Sleep has been shown to assist with processes involved in self-regulation–the ability to control behavior, cognition, and emotion when challenged. As sleep decreases and toddlers begin their transition from physical to cognitive-based self-regulation strategies, they may struggle with controlling their emotions in trying situations. As such, Miller et al. conducted a study to investigates the impact of napping on self-regulation on toddler’s self-regulation skills.

Children in this study were assigned to either nap or no-nap conditions; both groups were given an unsolvable puzzle to complete an hour after their normal nap wake time. Overall, Miller et al. discovered that an absence of napping affects some, but not all self-regulation strategies, as children who didn’t nap showed decreases in skepticism and negative self-appraisal, and displayed increases in physical self-soothing and an insistence that they completed the unsolvable puzzle.

Thus, wakefulness in young children poorly impacts their capacity for self-regulation; this capacity can be restored through sleep. Further, children who didn’t nap resorted to old self-regulation strategies and were not attentive enough to the puzzle or their own abilities to recognize that the puzzle could not be completed. This study suggests that napping can aid young children with handling difficult emotions, and provides serious implications for school settings. Children who do not receive adequate sleep may struggle to remain engaged, assess their own abilities, and retain information that they learn. To fully understand the extent to which napping impacts self-regulation in older students, further research needs to be done.

Kylie Robinshaw

UConn KIDS, Research Assistant

Read the full article here

Today’s Friday Feature is Celine Li!

Celine currently works as the Program Coordinator for the TRANSCEND Ph.D. Training Program and is the project manager for the Socio-Emotional Competencies (SEC) project! Celine got her B.A. in Psychology at UC Berkeley in 2021 and a minor degree in Early Development and Learning Science. She is working alongside Caroline G. Richter, PhD, Fumiko Hoeft, MD Phd, and Jacqueline M. Chen, PhD on a study that evaluates a measure of socio-emotional competencies in children and adolescents (HR 18-113).

Celine’s lab is recruiting 11-14 year-olds for an exciting new project called Socio-Emotional Competencies study. All English-speaking children from 11  to 14 years of age are eligible to participate. Students with learning differences are encouraged to participate. In this study, children will complete a 60-90 minute assessment supervised by a research assistant via WebEx. In this session, you and your child can ask any questions you might have about the research. Participants who fully complete the assessment and survey will be mailed a $50 gift card. A resource guide will be provided at the conclusion of the study which will include helpful tips on how to improve your child’s socio-emotional skills. 

Celine’s experience growing up under fictive kinship has stamped her interest in researching the role of stress in psychological development. She’s particularly interested in understanding how we can expand our knowledge of resilience to better inform treatment and intervention for children and adults who experienced severe adversity, such as childhood trauma, disabilities, and mental health disorders. Her goal is to pursue a doctoral degree in clinical science/clinical psychology and become a research professor.

In her spare time, Celine loves spending time with her three pets, doing pilates and stretching. These activities really help her become more mindful and are her tools to cope with stress as well!

Montessori education was developed by Maria Montessori around 1900 and centers on learning through hands-on play and given materials. Children who attend Montessori schools are given the freedom to choose how they engage with the materials, and generally play in groups or individually. One unique aspect of Montessori schooling is that it does not use any reward or punishment system. It also focuses on the entirety of a child’s abilities, rather than just academic ability.

Recent research on the effectiveness of Montessori education is limited, yet the literature that exists displays the many benefits of Montessori schooling. Montessori education has been shown to correlate with higher reading and math scores, increased social skills, and heightened executive functioning in preschoolers. Montessori education has also been shown to have delayed effects on young children who enroll in it, as 3 years after completing Montessori school, the same preschoolers displayed increased growth in academics, theory of mind and mastery orientation.

Research on the advantages/disadvantages of enrolling children in Montessori education is still sparse and much remains to be studied within this domain.

Kylie Robinshaw

UConn KIDS, Research Assistant

Read more here

The benefits of reading stories to children go far beyond bonding and creating strong relationships. Stories can help children improve their theory of mind, empathy, self-regulation, and literary development. 

Social-emotional learning is the process of acquiring knowledge and applying it to different attitudes and skills necessary for understanding emotions. It helps us accomplish our goals, cultivate positive relationships, and show empathy for others. Many educators now recognize the importance of helping children learn social-emotional skills and work to develop them in the classroom.

Reading is one of the most beneficial ways to develop emotional recognition. It helps children identify others’ cues of what characters could be feeling. On top of this, reading can also help children learn empathy. By identifying characters’ emotions, children learn how to imagine what others are feeling. 

Reading stories ultimately fosters many essential skills for social-emotional development. It helps children learn empathy, self-regulation, perspective-taking, emotional recognition, and so much more. 

Read the full article here.

Emma Dineen

UConn KIDS, Research Assistant

According to new research published in the journal Epidemiology and Psychiatric Sciences, harsh discipline by parents on young children puts them at a higher risk of developing long-term mental health problems. Physical or psychological punishment, as well as hostile parenting, can increase the likelihood of children experiencing mental health symptoms. The study followed over 7,500 Irish children at three, five, and nine years old, tracking their mental health symptoms. 10% of the children were discovered to be at high risk for poor mental health. Children who had experienced hostile parenting were significantly more likely to fall into this category. Although many factors influence children’s mental health, the study emphasizes the significance of parenting in a child’s upbringing.

Multiple risk factors influence children’s mental health, including gender, physical health, and socioeconomic status. Mental health professionals, teachers, and other practitioners should be aware of the potential impact of parenting on a child exhibiting symptoms of poor mental health. According to the study, providing additional support to parents of children who are already considered at risk could help prevent these issues from developing.

Read the full article here

Hsin-Yu Huang

UConn KIDS Research Assistant

A study was conducted to see if a school-based sexual health education program called High School FLASH could reduce homophobia and transphobia while also preventing unintended pregnancy and STIs. The study assessed the program’s impact on 20 schools in the Midwest and South of the United States. LGBTQ students are frequently subjected to discrimination and victimization at school, which has a negative impact on their academic and mental health outcomes. By providing inclusive curricula that affirm all identities and orientations, schools can help to create safe and inclusive environments for all students. Even curricula that claim to be inclusive may not accurately represent LGBTQ people.

 

FLASH employs a systematic approach to instill inclusivity throughout the curriculum by providing visibility, normalizing a diverse range of identities, portraying LGBTQ individuals in positive situations, and employing nuanced language. It was discovered that the program reduced homophobic and transphobic beliefs in both straight cisgender and LGBTQ students. The decrease in prejudice among straight cisgender students reflects an improvement in how they perceive LGBTQ peers, potentially leading to a better school climate. FLASH is the first evidence-based teen pregnancy prevention program to address prejudice against LGBTQ people.

 

Read the full article here

Hsin-Yu Huang

Fairness, or what is seen as just treatment and what’s not, is a culturally-bound word, as the concept and perception of fairness differ by what culture you’re examining. The idea of fairness can be split into two separate categories: disadvantageous inequity aversion ( and advantageous inequity aversion. Disadvantageous inequity aversion occurs when one avoids receiving less than a peer, and advantageous inequity aversion occurs when one avoids receiving more than a peer. Studies on the two have been mostly done in Western societies, and have found that disadvantageous inequity aversion emerges when a child is 4-years-old, and advantageous inequity when a child is 8. In their study, Blake et al. examine the development of both inequity aversions in 866 children aged 4-15 years old from different countries to examine if there any cross-cultural differences exist.

Children in this study played an inequality game with another child in which they were randomly assigned to the disadvantageous or advantageous inequity conditions. Children in the game were randomly assigned to play against a child whose age was similar to theirs and played the game for 16 trials.

Overall, it was found that disadvantageous inequity aversion emerged early in childhood in all 7 countries studied, suggesting that this is a general feature of human behavior. Advantageous inequity aversion was present in only the Western societies and Uganda (Ugandan children frequently interact with Western teachers and researchers) and emerged by late childhood, suggesting that it may be a culturally-bound behavior. Further, the different ages of onset between disadvantageous and advantageous inequity aversion suggests that both may be supported by different psychological processes. Overall, the idea of fairness has cross-cultural differences and similarities as evidenced by Blake et al.

Kylie Robinshaw

Research Assistant, UConn KIDS

Read the full article here

Joel Baraka grew up in the Kyangwali refugee camp in Uganda. He became the founder of a nonprofit with the mission of making education accessible to refugee children in Uganda after he left the camp. In this ted talk, he spoke about how fun educational board games can be effective to help improve a child’s access to learning in a refugee camp.

 

Read the full article here

Hsin-Yu Huang

UConn KIDS Research Assistant

Parents are constantly looking for ways to help their children thrive. Many parents are familiar with the idea that children learn through play; however, play is especially important for children diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, or ADHD. Children with ADHD sometimes need additional help settling down and focusing their attention. Play can be a helpful solution to calming children with ADHD down.

It’s important to understand the importance of play. Neuroscientist and psychobiologist Jaak Panksepp discovered that play stimulates brain development during early childhood. He argued that intensive social play interventions can alleviate ADHD symptoms in children. Play ultimately aids in frontal lobe maturation. Frontal lobe maturation increases children’s capacity for self-reflection, imagination, and empathy. On top of this, play can improve social skills, fine and gross motor skills, creativity, teamwork, patience, attention skills, and so much more.

Many children, especially those with ADHD, need time to be active and explore their imagination. Taking time to play with children can significantly help their development. It’s important to encourage children to play as often as possible as it can improve their behavior and attention span.

Read the full article here

Emma Dineen

Research Assistant, UConn KIDS

 

Preschoolers were asked whether they would rather learn from a competent robot or an incompetent human. The study found that five-year-olds preferred learning from a competent robot over a human, while three-year-olds had no preference. To see if the morphology of the robot affected the children’s trust strategies, the researchers used two different robots, one with humanoid characteristics and one with a truck shape. The results were similar, indicating that the appearance of the robot has no effect on children’s selective trust. The research expands on prior findings that children attribute certain human-like characteristics to robots.

Read the full article here

Hsin-Yu Huang

UConn KIDS Research Assistant