Have you ever felt nervous on behalf of someone else? Empathetic anxiety, or feeling anxious when you feel that someone else is anxious, is a well documented phenomena. This phenomena applies to children as well, however what is less known is how shy children respond to seeing a peer in stress. Shy kids are often seen by their peers as less empathetic, because of their tendency to say little and not interact with their peers. However, it is likely that they are just as empathetic as their peers, but just show it a little differently.

To test this, the researchers set up a study where they would observe shy children upon seeing a peer in a stressful situation. Heart rate was recorded as a measure of anxiety: higher heart rate corresponded with higher levels of stress and anxiety. Children were assigned to pairs, and then had to take turns giving a 3-5 minute speech in front of the other child and a few other strangers. Both children were recorded during the preparation and presentation of the speech. The presenting child behavior was analyzed for physical indications of stress, which the observing child’s heart rate was recorded. The children also took a questionnaire prior to this to determine levels of shyness, allowing the researchers to draw correlations between levels of shyness and stress when observing people with varying degrees of visible anxiety.

The results of the study show that children’s shyness was correlated with stress in the context of their peer’s social stress, especially if the presenting peer was exhibiting visible signs of anxiety. For example, if a shy kid was observing their peer give a speech and they exhibited many anxious behaviors while speaking, the shy kid would experience more stress than if their peer hadn’t been exhibiting so many anxious behaviors. Anxious behaviors include things like stuttering, mumbling, and avoiding eye contact. Interestingly enough, the study also indicated that when the child presenting seemed confident, shy children were more likely to have a decreased heart rate, corresponding to lowering levels of stress.

The results of this study indicate that shy children are able to recognize and empathize with the social stress of a peer, going so far as to feel the stress themselves. Contradictory to what some may think about shy kids, they are in fact quite empathetic to their peers. Their perceived lack of empathy might be more about a lesser amount of obvious empathic behaviors rather than feeling less empathy than a child that is not shy.

To learn more and read the full article, click here!

Afrah Rafi

UConn KIDS Research Assistant

Welcome back to Trivia Tuesday with UConn KIDS!

Last week’s question: By age 8, about what percent of U.S. children have regular access to a tablet or smartphone?

Answer: 50% of U.S. children have regular access to a tablet or smartphone.

This week’s trivia question is:

Talking to babies has proven to be extremely beneficial to their language development. How many more words do babies who are frequently spoken to recognize versus those who aren’t? 

A)  500 words

B) 200 words

C) 300 words

D) 700 words

Tune in next week to find out the answer!

Smiles and sales alike increase when the weather is warm! In both statistics and in our lived experiences, it is well known that human behavior is affected by the weather. On UConn Campus, the weather isn’t just a good indicator of how many people will be on Horsebarn Hill or tanning around Mirror Lake. The sunshine, temperature, and humidity outside are often associated with class attendance, morale, and even academic performance! While many of these phenomena are well studied in adults, this study dives right into the effects of weather on children in preschool!

In this study, researchers explored how temperature, sunshine, and humidity relate to young children’s (age 3-5) emotions and classroom behavior. Over one month, mothers rated their children’s positive and negative moods, while teachers reported on behaviors like anxiety, aggression, and helpfulness. The researchers then compared these ratings with daily weather conditions.

The findings were fascinating. Warm, comfortable temperatures and increased sunshine were linked to more positive social behavior, especially for children who tend to experience higher levels of negative emotions. In other words, sunny days seemed to help emotionally sensitive children engage more positively with peers. On the other hand, high humidity was associated with decreases in helpful, prosocial behavior and increases in acting-out behaviors. Interestingly, this effect was strongest in children who are typically well-adjusted, suggesting that even easygoing kids may struggle a bit more on sticky, humid days.

To read more, click here!

Cooper Armogida

UConn KIDS Research Assistant

Many parents worry when their children fight often. It can be stressful to hear that constant bickering, but conflict is actually a normal part of sibiling relationships and child development!

Sibilings spend a lot of their time together. Sharing toys, space, and attention can make disagreements bound to happen. Young children may not know how to express their feelings clearly, and older children tend to get annoyed easier. These differences in sibilings can lead to conflict, but this is expected.

Sibiling relationships are never entirely positive or negative. One moment they can be laughing and playing, and the next they are ‘enemies’. This does not mean that the realtionship is unhealthy, but it shows that they are learning how to navigate social interaction properly.

Conflict supports development and helps children learn important life skills. They can learn how to problem-solve, better understand other’s feeligs, control their emotions, and develop a sense of independence. These are all interpersonal skills they will need to create a healthy social life.

This article takes a look at the ‘essential ingredients’ and important factors in a sibiling relationship. Parents play a very important role in helping to build healthy relationships. They can stay calm during conflicts, help children talk through their problems, teach simpler problem-solving and emotional regulation skills, encourage shared activities, and treat children fairly and with respect. Instead of stopping every argument, parents can guide children towards better ways of learning to manage conflict. The goal is not to eliminate conflict, but help children learn to handle it in a healthy way.

Click here to read more!

Grace Hoey

UConn KIDS Research Assistant

We all know comic books for the eye-catching art and fast-paced storytelling, but can they be used in the classroom too?

In his Ted Talk “How comic books can help you learn” Gene Luen Yang says absolutely! Comic books appeal to kids in an age when they are so accustomed to visual media. As a tool for education, comic books allow students the flexibility to read as slow or as fast as they need, something that tradition lecture styles make difficult. They’ve been popular for decades now, but are now making their way into the classroom as more and more comic book writers focus on writing educations stories. Comic books are also getting kids to read more in general, something we know is so important for kids during these foundational years of education.

Click here to watch the full video and learn more!

Afrah Rafi

UConn KIDS Research Assistant

The presence of AI is more prevalent than many realize: social media algorithms, generative AI, conversational agents. Between Alexa, Siri, and ChatGPT, it is important for parents, caregivers, and teachers alike to understand the impact of AI exposure and interaction on their children’s development as we continue to advance towards an AI-driven society.

Interaction and use of AI presents two major concerns in children’s critical thinking and social development. While AI offers instant access to information and assistance, it can inhibit children’s ability to think critically and evaluate the credibility of the information given to them. However, this issue can be easily resolved by educating children in AI literacy. It is important for children to understand the information that AI presents is not always correct. Similar to evaluating information and news in the media, educators should emphasize the potential spread of misinformation in AI. Reflection prompts installed by developers operate alongside educators in alleviating this issue as they attempt to encourage critical thinking in children. These efforts are in place in many conversational AI tools.

Engagement with AI can also have a significant effect on children’s social interaction and politeness. Children can pick up linguistic habits from AI and implement them to social interactions with their families and peers. Since AI cannot replicate real conversations and does not always follow typical social norms or encourage the use of polite language, engagement with AI can result in rude or inappropriate language in children. In the same way, since communicating with AI is not the same as human interaction, these interactions lack empathy and shared experiences. While developers have begun to introduce politeness through the implementation of polite sayings like “Thank you” in response to the use of “Please”, AI can never replace true companionship or human interaction.

Despite these concerns, AI can provide potential benefits to children’s development within certain parameters. AI developed with learning principles can provide productive scaffolding in directing students’ work and tools in improving task performance to encourage critical thinking. Alongside the efforts by educators, this collaboration between teachers and developers is essential in ensuring children are supported rather than hindered by AI.

To learn more, click here!

Thank you!

Chelsey Ko

UConn KIDS Research Assistant

Welcome back to Trivia Tuesday with UConn KIDS!

 

Last week’s question was “What sense is most developed at birth?

The answer is: B) Hearing

 

This week’s trivia question is:

By age 8, about what percentage of U.S. children have regular access to a smartphone or tablet?

A)  50%

B) 75%

C) 90%

D 97.5%

STAY TUNED NEXT WEEK!

With all the recent snow days, parents might be stuck at home hearing a lot of “I’m bored” from their kids all day. While most parents feel pressure to fix it right away, this article brings up great points that explain how boredom is actually not a bad thing.

1. Boredom helps kids slow down and notice the world around them. Instead of always being on screens or in planned activities, they start paying attention to small things and learning naturally. Kids are naturally curious, and working with their imagination, boredom gives them opportunities to explore.

2. Mental breaks are important. Being constantly busy can be overwhelming, and boredom gives their brains time to rest.

3. Creativity flourishes when kids are bored. They have to come up with their own ideas, like building something, pretending, or making games. These moments help them learn how to solve problems on their own. If everything is always planned for them, they do not get that chance.

4. Boredom also helps kids become more independent. Even something simple like figuring out what to do during a snow day teaches decision making and responsibility. These small moments actually matter more than they may seem.

Especially during snow days, it might be okay to let kids be bored sometimes instead of trying to fill every moment. That space helps them grow!

Click here to read more!

Grace Hoey

UConn KIDS Research Assistant

Grace Hoey is a Spring 2026 research assistant for UConn KIDS. She is a sophomore majoring in Human Development & Family Sciences and is in the Early Childhood Specializations program. She also works with the infants at the Child Development Labs. After graduation, she plans to attend occupational therapy school. Grace is so excited to have this opportunity!

Have you ever wondered how your baby’s exposure shapes them as a person?

DeeDee Yates’ TED Talk, “Do the first 1,000 days determine the rest of your life?” explores this concept by examining the scale of influences on an infant’s development. In this video, she emphasizes the importance of early interventions within babies’ first 1,000 days after birth, acknowledges the numerous stages they pass through and begin with, and the several factors that can affect and shape them during this period.

Click here to watch this video and learn more!

Chelsey Ko

UConn KIDS Research Assistant