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Annual Review of Developmental... Dec 2023Intimate relationships are hotbeds of emotion. This article presents key findings and current directions in research on couples' emotion regulation across adulthood as a...
Intimate relationships are hotbeds of emotion. This article presents key findings and current directions in research on couples' emotion regulation across adulthood as a critical context in which older adults not only maintain functioning but may also outshine younger adults. First, I introduce key concepts, defining qualities (i.e., dynamic, coregulatory, bidirectional, bivalent), and measures (i.e., self-report versus performance-based) of couples' emotion regulation. Second, I highlight a socioemotional turn in our understanding of adult development with the advent of socioemotional selectivity theory. Third, I offer a life-span developmental perspective on emotion regulation in couples (i.e., across infancy, adolescence and young adulthood, midlife, and late life). Finally, I present the idea that emotion regulation may shift from "me to us" across adulthood and discuss how emotion regulation in couples may become more important, better, and increasingly consequential (e.g., for relationship outcomes, well-being, and health) with age. Ideas for future research are then discussed.
PubMed: 38939362
DOI: 10.1146/annurev-devpsych-120621-043836 -
Frontiers in Psychology 2024Based on developmental systems and dynamic systems theories, we propose the lifeworld approach-a conceptual framework for research and a hypothesis concerning early...
Based on developmental systems and dynamic systems theories, we propose the lifeworld approach-a conceptual framework for research and a hypothesis concerning early social-cognitive development. As a framework, the lifeworld approach recognizes the social embeddedness of development and shifts the focus away from individual developmental outcomes toward the reciprocal interplay of processes within and between individuals that co-constitutes early social-cognitive development. As a hypothesis, the lifeworld approach proposes that the changing developmental system-spanning the different individuals as their subsystems-strives toward attractor states through regulation at the behavioral level, which results in both the emergence and further differentiation of developmental attainments. The lifeworld approach-as a framework and a hypothesis, including key methodological approaches to test it-is exemplified by research on infants' self-awareness, prosocial behavior and social learning. Equipped with, first, a conceptual framework grounded in a modern view on development and, second, a growing suite of methodological approaches, developmental science can advance by analyzing the mutually influential relations between intra-individual and interactional processes in order to identify key mechanisms underlying early social-cognitive development.
PubMed: 38939231
DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1399903 -
Frontiers in Psychology 2024Children autonomously make sound moral judgments based on internal criteria, but they tend to make erroneous judgments in the presence of social influences, and the...
Children autonomously make sound moral judgments based on internal criteria, but they tend to make erroneous judgments in the presence of social influences, and the reasons for these errors are not well understood. Thus, the current research investigated how the presence of observers who can see and listen to 3-year-old children's judgments but who do not present their opinions influences children's conformity in moral judgment behavior. In Experiment 1, the children ( = 30) were presented with pictures depicting prosocial behaviors and asked whether the behaviors were acceptable. The children's tendency to change their answers after hearing the counterintuitive opinions of informants was then measured. The results showed that the children's moral judgments were more likely to conform to that of the group in the presence of observers. Experiment 2 aimed to determine the reason children were more likely to conform to a group when being watched by observers in Experiment 1. Children ( = 30) were randomly assigned to two conditions with different observer conditions as follows. Observers were either wearing headsets, indicating that they could not hear the children's responses, or had them hanging around their necks, indicating that they could. The results showed that children's conformity behavior depended on whether observers could hear what they were saying. The current findings are expected to help elucidate not only social factors that affect children's moral judgments but also the developmental mechanism of an observer effect.
PubMed: 38939221
DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1289292 -
Frontiers in Psychology 2024Are universal school-based mindfulness interventions an effective way to reduce risk for mental disorders and improve adolescents' lives? To answer this question, we...
Are universal school-based mindfulness interventions an effective way to reduce risk for mental disorders and improve adolescents' lives? To answer this question, we reanalyzed data from Dunning et al.'s (2022) meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials of mindfulness interventions delivered to children and adolescents. Though Dunning et al. (2022) reported some benefits of universal mindfulness interventions, their analysis did not examine adolescents separately from children. Consequently, their conclusions may not entirely reflect the effectiveness of universal mindfulness interventions specifically for adolescents, a developmental period when mental disorders are known to increase. Using their open-access data tables, we tested impacts of 22 randomized controlled trials ( = 16,558) on eight outcome categories-anxiety/stress, attention, depression, executive functioning, mindfulness, negative behavior, social behavior, and wellbeing-at immediate post-test and longest follow-up. Our reanalysis shows that when compared to passive controls, mindfulness interventions significantly reduced trait mindfulness ( = -0.10). When compared to active controls, mindfulness interventions significantly improved anxiety/stress ( = 0.17) and wellbeing ( = 0.10). When compared to all controls combined, mindfulness interventions did not significantly improve any outcome (s = 0.01 to 0.26). No effects of mindfulness interventions were observed at follow-up assessment. Overall, results of our analysis cast doubt about the value of existing school-based mindfulness interventions as a universal prevention strategy for adolescents.
PubMed: 38939220
DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1384531 -
Journal of Child & Adolescent Trauma Jun 2024Pubertal status/stage of maturation and pubertal timing have been linked with emotional symptoms of problems among youth, particularly in vulnerable developmental...
Pubertal status/stage of maturation and pubertal timing have been linked with emotional symptoms of problems among youth, particularly in vulnerable developmental contexts at risk for stress exposure. The present study tested the extent to which pubertal status/stage of maturation and pubertal timing were associated with anxious/depressed, withdrawn/depressed, and somatic complaint symptoms in Kosovar adolescents. It also tested whether sex moderated these relationships. Data were collected from N = 1,342 Kosovar adolescents (665 girls; M age = 13.26 years, SD = 1.27; 677 boys M age = 13.19 years, SD = 1.31). Regression analyses provided evidence that pubertal status/stage was positively associated with rates of anxious/depressed, withdrawn/depressed, and somatic complaint symptoms in girls, but only with withdrawn/depressed symptoms in boys. Additionally, pubertal timing was positively associated with anxious/depressed, and somatic complaint symptoms in girls; no significant links were found for boys. The present study provided evidence that advanced pubertal status/stage as well as timing is positively associated with internalizing symptoms in girls; however, only pubertal status/stage was positively associated with withdrawn/depressed symptoms in boys. The study highlights the importance of pubertal development for internalizing symptoms in a developmental context known for high stress exposure, particularly for girls.
PubMed: 38938975
DOI: 10.1007/s40653-024-00610-z -
Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews Jun 2024The prenatal and neonatal periods are two of the most important developmental stages of the human brain. It is therefore crucial to understand normal brain development... (Review)
Review
The prenatal and neonatal periods are two of the most important developmental stages of the human brain. It is therefore crucial to understand normal brain development and how early connections are established during these periods, in order to advance the state of knowledge on altered brain development and eventually identify early brain markers of neurodevelopmental disorders and diseases. In this systematic review (Prospero ID: CRD42024511365), we compiled resting state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) studies in healthy fetuses and neonates, in order to outline the main characteristics of typical development of the functional brain connectivity during the prenatal and neonatal periods. A systematic search of five databases identified a total of 12 573 articles. Of those, 28 articles met pre-established selection criteria based determined by the authors after surveying and compiling the major limitations reported within the literature. Inclusion criteria were: (1) resting state studies; (2) presentation of original results; (3) use of fMRI with minimum one Tesla; (4) a population ranging from 20 weeks of GA to term birth (around 37-42 weeks of PMA); (5) singleton pregnancy with normal development (absence of any complications known to alter brain development). Exclusion criteria were: (1) preterm studies; (2) post-mortem studies; (3) clinical or pathological studies; (4) twin studies; (5) papers with a sole focus on methodology (i.e. focused on tool and analysis development); (6) volumetric studies; (7) activation map studies; (8) cortical analysis studies; (9) conference papers. A risk of bias assessment was also done to evaluate each article's methodological rigor. 1877 participants were included across all the reviewed articles. Results consistently revealed a developmental gradient of increasing functional brain connectivity from posterior to anterior regions and from proximal-to-distal regions. A decrease in local small-world organization shortly after birth was also observed; small-world characteristics were present in fetuses and newborns, but appeared weaker in the latter group. Also, the posterior-to-anterior gradient could be associated with earlier development of the sensorimotor networks in the posterior regions while more complex higher-order networks (e.g. attention-related) mature later in the anterior regions. The main limitations of this systematic review stem from the inherent limitations of functional imaging in fetuses, mainly: unevenly distributed populations and limited sample sizes; fetal movements in the womb and other imaging obstacles; and a large voxel resolution when imaging a small brain. Another limitation specific to this review is the relatively small number of included articles compared to very a large search result, which may have led to relevant articles having been overlooked.
PubMed: 38936564
DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2024.105778 -
Cognitive Research: Principles and... Jun 2024The presence of face masks can significantly impact processes related to trait impressions from faces. In the present research, we focused on trait impressions from...
The presence of face masks can significantly impact processes related to trait impressions from faces. In the present research, we focused on trait impressions from faces either wearing a mask or not by addressing how contextual factors may shape such inferences. In Study 1, we compared trait impressions from faces in a phase of the COVID-19 pandemic in which wearing masks was a normative behavior (T1) with those assessed one year later when wearing masks was far less common (T2). Results at T2 showed a reduced positivity in the trait impressions elicited by faces covered by a mask. In Study 2, it was found that trait impressions from faces were modulated by the background visual context in which the target face was embedded so that faces wearing a mask elicited more positive traits when superimposed on an indoor rather than outdoor visual context. Overall, the present studies indicate that wearing face masks may affect trait impressions from faces, but also that such impressions are highly flexible and can significantly fluctuate across time and space.
Topics: Humans; Masks; Female; Male; COVID-19; Adult; Young Adult; Facial Recognition; Social Perception; Facial Expression
PubMed: 38935222
DOI: 10.1186/s41235-024-00570-w -
Children (Basel, Switzerland) Jun 2024Early key visual skills, such as tracking objects, sustaining gaze, and shifting attention, rapidly develop within the first 6 months of infant life. These abilities... (Review)
Review
Early key visual skills, such as tracking objects, sustaining gaze, and shifting attention, rapidly develop within the first 6 months of infant life. These abilities play a significant role in the development of cognitive functions but are frequently compromised in infants at risk of developing neurodevelopmental disorders. This systematic review evaluates the potential of early vision function in the prediction of cognition at or above 12 months. Five databases were searched for relevant articles, and their quality was assessed with the Quality Assessment of Diagnostic Accuracy Studies tool. Eight studies were suitable, including 521 preterm-born infants at varying risk of developing Cerebral Palsy (CP). Each study showed a significant correlation between vision and cognitive outcome. Predictive analysis including sensitivity and specificity was possible for three studies. Methodological quality was variable. Sensitivity ranged between 57 and 100% in the vision function assessments items, while specificity ranged from 59 to 100%. In conclusion, early vision showed strong correlation with cognition ≥ 12 months. While no single vision assessment was found to be superior, evaluation of specific functions, namely fixation and following, both at term age and between 3 and 6 months, demonstrated strong predictive validity.
PubMed: 38929326
DOI: 10.3390/children11060747 -
Children (Basel, Switzerland) Jun 2024The Bruininks-Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency Second Edition (BOT-2) is the most common motor assessment in Korea. The BOT-2-Short Form (SF) is preferred over the...
The Bruininks-Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency Second Edition (BOT-2) is the most common motor assessment in Korea. The BOT-2-Short Form (SF) is preferred over the complete form (CF) in settings with limited time. The present study aimed to assess the validity of the BOT-2 SF in Korean school-age children. First, we verified that the BOT-2 SF reflects developmental changes in motor skills. Second, we compared the BOT-2 SF scores to those of the BOT-2 CF. A total of 283 Korean school-age children performed the BOT-2. The differences in the BOT-2 SF point according to age group (7 years, 8-9 years, and 10-12 years) were analyzed. A correlation analysis of the standard scores between the BOT-2 SF and CF was conducted. The sensitivity and specificity of the BOT-2 SF were calculated in reference to its CF. Overall, the BOT-2 SF point scores increased with age. The correlation between the total scores of the BOT-2 SF and CF was strong. The BOT-2 SF had a sensitivity of 83% and specificity of 92%. This study has demonstrated the validity of the BOT-2 SF in Korean school-age children. The BOT2 SF can be useful in screening Korean school-age children with motor skills problems.
PubMed: 38929303
DOI: 10.3390/children11060724 -
Children (Basel, Switzerland) Jun 2024Despite the high prevalence of developmental dyslexia in the U.S. population, research remains limited and possibly biased due to the overrepresentation of males in most...
Despite the high prevalence of developmental dyslexia in the U.S. population, research remains limited and possibly biased due to the overrepresentation of males in most dyslexic samples. Studying biological sex differences in the context of developmental dyslexia can help provide a more complete understanding of the neurological markers that underly this disorder. The current study aimed to explore sex differences in white matter diffusivity in typical and dyslexic samples in third and fourth graders. Participants were asked to complete behavioral/cognitive assessments at baseline followed by MRI scanning and diffusion-weighted imaging sequences. A series of ANOVAs were conducted for comparing group membership (developmental dyslexia or typically developing), gender status (F/M), and white matter diffusivity in the tracts of interest. The Results indicated significant differences in fractional anisotropy in the left hemisphere components of the inferior and superior (parietal and temporal) longitudinal fasciculi. While males with dyslexia had lower fractional anisotropy in these tracts compared to control males, no such differences were found in females. The results of the current study may suggest that females may use a more bilateral/alternative reading network.
PubMed: 38929300
DOI: 10.3390/children11060721