Infants Learn By Doing

   We know that our minds control our actions, but do our actions influence our minds? Psychology researchers have recently tackled this question by looking at how physical movements influence learning in infants and young children.
    One new study examined how three-month-olds learn about others’ goals based on their own actions. Infants sat for a few minutes and either played with some toys themselves using Velcro “sticky” mittens that helped them move the toys around or they just watched the experimenter play with the toys. Afterwards, infants watched the experimenter pick up one of the two toys until the infant lost interest. The position of the toys was then switched, and infants saw the experimenter do one of two things: either perform the same action as before (the hand reached out and grabbed the toy on the left) but the outcome was different (a different toy was picked up than before), or the experimenter’s hand performed a different action (the hand reached out and grabbed the toy on the right) but the outcome was the same as before (the same toy was picked up as before). The researchers measured how long the infants looked at each event to determine whether they found either one surprising.
    Infants who played with the toys themselves looked longer at the event with the different outcome than event with the same outcome. What does this mean? Infants are able to learn about others’ desires by applying what they know about how they perform actions in the world. They learn that their actions can be directed toward specific outcomes, although this learning is still limited. So what’s the takeaway? Passive learning is not very effective learning, therefore it is crucial that children – and even young babies – act on their own world while learning – i.e., active learning – in order to gain the most knowledge.

To read a more details description of this study and its finding, please click here:


Also, to watch a brief video demonstrating the infants’ use of the Velcro mittens, please click here:

Combating the Vocabulary Gap Between Rich and Poor Children

          Recent research has raised concerns that the vocabulary gap is widening between children from families of varying socioeconomic status. By 18 months, socioeconomic status differences in language processing skills and vocabulary are already visible. By the time a child is three-years-old, those growing up in lower-income families may hear up to 30 million fewer words than children from higher-income families. What does this mean for these children as they grow up? By the time a child is ready to attend school, those from lower-income families have been shown to score two years behind on standardized language development tests.

            What is causing this gap to emerge as early as infancy? Researchers believe parenting styles and home learning environments are the two most crucial factors contributing to income-related gaps in school readiness. Many parents don’t realize the power they hold to foster learning in their children prior to beginning formal education. The good news is that if parents are given the proper knowledge and skills, they can help close this vocabulary gap starting with their own children.

Toddlers learn vocabulary through context, so the faster a child recognizes words they already know, the better they can figure out and learn the following words in the sentence. A parents’ best bet to combating this language and vocabulary gap is to turn off the television, read to their child, and use more child-directed speech. These simple techniques have shown greater efficacy in children’s language processing, therefore increasing a child’s vocabulary. Researchers have created a simple method for parents and caregivers to use to expand a child’s vocabulary:

·      Tune In: pay attention to what the child is focused on or is communicating to you

·      Talk More: use lots of descriptive words to build their vocabulary

·      Take Turns: engage in conversations with the child

By utilizing these three simple methods, parents can help increase their children’s

vocabulary at an early age. High school achievement gaps between socioeconomic statuses are already visible in kindergarten. Since most language development and vocabulary gaps are already evident by age two, it is critical to encourage development early on to prevent a ripple effect throughout the rest of the child’s life. However, parent education intervention studies with low-income families have shown very promising results. By using techniques to foster language development early, parents have the ability to change their child’s life trajectory.  

To read more details about this article and the studies discussed, please click here.

Understanding Children's Emotions

    Understanding the importance of emotions in children is crucial to understanding how emotions guide their thoughts and behaviors. Recent research has defined interest as a key emotion that may be the first to develop in infancy, then later stimulates children’s curiosity, motivating them to explore the world around them and to learn from their experiences.  Parents are encouraged to respond enthusiastically to their children’s interests, increasing opportunities for meaningful conversations which builds stronger family relationships.

     Although some children don’t show “typical” interests (e.g. reading or school work), parents are encouraged to determine what does interest their child, and to engage in their interests. Over time, parents can help their child turn theses interests into constructive projects, but parents must meet them half way through support and encouragement.

To read a more detailed article about this concept of understanding children's emotions, click on the following link: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/kenneth-barish-phd/understanding-childrens-e_b_3594455.html .

What interests and activities do your children enjoy? How do you encourage your children to pursue their interests? Submit your comments below! 

How much do you think you know?

Children and adults often think they know a great deal about how things work in the world around them. However, when asked to explain in detail how these things work (e.g. how a bicycle works), adults and children (especially) actually do not know as much as they initially stated. Children in particular lack the ability to understand what they know and what they don't know, as well as knowing when they learned something. Although the ability to understand one's own knowledge becomes more refined into adulthood, it is still a common difficulty found in adults. 

Please click on the link below to watch a fun video demonstrating children's intellectual humility and to read more about this process. 

http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/developing-minds/201309/knowing-what-we-know

How to encourage good behavior in your child

Parents often resort to using bribes to encourage their children to engage in desired behaviors, but research shows that bribes do not work in the long run. What should parents use instead of bribes to encourage good behavior in their children? Here's a few take home messages from the New York Times article provided below:

•  Turn every task or behavior into a game
• Make it a challenge for your child to engage in a specific behavior or task
• Give prizes spontaneously
• Give your child a choice in what they'd like as a reward
• Use praise as a reward
• Focus on the process it took to achieve the desired behavior, don't focus on just the desired behavior

To read the full article, visit http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/13/fashion/modifying-a-

childs-behavior-without-resorting-to-bribes-this-life.html?pagewanted=1 .

How do we know what other people think?

A recent study found that reading fiction improved adults’ ability to figure out what other people are feeling. Knowing what other people feel or think is a skill psychologists call “theory of mind” and it turns out to be an important part of social interaction. Theory of mind begins developing in infancy, and it continues improving throughout childhood.

One of the goals of the MSU MAP project is to better understand how the development of theory of mind relates to children’s thinking about their own knowledge.

Although we don’t know whether reading fiction also improves children’s theory of mind, there is plenty of evidence that reading has other benefits for children thinking and reasoning skills. Looking for good books to read with your child? Check out the New York Public Library’s recent list of 100 great children’s books: http://www.nypl.org/childrens100

Comment below with some of your favorite children's books!

Picture of the Week!

Below is a picture of our child-friendly waiting room here at the KID Lab.