Young children tend to behave more generously when their actions are identified than when they are anonymous, yet we know little about the cognitive foundations required for anonymity to impact generosity. In three studies we examined Canadian children's understanding of anonymity and its impact on sharing in anonymous and identified contexts.…

The quality of early childhood experiences is crucial to a child's development and educational success. Yet few early childhood education and care services in the world today offer a consistently high level of educational quality. In particular, educational quality depends on the context's characteristics. The aim of this study was therefore to…

Addressing racial bias in early childhood is crucial for fostering inclusivity and reducing social inequalities. This study examined the effectiveness of individuation training in reducing racial bias among Canadian preschool-aged children and explored how interracial contact might influence changes in children's implicit anti-Black bias. A total…

This article analyzes the acquisition of the passive voice in Northern East (NE) Cree and pays particular attention to the interaction of frequency effects and language-specific cues in the way children form and employ expectations, the process of anticipating oncoming structure in the ambient language. The passive has long been of interest in…

Joint attention is an important developmental skill. This series of studies investigated the teaching of component joint attention skills to 10 children with autism ranging in age from three to five years. The goal was to teach gaze shifting within a joint attention interaction. An additional goal was to expand some participants' community of…

In this paper, we investigated whether Canadian preschoolers prefer to learn from a competent robot over an incompetent human using the classic trust paradigm. An adapted Naive Biology task was also administered to assess children's perception of robots. In Study 1, 3-year-olds and 5-year-olds were presented with two informants; A social, humanoid…

Increasing amounts of screen time among young children has become a growing concern. Childcare centres maybe one important setting to intervene. This study aimed to examine the prevalence of screen time and screen time policies within childcare centres as well as the association between these policies and screen time among toddlers (19-35 months)…

Objective: Physical activity (PA) is essential to promote both optimal physical and emotional health in preschool children. Hence, well-founded PA guidelines are essential. 24-hour Movement Guidelines (which include PA, recreational screen time and sleep) have been established. Thus, this study aimed to explore preschool-aged children's adherence…

This study aims to bridge a gap between Vygotsky's seminal framework on the importance of make-believe play and adult scaffolding in children's cognitive development (e.g. executive function [EFs]) and research in cognitive neuroscience. Kindergarten children (N = 160) and teachers (N = 12) took part in the study. EFs skills and make-believe play…

Whether high quantities of center-based care cause behavior problems is a controversial question. Studies using covariate adjustment for selection factors have detected relations between center care and behavior problems, but studies with stronger internal validity less often find such evidence. We examined whether within-child changes in hours in…

Purpose: To evaluate the effectiveness of food and nutrition regulations in developing healthy behaviors of young children, this study profiled the food and nutrient contribution of snacks, the foods and drinks consumed outside of main meals, in the diets of a sample of children between the ages of 3-5 years overall and in regulated child care…

This study examined the longitudinal evolution of 3 to 5 year old children's level of engagement in Quebec's early childcare centres. A latent transition analysis was conducted on child engagement measured by the inCLASS. Results revealed three engagement profiles at ages 3 and 5: (1) low engagement profile; (2) low- medium engagement profile; (3)…

This study investigated parents' and siblings' knowledge use during naturalistic teaching episodes in the home. Thirty-seven middle-class families were observed for six 90-minute sessions (siblings aged 4 and 6 years). Parent and sibling teaching sequences were coded for knowledge type (conceptual, procedural), conceptual subcategories (social…

Drawing on public writing from a pedagogical inquiry research project collaboration between three early childhood educators, a pedagogist-researcher, and preschool-aged children, this article debates how pedagogical inquiry research becomes "hard work." Against the backdrop of mainstream early childhood education in the lands currently…

The risk potentiation model of cognitive control posits that inhibitory control heightens children's risk for problematic outcomes in the context of shyness because it limits shy children's ability to engage flexibly with their environment. Although there is empirical support for the risk potentiation model, most studies have been restricted to…