Development Across the Life Span

The relation between social and cognitive development has been important in several accounts of infant development. Piaget’s theory specifies that social and cognitive development become significant at eight months and are closely linked thereafter. Brazelton and Trevarthen emphasize the role of social development and social interaction from the first months on. Neither theory predominates today, but studies of new topics such as the infant’s discrimination of people and objects may help decide which is correct. In contrast to the question of when infants distinguish the social from the cognitive, it is obvious that the social and physical environments of the child are fundamentally different all along. Adults, and not objects, have expectations for infant development and adjust their behaviour in line with those expectations. The research on developmental outcome preserves this difference. Cognitive development in infancy proceeds normally in a great many environments. Social development, on the other hand, has been found to vary with the characteristics of the caregiver. This difference between social and cognitive development is interpretable in terms of the difference between the social and physical worlds.

Active sport tourists are part of an increasingly specialised sector of the tourism industry. However, at present we know little about these people whose primary purpose for taking vacations is to engage in their favourite sport activities. The purpose of this study, therefore, ivas (i) to identify and explain the patterns of participation in sport tourism over the life course for men and women; (ii) to identify the characteristics of sport tourists during early adulthood (17—39 years), middle adulthood (40-59 years) and late adulthood (60-91 years), and (iii) to propose strategies for marketing sport tourism at different stages in the life course. A purposive sample of 1,277 New England residents completed a fixed choice questionnaire measuring tourist role preference (activities and behaviour while on vacation), socio-psychological needs and demographics. Of these 1,277 individuals, 621 are sport tourists (279 males and 342 females) ranging in age from 18 to 91 years, with a mean age of 41.92 years (SD 16.8). The results indicate that while active sport tourism is most popular among individuals in early adulthood, a sizable number of both men and women choose sport-oriented vacations in middle and late adulthood as well. Throughout the life course, active sport tourists tend to be healthy, prioritise the play element in their lives, and are relatively affluent and well educated. Changes which occur over the life course relate to choice of companion(s) while on vacation. I n early and late adulthood, many sport tourists report travelling with groups of friends while those in middle adulthood tend to travel with their families. The results are interpreted within a Levinsonian framework, and, implications for segmenting the active sport tourist market using a life-span approach are discussed.

Although recent research has focused on the effects of maternal eating disorders (EDs) on children, little is known about the effect of maternal EDs on neurobiological outcomes in newborns and infants. This study is the first to investigate neurobehavioural regulation and cognitive development in newborns and infants of mothers with EDs. Women with an active and past ED and healthy controls were recruited to a prospective longitudinal study during their first trimester or second trimester of pregnancy. Newborns and infants of mothers with ED were compared with newborns and infants of healthy controls on (a) neurobehavioural dysregulation using the Brazelton Neonatal Behavioural Assessment Scale at 8days postpartum (active ED, n=15; past ED, n=20; healthy controls, n=28); and (b) cognitive development using the Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development at 1-year postpartum (active ED, n=18; past ED, n=19; healthy controls, n=28). In order to maintain the largest possible sample at each time point, sample size varied across time points. Newborns of mothers with an active ED had worse autonomic stability when compared with newborns of healthy controls [B=-0.34 (-1.81, -0.26)]. Infants of mothers with a past ED had poorer language [B=-0.33 (-13.6, -1.9)] and motor development [B=-0.32 (-18.4, -1.3)] compared with healthy controls. Children of mothers with ED display neurobehavioural dysregulation early after birth and poorer language and motor development at 1year. These characteristics suggest evidence of early neurobiological markers in children at risk. Differential outcomes in children of women with active versus past ED suggest that active symptomatology during pregnancy might have an effect on physiological reactivity while cognitive characteristics might be more stable markers of risk for ED.

There is currently no systematic review of the growing body of literature on using social robots in early developmental research. Designing appropriate methods for early childhood research is crucial for broadening our understanding of young children's social and cognitive development. This scoping review systematically examines the existing literature on using social robots to study social and cognitive development in infants and toddlers aged between 2 and 35 months. Moreover, it aims to identify the research focus, findings, and reported gaps and challenges when using robots in research. We included empirical studies published between 1990 and May 29, 2023. We searched for literature in PsychINFO, ERIC, Web of Science, and PsyArXiv. Twenty-nine studies met the inclusion criteria and were mapped using the scoping review method. Our findings reveal that most studies were quantitative, with experimental designs conducted in a laboratory setting where children were exposed to physically present or virtual robots in a one-to-one situation. We found that robots were used to investigate four main concepts: animacy concept, action understanding, imitation, and early conversational skills. Many studies focused on whether young children regard robots as agents or social partners. The studies demonstrated that young children could learn from and understand social robots in some situations but not always. For instance, children's understanding of social robots was often facilitated by robots that behaved interactively and contingently. This scoping review highlights the need to design social robots that can engage in interactive and contingent social behaviors for early developmental research.

Maternal avoidance, anxiety cognitions and interactive behaviour predicts infant development at 12 months in the context of anxiety disorders in the postpartum period

Thoughts about the role of development in schizophrenia have evolved in recent decades.Early formulations of the "neurodevelopmental hypothesis" suggested mechanisms whereby "probably congenital and static" neurophysiological insults might remain for the most part silent, behaviorally, until the onset of schizophrenia in late adolescence or early adulthood (1).Recent versions reflect a more dynamic view of the densely interacting effects of biology and environment on behavior over the course of development (2).They also emphasize the now extensive evidence that some children who will later have schizophrenia show marked abnormalities in motor, cognitive, emotional, and social development years before the onset of psychotic symptoms (3).Among these developmental manifestations, an increasing lagin intellectual development during childhood may show some specificity in prediction of later psychosis (4), while motor, emotional, and social problems seem to be nonspecific risk factors for a variety of adult neuropsychiatric outcomes (3).

Games and toys are important elements that facilitate children's adaptation to the world. Games are an effective learning method that supports children's social, physical, and cognitive development. Children's games and the toys they use are greatly influenced by the people around them. Especially in the preschool period, parents’ game the most crucial role for children. Children often explore their first games and toys with their parents, and these initial toys are usually provided by parents. The level of knowledge that parents have about games and toys determines the games children will Game and the toys they will use. The aim of this study is to identify the roles of parents in the game’s children play and the toys they use. A qualitative approach was adopted using semi-structured interviews in the research. Twenty families with children participated in the study. The collected data were analysed using descriptive analysis. When the research results are examined, it is observed that parents pay attention to children's preferences, toy quality, and children's developmental level when choosing toys. It is believed that these toys contribute to children's cognitive, emotional, and physical development. In addition, computer games, ball games, chess, hide-and-seek, and other games are among the preferred games parents Game with their children. According to parents, these games not only increase children's happiness but also strengthen family bonds, boost self-confidence, and contribute to their socialization.

Background: The postpartum period has a strong position as a risk factor for the development of serious mood disorders that can lead to postpartum blues and even depression. Postpartum blues is one of the adjustment disorders after childbirth in the form of feelings of sadness and anxiety that occur on day 3 to day 5 in the first 14 days after childbirth. This condition can cause bounding attachment problems between mother and baby, delays in physical, social, and cognitive development in infants. In other aspects, it affects postpartum care, maternal health, and greatly affects the mother's quality of life. Methods: This study was a type of quantitative research with a quasy experiment design. Total population of 50 mothers with total sampling, the number of samples of this study was 50 respondents. Observations were made twice, namely before and after the experiment and there was a control and intervention group (25 samples/group). Results: There was a rfesignificant difference in the average postpartum blues (EPDS score) before and after being given an educational video in the intervention group with a p-value of 0.000 (p <0.05). The data normality test used Shapiro Wilk with the results of the normally distributed data with a p value of >0.05. The bivariate test uses the paired t-test, which is to determine the effect of educational videos as an effort to reduce the incidence of postpartum blues before and after the provision of educational videos in the intervention group and control group. There was a decrease in EPDS scores with a difference between post-test and pre-test of 5.16. Researchers 95% believe that the difference in EPDS scores before the educational video with EPDS scores after education is between 4.53 to 5.80l. Conclusion: Video education is proven to have an effect on reducing the incidence of postpartum blues in the group given educational videos. Respondents in the intervention group experienced a significant decrease in postpartum blues compared to the control group.

The houses which are not suitable for children’s behavioral needs and are not proportionate to their cognitive patterns cannot play a significant role in reinforcing children’s physical and mental development process. Meanwhile, living in these houses is inevitable due to numerous reasons including economy. The extreme results of this form of life can lead to consequences such as children’s overweight, spatial cognition development problems in analyzing and recognizing the environment, children’s sociability problems as well as an increase in the number of children whose physical development does not match their age range. In such situation, taking residential spaces which are suitable for children into account can be influential in their cognitive and behavioral patterns development. Therefore, the present study aims to scrutinize the appropriate features of children’s spaces through their recognition and understanding of their behavioral and cognitive characteristics. These spaces need to match their behavioral features and should meet their cognitive needs. To this end, the functions of spaces in connection with children and their influential spatial characteristics were determined through the analysis of the data collected from library resources. Thereafter, these initial features were adjusted to the opinions of architectural experts and professors. To this purpose, correlation research approach and survey questionnaire technique were applied. Finally, the achieved data was analyzed using factor analysis statistical test in SPSS software. In the end, using the findings of theoretical field studies, the necessary features of residential spaces that should be adjusted to children’s cognitive and behavioral needs were provided.

Globally, over 200 million children experience physical and mental underdevelopment due to a variety of reasons, particularly inadequate nutrition. In low-and middle-income countries (LMIC), hidden hunger, a condition in which diets are deficient in micronutrients essential for physical and mental development, is a common problem. Compared to plant-source foods, animal-source foods (ASF) contain higher quality and more bioavailable forms of several essential micronutrients as well as essential polyunsaturated fatty acids and higher quality protein. Due to the critical role these macro and micronutrients play in children's cognitive and physical development, ASF should be a vital component of their diets. Studies have demonstrated compelling evidence on the potential of ASF consumption by infants, children, pregnant, and lactating women to aid cognitive development of children. However, the evidence, is not conclusive, as some studies, especially those with confounding factors, showed no positive relationship between ASF consumption and cognitive development. Due to logistical, methodological and ethical difficulties, most studies that examined the effect of ASF on cognitive development are retrospective observational studies that do not enable effective separation of confounding factors. Producing conclusive evidence that can influence nutrition policy and guidelines will require large-scale, controlled interventional studies, preferably across countries or cultures. Unfortunately, per capita consumption of ASF, especially by infants, children, and mothers, in LMIC is very low compared to World Health Organization (WHO) recommendations. This is due to multiple and complex factors. First, there is the issue of unaffordability, which is due to a large extent to the low livestock productivity among smallholders who are the main livestock producers in LMIC. Even when ASF is affordable, there are many socio-economic, cultural, and religious barriers that limit ASF consumption by children and women. To prevent cognitive impairment among children in LMIC, concerted multisectoral approaches are needed. These should aim to improve livestock productivity in LMIC, generate robust policy-influencing evidence about their dietary importance and raise awareness about the value of ASF in the diet.

The present article examines Big Five personality development across adolescence and middle adulthood. Two adolescents and their fathers and mothers from 285 Dutch families rated their own and their family members' personality. Using accelerated longitudinal growth curve analyses, mean level change in Big Five factors was estimated. For boys, Extraversion and Openness decreased and for girls, Extraversion, Agreeableness, Conscientiousness, and Openness increased. Whereas mothers' Emotional Stability and Conscientiousness increased, fathers' Extraversion, Agreeableness, and Emotional Stability decreased. Differences in self‐ and other‐reported personality change were found, as well as interindividual differences in personality change. Results confirm that personality change is possible across the life course but these changes are not similar for all individuals and depend on the type of observer. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

The present study examined psychological factors associated with helping behaviour. Study attempts to see the effect of age and gender on wellness, distress, personal meaning and self-esteem amongst helpers contributing time or money to orphanage or old age home and non-helpers. The sample consisted of 624 men and women between 30-60 years of age, comprising of 312 social helpers and 312 non helpers divided into early, middle and late adulthood. The PGI Wellness Scale, General Health Questionnaire-12, Wong’s Brief Personal Meaning Profile and Rosenberg’s Self Esteem Scale were individually administered to the participants. Multivariate analysis of Variances MANOVA was used for statistical computation. Results indicate that there is a significant effect of age on helping behaviour in terms of distress and personal meaning. Distress is high in early adulthood whereas personal meaning in life was found to be high in middle adulthood. In terms of gender, it was noted that females have significantly high level of stress while males have significantly high personal meaning and self-esteem. Implications are discussed in terms of prosocial behaviour contributing to mental health of helpers and its possible contribution in mental health recovery.

Studying the motor sphere of preschool children with mental development delay

Early childhood education (ECE) settings play an important role in child development, including children’s physical development. However, ECE educators have low competence and confidence in facilitating learning experiences that promote physical development. Content delivered in teacher education may influence educator’s knowledge, competence, and confidence in this area. No studies have comprehensively explored early childhood teacher education in Australia to determine if such content is included. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the subject offerings of early childhood degrees from Australian universities and to narratively analyze the content of subject descriptions and subject overviews related to physical development. A desktop audit of Australian university undergraduate early childhood degrees was conducted. Subjects for early childhood degrees were categorized based on their title. Subject overviews and general outlines for subjects which broadly focused on physical development were inductively analyzed. Australian early childhood teacher education degrees offer a variety of subjects, including subjects that focused on play, health and wellbeing, and physical education. No subjects specifically focused on child physical development. We suggest early childhood teacher education degrees need to reconsider their subject offerings and include at least one subject that focus on physical development. Physical development is critically important as it underpins children’s social, emotional, language, and cognitive development. This study highlights a potential content area that could be included in early childhood teacher education degrees within the Australian context and internationally.

Cognitive and Neurocognitive Development in Adolescence