Is middle childhood attachment related to social functioning in young adulthood?

Theory of mind (ToM) development is critical to effective social functioning and appears to depend on complementary language abilities. The current study explored the mediating influence of language on the development of cognitive and affective ToM. 151 children aged between 5-12 years completed ToM (cognitive and affective) and language assessments, and parents provided ratings of their child’s empathic ability. Results showed that language mediated the relationship between age and both cognitive and affective ToM, but not parent-reported cognitive empathy. Examination of younger and older subgroups revealed that language mediated cognitive and affective ToM differently across developmental periods. Findings highlight the dynamic role that language plays in the development of both cognitive and affective ToM throughout early and middle childhood.

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The role of children's perception of friendship in social functioning and emotional adjustment in middle childhood

PsycEXTRA Dataset ◽

10.1037/e588102009-023 ◽

1997 ◽

Author(s):

Michael E. Whitcomb ◽

Amy D. Bellmore ◽

Antonius H. N. Cillessen

Keyword(s):

Social Functioning ◽

Middle Childhood ◽

Emotional Adjustment

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Attachment and Social Functioning: A Longitudinal Study from Infancy to Middle Childhood

Social Development ◽

10.1111/1467-9507.00109 ◽

2000 ◽

Vol 9 (1) ◽

pp. 24-39 ◽

Cited By ~ 136

Author(s):

Gunilla Bohlin ◽

Berit Hagekull ◽

Ann‐Margret Rydell

Keyword(s):

Longitudinal Study ◽

Social Functioning ◽

Middle Childhood

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Situational Modulation of Emotion Recognition Abilities in Children With Secure and Insecure Attachment: The Role of Gender

Practice in Clinical Psychology ◽

10.32598/jpcp.8.3.10.606.1 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 8 (3) ◽

pp. 183-192

Author(s):

Leila Mirbagheri ◽

◽

Ali Khatibi ◽

Parisa Seyed Mousavi ◽

◽

...

Keyword(s):

Emotion Recognition ◽

Attachment Style ◽

Middle Childhood ◽

Attachment Styles ◽

Insecure Attachment ◽

Fearful Faces ◽

Intensity Rating ◽

Childhood Attachment ◽

Iranian Students

Objective: Considering the role of attachment in the emotional development of children, the purpose of this study was to test the situational modulation of emotion recognition in children with secure/insecure attachment with regard to gender in Iranian students. Methods: this casual comparative study was done on a pool of 200 students aged 7-9 years from elementary schools of Tehran, Iran. The participants completed the Middle Childhood Attachment Scale (MCSA), of whom 60 children were assigned to two groups based on their scores on MCAS (secure vs. insecure). They read stories developed to manipulate the attachment schema, and after each story, they were tested for emotion recognition abilities (classification and intensity rating). Happy, sad, angry, and fearful faces were presented and reaction time was recorded using the AFFECT4.0 software. Results: All children irrespective of attachment style, were faster in the identification of others’ emotional expressions in attachment situations than in a neutral situation. Boys made more errors in attachment situations than in the neutral situation, while for girls it did not differ. Among children with secure attachment, boys were faster than girls in recognition of emotion. Conclusion: In terms of attachment theory, attachment styles could have an important impact on the development process of the child’s emotional skills.

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A lifespan perspective on decision‐making: A cross‐sectional comparison of middle childhood, young adulthood, and older adulthood

Journal of Behavioral Decision Making ◽

10.1002/bdm.2268 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Stefanie Lindow ◽

Anna Lang

Keyword(s):

Decision Making ◽

Young Adulthood ◽

Middle Childhood ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Older Adulthood

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Middle Childhood Attachment Strategies: validation of an observational measure

Attachment & Human Development ◽

10.1080/14616734.2018.1433696 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 20 (5) ◽

pp. 491-513 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

Laura E. Brumariu ◽

Kathryn R. Giuseppone ◽

Kathryn A. Kerns ◽

Magali Van de Walle ◽

Jean-François Bureau ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Middle Childhood ◽

Childhood Attachment ◽

Observational Measure ◽

Attachment Strategies

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Contributions of the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study to Child Development

Annual Review of Developmental Psychology ◽

10.1146/annurev-devpsych-050620-113832 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 3 (1) ◽

pp. 187-206

Author(s):

Sarah James ◽

Sara McLanahan ◽

Jeanne Brooks-Gunn

Keyword(s):

Cohort Study ◽

Young Adulthood ◽

Middle Childhood ◽

Developmental Trajectories ◽

Fragile Families ◽

National Study ◽

Birth Cohort Study ◽

Child Wellbeing ◽

Children And Parents ◽

Us Cities

We describe the promise of the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study (FFCWS) for developmental researchers. FFCWS is a birth cohort study of 4,898 children born in 1998–2000 in large US cities. This prospective national study collected data on children and parents at birth and during infancy (age 1), toddlerhood (age 3), early childhood (age 5), middle childhood (age 9), adolescence (age 15), and, in progress, young adulthood (age 22). Though FFCWS was created to understand the lives of unmarried parent families, its comprehensive data on parents, children, and contexts can be used to explore many other developmental questions. We identify six opportunities for developmentalists: ( a) analyzing developmental trajectories, ( b) identifying the importance of the timing of exposures for later development, ( c) documenting bidirectional influences on development, ( d) understanding development in context, ( e) identifying biological moderators and mechanisms, and ( f) using an urban-born cohort that is large, diverse, and prospective.

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