed the Children’s Physical Activity Questionnaire. Spearman rho correlations and linear regression analyses with bootstrapping were completed. Children’s games and sports activity variety was significantly correlated with active school activity duration (rho = .452, p = .018). In addition, children’s preferences for instrumental indoor activities predicted sports frequency on weekdays (R2 = .446, p = .003). Similarly, self-enrichment activities variety was predictive of sports activities frequency on weekdays (R2 = .446, p = .006) and weekends (R2 = .151, p = .026). Finally, children’s sociability in instrumental indoor activities predicted active leisure activity duration on weekends (R2 = .120, p = 043). Findings suggest that children’s leisure engagement preferences are predictive of their participation in physical activities. Specific aspects of leisure participation, such as variety and sociability, can also predict children’s physical activity levels. When promoting physical activities, it is important to understand children’s leisure engagement preferences so that clinicians can develop individualized plans by incorporating children’s interests. This will inform child-centered goal setting and intervention planning. Further research in this area is recommended.