| 1. |
- Barr, Rachel, et al.
(author)
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Beyond Screen Time: A Synergistic Approach to a More Comprehensive Assessment of Family Media Exposure During Early Childhood
- 2020
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In: Frontiers in Psychology. - : FRONTIERS MEDIA SA. - 1664-1078. ; 11
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Digital media availability has surged over the past decade. Because of a lack of comprehensive measurement tools, this rapid growth in access to digital media is accompanied by a scarcity of research examining the family media context and sociocognitive outcomes. There is also little cross-cultural research in families with young children. Modern media are mobile, interactive, and often short in duration, making them difficult to remember when caregivers respond to surveys about media use. The Comprehensive Assessment of Family Media Exposure (CAFE) Consortium has developed a novel tool to measure household media use through a web-based questionnaire, time-use diary, and passive-sensing app installed on family mobile devices. The goal of developing a comprehensive assessment of family media exposure was to take into account the contextual factors of media use and improve upon the limitations of existing self-report measures, while creating a consistent, scalable, and cost-effective tool. The CAFE tool captures the content and context of early media exposure and addresses the limitations of prior media measurement approaches. Preliminary data collected using this measure have been integrated into a shared visualization platform. In this perspective article, we take a tools-of-the-trade approach (Oakes, 2010) to describe four challenges associated with measuring household media exposure in families with young children: measuring attitudes and practices; capturing content and context; measuring short bursts of mobile device usage; and integrating data to capture the complexity of household media usage. We illustrate how each of these challenges can be addressed with preliminary data collected with the CAFE tool and visualized on our dashboard. We conclude with future directions including plans to test reliability, validity, and generalizability of these measures.
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| 2. |
- Danielsson, Henrik, et al.
(author)
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Get better social skills : Computerized theory of mind training for children with intellectual disability
- 2008
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In: XXIX International Congress Of Psychology, Berlin, 2008. - : Taylor & Francis Group. - 9781841698601 ; , s. 490-490
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Conference paper (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The effect of a computerized theory of mind training program was investigated in children with intellectual disability with a mean age of 12 years. The training time was 15 minutes every school day for 5 weeks and took place in the participant’s school. Compared to an age matched control group with intellectual disability, who performed computerized training not related to theory of mind, there were training effects for some theory of mind measures, but not for all. The results are promising and form a basis for further research.
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| 3. |
- Danielsson, Henrik, et al.
(author)
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Improved MindReading : The Relationship between Theory of Mind, Working Memory and Literacy.
- 2009
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Conference paper (other academic/artistic)abstract
- The first aim of this study was to investigate the links between literacy, working memory and theory of mind in children with intellectual disability. Earlier studies have demonstrated these relationships in typically developing children.This was investigated in 48 children with intellectual disability (mental age = 6:7 years, chronological age = 12:4 years). Mental age was assessed with the block design test of the WISC-III, i.e. the Swedish version of the WISC-R. Working memory was tested with six tests (digit span forward and backward, listening span with and without dual task, clown span [visuospatial test where participants had to recall placement of dots put on a drawing of a clown. The test was an adaption of the “Mr Peanut”-test.] with and without dual task). Theory of mind was tested with 6 tests (Sally Anne test of 1st and 2nd order theory of mind, own developed tests to minimize working memory load on the theory of mind task for 1st and 2nd order theory of mind, irony, and social blunders). Literacy was tested with 3 tests (comprehension of written words, comprehension of written sentences, and comprehension of written stories).Factor analyses was made for the three concepts (working memory, theory of mind, and literacy) and the following factors were found: visuospatial working memory (loading on clown span with and without dual task), phonological working memory (loading on digit span and listening span both with and without dual task), Sally Anne theory of mind (loading on Sally Anne tests of 1st and 2nd order theory of mind), working memory free theory of mind (loading on own developed for 1st and 2nd order theory of mind), Advanced theory of mind (loading on own developed tests of irony, and social blunders), Literacy (loading on comprehension of written words and comprehension of written sentences. Comprehension of written stories did not load on the factor). There are intercorrelations between working memory, theory of mind, and Literacy, but not for all factors of all variables. All intercorrelations between the factors are shown in Table 1.Table 1. Intercorrelations between six variables of working memory (WM), theory of mind (ToM) and literacy: Visuospatial working memory, phonological working memory, Sally Anne theory of mind, working memory free theory of mind, advanced theory of mind and literacy. The six variables were created through factor analysis.* Correlation significant at the 0.05 level (onetailed). ** Correlation significant at the 0.01 level (onetailed).The second aim of this study was to examine if training of theory of mind also would improve literacy. A computerized theory of mind training program was developed. The program showed social situations (with pictures and speech) and the trainee had to chose from three given alternatives of what happened in the situation. Feedback (speech and instructions to choose another alternative) was given if the answer was wrong. The program adapted the level of difficulty according to performance.One group (n = 21, mental age = 6:6 years, chronological age = 12:5 years) got computerized theory of mind training 15 minutes a day for 5 weeks at school. They improved their theory of mind ability compared to a group (n = 27, mental age = 6:8 years, chronological age = 12:3 years) that got similar computerized mathematical training (Interaction effect in an analysis of variance, F(1, 44) = 4.97, p < .05, partial η2 = .10). Literacy improved equally in both groups, which means that there was no transfer effect to literacy. The same was true for working memory. It was investigated if the training effect was dependent on any initial skills, but no significant correlations could be found between training gain and initial working memory, theory of mind and literacy abilities in the theory of mind training group.The conclusion is that working memory, theory of mind and literacy correlates in children with intellectual disability, but improving theory of mind through training does not necessarily improve literacy or working memory.
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| 4. |
- Danielsson, Henrik, et al.
(author)
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Work your memory : Computerized working memory training for children with intellectual disability
- 2008
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In: XXIX International Congress of Psychology, Berlin, 2008. - : Taylor & Francis Group. - 9781841698601 ; , s. 592-592
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Conference paper (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The purpose of thepresent study was to investigate the effect of a computerizedworking memory training program for children with intellectualdisability. The participants had a mean age of 12 years. Thetraining took place in the child¿s school environment for 15minutes every school day for 5 weeks. There were training effectsfor some working memory measures, but not for all, compared to anage matched control group, also with intellectual disability, whoalso performed computerized training, but not related to workingmemory.
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| 5. |
- Frölander, Hans-Erik, 1966-, et al.
(author)
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Theory-of-mind in adolescents and young adults with Alström Syndrome
- 2014
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In: International Journal of Pediatric Otorhinolaryngology. - : Elsevier. - 0165-5876 .- 1872-8464. ; 78:3, s. 530-537
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Objective: The study focuses on theory-of-mind in adolescents and young adults with Alström syndrome (ALMS). ALMS, an autosomal recessive syndrome causes juvenile blindness, sensorineural hearing loss, cardiomyopathy, endocrinological disorders and metabolic dysfunction. Theory-of-mind (ToM) refers to the ability to impute mental states to one self and to others. Clinical observations have revealed an increased occurence of deviances in mental state understanding in ALMS. In the present study ToM will be examined and related to working memory (WM), verbal ability and sensory loss.Methods: Twelve young individuals (16-37 years) with ALMS and 24 nondisabled individuals matched on age, gender and educational level participated. ToM was assessed by means of a multiple task that taxes the ability to understand thoughts and feelings of story chraracters´. WM was examined by means of a reading span task and verbal ability by means of a vocabulary test.Results: The ALMS group performed at significantly lower levels in ToM tasks and displayed a higher variability in performance than the control group. Individuals with ALMS and a relatively poor level performance provided fewer correct mental state inferences in ToM tasks than ALMS individuals with relatively higher performance levels. ALMS individuals with relatively high performance levels made as many correct inferences in ToM tasks as the control group, but their inferences were more often incomplete. Vocabulary skills and educational level, but not WM-capacity predicted ToM performance. Degree of deafblindness did not have an impact on ToM. Age of onset of visual loss but not hearing loss related to ToM.Conclusions: The individuals with ALMS display a high degree of heterogeneity in terms of ToM, where some individuals reached performance levels comparable to nondisabled individuals. The results are discussed with respect to how cognitive and verbal abilities and factors related to the disability affect ToM.
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| 6. |
- Heimann, Mikael, et al.
(author)
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2-Year-Olds Learning From 2D Media With and Without Parental Support : Comparing Two Forms of Joint Media Engagement With Passive Viewing and Learning From 3D
- 2021
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In: Frontiers in Psychology. - : Frontiers Media S.A.. - 1664-1078. ; 11
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The study investigates to what degree two different joint media engagement (JME) strategies affect childrens learning from two-dimensional (2D)-media. More specifically, we expected an instructed JME strategy to be more effective than a spontaneous, non-instructed, JME strategy. Thirty-five 2-year old children saw a short video on a tablet demonstrating memory tasks together with a parent. The parents were randomized into two groups: One group (N = 17) was instructed to help their child by describing the actions they saw on the video while the other group (N = 18) received no specific instruction besides "do as you usually do." The parents in the instructed group used significantly more words and verbs when supporting their child but both groups of children did equally well on the memory test. In a second step, we compared the performance of the two JME groups with an opportunistic comparison group (N = 95) tested with half of the memory tasks live and half of the tasks on 2D without any JME support. Results showed that the JME intervention groups received significantly higher recall scores than the no JME 2D comparison group. In contrast, the three-dimensional (3D) comparison group outperformed both JME groups. In sum, our findings suggest that JME as implemented here is more effective in promoting learning than a no JME 2D demonstration but less so than the standard 3D presentation of the tasks.
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| 7. |
- Heimann, Mikael, et al.
(author)
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Does Looking Lead to Learning? Individual and Contextual Differences in Visual Attention
- 2018
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In: International Congress of Infant Studies - XXI ICIS Biennial Congress June 30 – July 3, 2018 Philadelphia.
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Conference paper (other academic/artistic)abstract
- Introduction: Imitation is a strong learning mechanism already during the first years of life. Early imitation has also been linked to early memory development (e.g. Jones & Herbert, 2006) and a considerable body of research has examined various factors influencing how children learn and form memories though imitation. However, less attention has been paid to events occurring at encoding that may explain individual differences. Here we examine how infants’ distribution of visual attention while watching videos of imitation tasks relates to imitation of the observed action. It was hypothesized that high imitators would show a lower face-to-action ratio during action presentation. Method: The current eye-tracking study examined 12- (n= 48) and 16-month-old infants (n = 29) watching four 40-45s videos, each portraying an adult demonstrating a single action on an object (e.g. Meltzoff, 1985) or a multiple-action task (Barr et al, 1996). Each action was presented three times before infants were offered the object (counterbalanced order across infants). Infants’ behavior was coded for imitation of the actions presented in the video and infants were grouped into high and low imitators by a median split. Eye-tracking data was analyzed by creating areas of interest for the face of the presenter and the area where the action occurred. The dependent variable was face-to-action ratio calculated by visit duration in the face area divided by visit duration in face and action area. The ratio was calculated for each of the four actions and averaged across tasks. Results: A repeated measures ANOVA showed a significant increase in face-to-action ratio for each additional presentation (12-m: F(1.6,54.3) = 19.3, p<.001, ηp2=.36, and 16-m: F(2,48) = 41.4, p<.001, ηp2=.63). Contrary to our hypothesis, high imitators at 16 month reoriented towards the face more than low imitators during the third demonstration, as indicated by a significant interaction between high vs low imitators and face-to-action ratio at 16 months, F(2,48) = 3.7, p =.03, ηp2=.14. There was a trend towards a negative correlation between a sum score for single action tasks and the multiple action task at 12 months, r(40)=-.28, p=.08, hence we also defined high and low imitators based on the multiple action task only. High imitators of the multiple action task at 12 months support our hypothesis as they reoriented towards the face less frequently than did low imitators, F(1.7,60.4)=6.0, p<.01, ηp2=.14, for the third presentation. Conclusion: Infants’ distributions of visual attention seem to differ between high and low imitators. Whereas infants initially focus more on the action compared to the face, infants look more at the face for each additional presentation. High imitators at 16 months focus more on the face at the last action presentation. High imitators of the multiple action at 12 months however stay focused on the actions presented and do not switch back to the face. The different findings for 12- and 16-month-olds may signify developmental changes in attentional processes and have implications for learning from 2-D media in infancy.
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| 8. |
- Heimann, Mikael, et al.
(author)
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Thirteen-to Sixteen-Months Old Infants Are Able to Imitate a Novel Act from Memory in Both Unfamiliar and Familiar Settings But Do Not Show Evidence of Rational Inferential Processes
- 2017
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In: Frontiers in Psychology. - : FRONTIERS MEDIA SA. - 1664-1078. ; 8
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Gergely et al. (2002) reported that children imitated a novel action - illuminating a light-box by using the forehead - after a delay significantly more often if the hands of the experimenter had been visible in comparison with if they had been covered. In an attempt to explore these findings we conducted two studies with a total N of 63 children. Both studies investigated deferred imitation of the action in two conditions, with the hands of the experimenter visible or covered, but the settings differed. Study 1 (n = 30; mean age = 16.6 months) was carried out in an unfamiliar environment (a laboratory setting) while Study 2 (n = 33; mean age = 13.3 months) was conducted in familiar surroundings (at home or at day care). The results showed that 50% of the children in Study 1 and 42.4% in Study 2 evidenced deferred imitation as compared to only 4.9% (n = 2) in the baseline condition. However, in none of the studies did the children use inferential processes when imitating, we detected no significant differences between the two conditions, hands visible or hands covered. The findings add to the validity of the head touch procedure as a measure of declarative-like memory processes in the pre-verbal child. At the same time the findings question the robustness of the concept rational imitation, it seems not as easy as expected to elicit a response based on rational inferential processes in this age group.
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| 9. |
- Kenward, Ben, et al.
(author)
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Saccadic reaction times in infants and adults : Spatiotemporal factors, gender, and interlaboratory variation.
- 2017
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In: Developmental Psychology. - : American Psychological Association (APA). - 0012-1649 .- 1939-0599. ; 53:9, s. 1750-1764
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Saccade latency is widely used across infant psychology to investigate infants’ understanding of events. Interpreting particular latency values requires knowledge of standard saccadic RTs, but there is no consensus as to typical values. This study provides standard estimates of infants’ (n = 194, ages 9 to 15 months) saccadic RTs under a range of different spatiotemporal conditions. To investigate the reliability of such standard estimates, data is collected at 4 laboratories in 3 countries. Results indicate that reactions to the appearance of a new object are much faster than reactions to the deflection of a currently fixated moving object; upward saccades are slower than downward or horizontal saccades; reactions to more peripheral stimuli are much slower; and this slowdown is greater for boys than girls. There was little decrease in saccadic RTs between 9 and 15 months, indicating that the period of slow development which is protracted into adolescence begins in late infancy. Except for appearance and deflection differences, infant effects were weak or absent in adults (n = 40). Latency estimates and spatiotemporal effects on latency were generally consistent across laboratories, but a number of lab differences in factors such as individual variation were found. Some but not all differences were attributed to minor procedural differences, highlighting the importance of replication. Confidence intervals (95%) for infants’ median reaction latencies for appearance stimuli were 242 to 250 ms and for deflection stimuli 350 to 367 ms. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved)
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| 10. |
- Koch, Felix-Sebastian, 1977-, et al.
(author)
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Changes in infant visual attention when observing repeated actions
- 2018
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In: Infant Behavior and Development. - : Elsevier. - 0163-6383 .- 1879-0453. ; 50, s. 189-197
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Infants early visual preferences for faces, and their observational learning abilities, are well-established in the literature. The current study examines how infants attention changes as they become increasingly familiar with a person and the actions that person is demonstrating. The looking patterns of 12- (n = 61) and 16-month-old infants (n = 29) were tracked while they watched videos of an adult presenting novel actions with four different objects three times. A face-to-action ratio in visual attention was calculated for each repetition and summarized as a mean across all videos. The face-to-action ratio increased with each action repetition, indicating that there was an increase in attention to the face relative to the action each additional time the action was demonstrated. Infants prior familiarity with the object used was related to face-to-action ratio in 12-month-olds and initial looking behavior was related to face-to-action ratio in the whole sample. Prior familiarity with the presenter, and infant gender and age, were not related to face-to-action ratio. This study has theoretical implications for face preference and action observations in dynamic contexts.
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| 11. |
- Koch, Felix-Sebastian, 1977-, et al.
(author)
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Data and analysis script for infant and adult eye movement in an adapted ocular-motor serial reaction time task assessing procedural memory
- 2020
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In: Data in Brief. - : ELSEVIER. - 2352-3409. ; 29
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- This article provides a description of eye movement data collected during an ocular-motor serial reaction time task. Raw gaze data files for 63 infants and 24 adults along with the data processing and analysis script for extracting saccade latencies, summarizing participants performance, and testing statistical differences, are hosted on Open Science Framework (OSF). Files (in Matlab format) available for download allow for replication of the results reported in "Procedural memory in infancy: Evidence from implicit sequence learning in an eye-tracking paradigm" [1]. (C) 2020 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc.
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| 12. |
- Koch, Felix-Sebastian, et al.
(author)
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Procedural memory in infancy: Evidence from implicit sequence learning in an eye-tracking paradigm
- 2020
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In: Journal of experimental child psychology (Print). - : ELSEVIER SCIENCE INC. - 0022-0965 .- 1096-0457. ; 191
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Procedural memory underpins the learning of skills and habits. It is often tested in children and adults with sequence learning on the serial reaction time (SRT) task, which involves manual motor control. However, due to infants slowly developing control of motor actions, most procedures that require motor control cannot be examined in infancy. Here, we investigated procedural memory using an SRT task adapted for infants. During the task, images appeared at one of three locations on a screen, with the location order following a five-item recurring sequence. Three blocks of recurring sequences were followed by a random-order fourth block and finally another block of recurring sequences. Eye movement data were collected for infants (n = 35) and adults (n = 31). Reaction time was indexed by calculating the saccade latencies for orienting to each image as it appeared. The entire protocol took less than 3 min. Sequence learning in the SRT task can be operationalized as an increase in latencies in the random block as compared with the preceding and following sequence blocks. This pattern was observed in both the infants and adults. This study is the first to report learning in an SRT task in infants as young as 9 months. This SRT protocol is a promising procedure for measuring procedural memory in infants. (C) 2019 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
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| 13. |
- Nyberg, Sandra, et al.
(author)
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The Natural Language Environment of 9-Month-Old Infants in Sweden and Concurrent Association With Early Language Development
- 2020
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In: Frontiers in Psychology. - : FRONTIERS MEDIA SA. - 1664-1078. ; 11
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The language environment is important for the development of early communication and language. In the current study, we describe the natural home language environment of 9-month-old infants in Sweden and its concurrent association with language development. Eighty-eight families took part in the study. The home language environment was measured using the Language ENvironment Analysis (LENA) system, and language development was assessed using Swedish Early Communicative Development Inventory (SECDI), a parent questionnaire. LENA measures showed dramatic variation between individuals but were comparable to and showed overlapping variance with previous studies conducted in English-speaking households. Nonetheless, there were significantly more infant vocalizations and conversational turns in the present study than in one previous study. Adult word count correlated significantly and positively with infants Use of gestures and the subscale of that section Communicative gestures. These together with another four non-significant associations formed a consistent overall pattern that suggested a link between infants language environment and language development. Although the direction of causality cannot be determined from the current data, future studies should examine children longitudinally to assess the directionality or the bidirectionality of the reported associations between infants language environment and language development.
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| 14. |
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| 15. |
- Rönnberg, Jerker, 1953-, et al.
(author)
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Making friends in Cyberspace
- 2008
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In: 13th biennial meeting of International Society for of Augmentative and Alternative Communication,2008.
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Conference paper (other academic/artistic)
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| 16. |
- Sundqvist, Annette (Anett), 1968-, et al.
(author)
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A Qualitative Analysis of E-mail Interaction of Children Who Use Augmentative and Alternative Communication
- 2010
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In: Augmentative and Alternative Communication. - London, UK : Informa Healthcare. - 0743-4618 .- 1477-3848. ; 26:4, s. 255-266
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The aim of this study was to introduce e-mail as a form of interaction for a group of six children who use augmentative and alternative communication. In a 12-week exploratory study aspects of the e-mail messages sent were analyzed. The content of the messages was analyzed by an inductive qualitative method and seven descriptive categories emerged. The most frequently occurring categories were labeled social etiquette, personal/family statistics and personal common ground. The children utilized different e-mail strategies that included more or less of the above mentioned categories. Through the e-mail writing practice, the children developed new social skills and increased their social participation. The e-mail practice showed a great potential to increase the children’s social network.
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| 17. |
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| 18. |
- Sundqvist, Anett (Annette), et al.
(author)
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Acquisition of social theory of mind in children using augmentative and alternative communication
- 2008
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In: XXIX International Congress of Psychology: AbstractsA Special Issue of the International Journal of Psychology. - : Taylor & Francis Group. - 9781841698601 ; , s. 337-337
-
Conference paper (peer-reviewed)abstract
- This study focused on the acquisition of Theory of Mind (ToM) in children (aged 7-13) with severe speech impairment using augmentative and alternative communication (AAC). The AAC-group (n = 13) was compared to a typically developing group matched on nonverbal mental age. Tests concerning cognitive and language development, first and second order ToM and social ToM were used. Importantly, no significant difference between the two groups was found on the tests above, suggesting that cognitive ability rather than social experience accounts for the data. Nonverbal intelligence and vocabulary proved to be the best indicators of ToM ability.
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| 19. |
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| 20. |
- Sundqvist, Annette (Anett), et al.
(author)
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Advanced Theory of Mind in Children Using Augmentative and Alternative Communication
- 2010
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In: Communication Disorders Quarterly. - : SAGE Publications. - 1525-7401 .- 1538-4837. ; 31:2, s. 86-97
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- This study focused on the attainment of Theory of Mind (ToM) in children (aged 6 to 13) with complex communication needs who used augmentative and alternative communication (AAC). The AAC group (n = 14) was matched to a younger group, without disabilities, vis-à-vis nonverbal mental age. A second comparison group consisting of children with mild intellectual disabilities and matched nonverbal mental age and chronological age was also included. A test battery that included tests of cognitive and language development and tests of first- and second-order ToM understanding and understanding of more advanced ToM was used. Nonverbal intelligence proved to be a good indicator of ToM ability. Contrary to previous research, the AAC group did not differ significantly from the comparison groups on the test results. The results are discussed in terms of the necessary cognitive capacity underpinning ToM development.
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| 21. |
- Sundqvist, Anett (Annette), et al.
(author)
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E-mailing as a way of making connections for children using augmentative and alternative communication
- 2008
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In: XXIX International Congress of Psychology: Abstracts A Special Issue of the International Journal of Psychology. - 9781841698601 ; , s. 336-337
-
Conference paper (peer-reviewed)abstract
- In a 12-week study a symbol-based e-mail client was implemented for children using augmentative and alternative communication (n = 12). Quantitative and qualitative aspects of the e-mails were analyzed. In total, 231 e-mails were sent. The e-mails were analysed post hoc into eight descriptive topic categories, with social etiquette being the dominating category. The results are discussed in relation to Theory of Mind understanding. E-mailing enhanced the social network of the children and gave them a new social arena.
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| 22. |
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| 23. |
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| 24. |
- Sundqvist, Anett (Annette), et al.
(author)
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Exploring Theory of Mind and social ability among children who use alternative and augmentative communication
- 2010
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Conference paper (other academic/artistic)abstract
- Social interaction is a powerful vehicle for learning and imitation, shared attention and empathy are fundamental social skills important for early social and cognitive development (Meltzoff, Kuhl, Movellan, & Sjenowski, 2009). These basic abilities that are seen as fundaments for development and learning are not always easily accessible for individuals with complex communication needs (CCN) because of motor restrictions and limited experience (Falkman, 2003; Sundqvist & Rönnberg, in press). The ability to understand and react to emotions and feelings in oneself and in others (Theory of Mind) is most likely mediated via social interaction (Meltzoff, et al., 2009). The focus of the present study is Theory of Mind (ToM) in a group of children with CCN who use augmentative and alternative communication (AAC).Three studies analysing different aspects necessary to the development of ToM and components of ToM understanding are described in this paper. The different aspects are a) the analysis of a battery of ToM tests and cognitive tests, b) in-depth analyses of the children’s every-day interaction using Conversational Analysis, and c) analysis of the children’s social network. By applying a combination of theoretical and methodological approaches, a holistic view of ToM was attained.The first study focused on the attainment of ToM in 14 children, aged 6-13, who used augmentative and alternative communication (AAC). The AAC-group, consisting of 8 boys and 6 girls, was matched at the group level with regards to nonverbal mental age to a comparison group of children without disabilities. A second comparison group that consisted of children with mild learning disabilities and matched nonverbal mental age and chronological age was also included. A test battery covering cognitive and language ability, first and second order ToM understanding, as well as understanding of more advanced ToM was administered (Baron-Cohen, O´Ridordan, Stone, Jones, & Plaisted, 1999; Happe, 1998). The results showed that nonverbal mental age correlated significantly with ToM ability. Contrary to previous research, the AAC-group did not differ significantly from any of the comparison groups on the test results. The second study investigated active participation in social interaction of three children with CCN. The children included in this study were Bliss symbol users and the aim was to identify components in the children’s interaction in everyday school situations that manifested themselves as active participation for the children. By using Conversation analysis (Schegloff, 2007) to study the social situations we implemented an inductive approach without preconceived notions about what we might find. Three different settings were analyzed for each child: interaction with a peer, a lecture situation with an adult, and a formalized role-play situation. The study identified practices, which induce active participation of children who uses AAC. The communication partners’ abilities to follow, share or sometimes inhibit a need to shape communicative projects initiated by the child, were important to active participation and engagement of the child in interaction. When the child is active and engaged there are also many occasions of displayed ToM understanding.The third study focused on the children’s social network and how it relates to the children’s cognitive and mentalizing abilities (N=14). A necessary prerequisite to be able to make friends, in addition to a mentalizing ability, is an initial connection through a social network of interactions over time is also (Chamberlain, Kasari, Rotheram-Fuller, 2007). It is of importance to have variety of interactional opportunities to be able learn and develop social understanding trough experience. Individuals with CCN, however, experience loneliness to a greater extent than other individuals (Cooper, Balandin, & Trembath, 2009). A Swedish adaptation of the Social Network inventory was used to obtain an overall description of the child’s cognitive and language abilities as well as detailed descriptions of the child’s formal and informal social network (Blackstone & Hunt Berg, 2008/2003). For the purpose of this study the analysis focused on obtaining an estimate of the child’s social network at home and at school. Interviews were conducted with a teacher from the child’s school and with the child’s parents. The child was participating in both interviews. We were interested in how many children vs. adults were present in the child’s network and the relative closeness of these communication partners. The results of the third study showed that the social network of children with CCN were very limited. There were few peers in the children’s social network and very few good friends. An expanding social network is important since it is through experiencing social situations the child will learn the socio-cultural aspects of interactions. Social interactions are a very important pathway for learning in general so having a limited social network can be disadvantageous to the child’s general development (Chamberlain, et al, 2007; Meltzoff et al, 2009). Children who were included in general classes had more acquaintances than children who attended special classes, but there no difference was noted when we compared the number of daily communication partners. There was a significant relationship between aspects of the children’s mentalizing skills and the numbers of peer acquaintances in the child’s social network. It is problematical to speculate in the direction of the correlation. The child might have gained friends because of his or her developed ToM or her or she might have developed ToM while interacting with the peers. A developed theory of mind was, however, not enough to be able to make close friends since only six of the 14 the participating children reported that they had a close friend.In conclusion, the results of the study showed that non-verbal mental age correlated significantly with ToM tasks. Matched for nonverbal mental age the participants did not significantly differ on ToM from a younger control-group without disabilities. Aspects of ToM were, furthermore, observed in all analysed interaction. Finally, significant correlations between the number of peers in the social network and ToM tasks were present, as well as negative correlation between the cognitive tests and the number of adults in the social network. Examining the results of the ToM test, the expression of ToM in interaction and the social network analysis specific implications for intervention were yielded. It is suggested that the ability to understand ToM is essential and related to the children’s interaction in social situations and thus important to their general learning as well. ReferencesBaron-Cohen, S., O´Ridordan, M., Stone, V., Jones, R., & Plaisted, K. (1999). Recognition offaux pas by normally developing children and children with Asperger syndrome or high-functioning autism. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 29, 407-418. Retrieved from http://www.springerlink.com/openurl.asp?genre=journal&issn=0162-3257Blackstone, S., & Hunt Berg, M. (2008). Social Networks. L. Andersson & H. Carlberg (Adapt. & Trans.). Sweden: Grafisk production. (Original work published 2003).Chamberlain, B., Kasari, C., Rotheram-Fuller, E., (2007). Involvement or isolation? The social networks of children with autism in regular classrooms. Journal of autism developmental disorders, 37, 230–242. doi: 10.1007/s10803-006-0164-4Cooper, L., Balandin, S., & Trembath, D., (2009). The loneliness experiences of young adults with cerebral palsy who use alternative and augmentative communication. augmentative and alternative communication, 25(3), 154–164 doi:10.1080/07434610903036785Falkman, K. (2005). Communicating your way to a theory of mind. The development of mentalizing skills in children with atypical language development. Doctoral Thesis, Göteborg, Sweden. Göteborg University, Department of Psychology. Retrieved from http://hdl.handle.net/2077/47Happé, F. (1994). An advanced test of theory of mind: Understanding of story characters’thoughts and feeling by able autistic, mentally handicapped, and normal children and adults. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 24, 129-154.Sundqvist, A., & Rönnberg, J. (in press). Advanced theory of mind in children using augmentative and alternative communication. Journal of communication disorders quarterly.Schegloff, E. (2007). Sequence organization in interaction. A primer in conversation analysis. Cambridge : Cambridge University Press.Meltzoff, A., Kuhl, P., Movellan, J., & Sjenowski, J.S (2009). Foundations for a New Science of Learning. Science, 325, 284-288. doi: 10.1126/science. 1175626
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| 25. |
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| 26. |
- Sundqvist, Annette (Anett), 1968-
(author)
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Knowing me, knowing you : Mentalization abilities of children who use augmentative and alternative communication
- 2010
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Doctoral thesis (other academic/artistic)abstract
- The present thesis investigated several components important to the understanding of mentalization for children who use augmentative and alternative communication (AAC). The result of the thesis demonstrated that non-verbal mental age correlated significantly with mentalization tasks, and that the participants did not significantly differ compared to a nonverbal age-matched group of children without disabilities. Different expression of active participation, which is necessary to be able to display mentalization in dialogue, was observed in analysed interaction. The children’s social networks were limited and consisted of very few peers, thus limiting the possibilities of active participation. The number of peers in the children’s social networks correlated significantly with aspects of the children’s mentalization ability. Children who use AAC display their mentalization abilities independently in social interaction and through e-mail messages to peers. A wider construct that will have relevance to mentalization in ordinary situations is described encompassing several different abilities. The development of these abilities is dependent on the child’s capacity for adapting a cognitive flexibility when reflecting and theorizing on what is happening in a given situation. The development of mentalization is also dependent on a child’s close friendships, active participation in interaction, functional language ability, and varied social networks consisting of both peers and adults.
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| 27. |
- Sundqvist, Anett, et al.
(author)
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A longitudinal study of the relationship between children's exposure to screen media and vocabulary development
- 2023
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In: Acta Paediatrica. - : WILEY. - 0803-5253 .- 1651-2227.
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- AimThis study addresses the scarcity of longitudinal research on the influence of screen media on children. It aims to explore the longitudinal relationship between children's vocabulary development and their exposure to screen media.MethodsThe study, initiated in 2017, included 72 children (37 boys) in ostergotland, Sweden, at three key developmental stages: preverbal (9.7 months), early verbal (25.5 months) and preliterate (5.4 years). Parents completed online surveys at each time point, reporting their child's screen time. At 10 months and 2 years, age-appropriate vocabulary assessments were conducted online. At age 5, children's vocabulary was laboratory assessed.ResultsCorrelational analysis revealed a negative relationship between language scores and screen media use across all time points. Furthermore, a cross-lagged panel model demonstrated that screen media use showed significant continuity over time, with screen use at age 2 predicting language development at ages 2 and 5.ConclusionThis longitudinal study, spanned from 9 months to 5 years of age, established a predictive negative association between children's exposure to screen media and their vocabulary development. These findings underscore the need to consider the impact of screen media on early childhood development and may inform guidelines for screen media use in young children.
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| 28. |
- Sundqvist, Anett (Annette), 1968-, et al.
(author)
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Qualitative and quantitative aspects of child-directed parental talk and the relation to 2-year-olds developing vocabulary
- 2022
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In: Infancy. - : Wiley. - 1525-0008 .- 1532-7078. ; 27:4, s. 682-699
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Although prior research has independently linked vocabulary development with toddlers media usage, parental mental state talk (MST), and parent-child conversational turn-taking (CTT), these variables have not been investigated within the same study. In this study, we focus on associations between these variables and 2-year-olds (N = 87) vocabulary. Child vocabulary and digital media use were measured through online questionnaires. We took a multimethod approach to measure parents child-directed talk. First, we used a home sound environment recording (Language ENvironment Analysis technology) to estimate parents talk (CTT). Second, parents narrated a picture book, the Frog story, to assess the parents MST. There was a negative association between how much children watched video content and their vocabulary. However, parents reported that they frequently co-viewed and engaged with the child and media. The negative association first displayed between the amount of video content viewed and the childs developing vocabulary was fully mediated by the parents qualitative and quantitative talk as measured by MST and CCT, respectively. We propose that the parent relative level of MST and CTT also occurs when parents engage with the child during media use.
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| 29. |
- Sundqvist, Annette (Anett), et al.
(author)
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Social Networks and Theory of Mind Abilities in Children Who Use Augmentative and Alternative Communication
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Other publication (other academic/artistic)abstract
- Background: To be included in various social situations is important to children’s social development and learning in general. The aim of the present study was to examine social networks of children who use augmentative and alternative communication (AAC). Method: The social contacts of 14 children who use AAC were analysed using the Social Network Inventory. The children’s cognitive, linguistic and Theory of Mind (ToM) ability were also assessed. Results: The social networks consisted of few children and many professionals. There was positive correlation between aspects of ToM ability and the number of peer acquaintances in the children’s social network. Conclusions: The children’s social networks were limited, which may lead to little practice in different social situations and with different social relations. A limited social network may lead to an underdeveloped ToM and the correlation between aspects of ToM and the configurations of the children’s social network support this notion.
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| 30. |
- Sundqvist, Annette (Anett), 1968-, et al.
(author)
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The Role of Active Participation in Interaction for Children Who Use Augmentative and Alternative Communication
- 2010
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In: Communication & Medicine. - : Walter de Gruyter GmbH. - 1612-1783 .- 1613-3625. ; 7:2, s. 165-175
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Journal article (other academic/artistic)abstract
- The present case-study investigates practices in interaction that manifest themselves as active participation for three Swedish children who use augmentative and alternative communication (AAC). Analyses are based on interaction data from three different settings, involving the children in dialogue with adults as well as peers. In-depth analysis of the data by means of Conversation Analysis revealed three practices inducive for active participation. The first one dealt with experiencing a sense of control, i.e. that the child who uses AAC was treated as a competent communicator, e.g. initiating topics and allocating turns etc. The second practice revealed the importance of coconstruction of communicative projects, and the possible negative effects of instances where adults attempted to impose an agenda on the children. Finally, analyses displayed different means by which participants could be included in the interaction, and the effects of such strategies. The study stresses the importance of communication partners’ abilities to balance and counterbalance the necessity to follow, share or sometimes inhibit a need to shape contributions to interaction, in order to enhance active participation for the child who uses AAC.
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| 31. |
- Sundqvist, Anett, et al.
(author)
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Developing theory of mind abilities in Swedish pre-schoolers
- 2018
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In: Infant and Child Development. - : WILEY. - 1522-7227 .- 1522-7219. ; 27:4
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- This study explored the development of theory of mind (ToM) in 80 Swedish-speaking 3- to 5-year-olds, a previously unstudied language and culture. The ToM scale was translated and tested in a Swedish context. The results show that the ToM abilities improve significantly with age. In addition, a gender difference was observed for the whole sample, girls outperformed boys, but follow-up analyses revealed that the difference only remained significant for the 4-year-olds. No gender differences were observed at 3 and 5years of age. When conducting a scalability analysis, the overall Wellman and Liu scale showed less than acceptable scalability. However, when removing the last task of the scale (Real-Apparent Emotion), the fit and scalability was good. The reason for this divergent result is discussed in terms of cultural differences, such as parental and pedagogical practices in Sweden, which might especially focus on developing childrens socio-emotional understanding. Highlights Is the theory of mind (ToM) scale a feasible method to assess preschool-aged children in a Swedish context? The scale shows significant development from 3 to 5 years of age. To achieve a good scalability, the final task of the scale was removed. The scale measures ToM abilities developing in preschoolers. Cultural differences, such as parental and pedagogical practices, may alter the developmental trajectory of ToM abilities.
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| 32. |
- Sundqvist, Anett, et al.
(author)
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Early Cochear Implantation (CI) improves Children's Mentalization Abilities
- 2011
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Conference paper (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Early access to spoken language or sign language is a necessary prerequisite for the normal development of our mentalizing abilities. The present study investigates how the auditory stimulation from cochlear implants (CI) affect Theory of Mind development for deaf children. Sixteen children (nine boys) with CI, age range 4:3 to 9:6 years were tested on theory of mind, language, and cognitive measures. Half of the children (five boys) received their first implant before 27 months and half after 27 months of age (four boys). The two groups did not differ on age, average length lived with CI, language or cognition and no gender differences were observed. The early group gave significantly more correct mentalization answers than the late group (M = 44.27 % versus M = 18.61 % , p < .05). Furthermore, age at implantation correlated positively with the children’s performance on our ToM measures for the late group (rs (8) = .78, p < .05) but not for the early group (rs(8) = .31, ns).The results supported our main hypothesis such that the age when the children receive their first cochlear implant are affecting the development of theory of mind. In our study, children with early implants solved ToM problems to a significant higher degree than children with late implants although the groups did not differ on language or cognitive measures.
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| 33. |
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| 34. |
- Sundqvist, Anett, et al.
(author)
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Relationship Between Family Technoference and Behavior Problems in Children Aged 4-5 Years
- 2020
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In: CyberPsychology, Behavior and Social Networking. - : MARY ANN LIEBERT, INC. - 2152-2715 .- 2152-2723. ; 23:6, s. 371-376
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Digital media (DM) is omnipresent in society today and impacts every aspect of our life. Previous studies have shown DM to cause problems in interpersonal relationships by creating problematic interruptions in interactions, this has been termed technoference. The current study focuses on parents self-rated perceived technoference and the rated behavior of their 4- to 5-year-old children. Parents (N = 153) filled out an online questionnaire regarding family DM use and technoference as well as questions regarding their childs behavior. Parents rated the level of technoference caused by their own use of DM as well as the rate of technoference caused by the childs use of DM. Parents were also asked questions regarding their own possible problematic cell phone use. The findings reveal a statistically significant contribution of technoference, caused by the parents use of DM, to the behavior repertoire of the children.
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| 35. |
- Sundqvist, Anett, et al.
(author)
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The development of Theory of Mind – Considerations for deaf children with Cochlear Implants
- 2014
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In: OTORINOLARINGOLOGIA. - 0026-4938. ; 64:4, s. 179-189
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- How do young children begin to understand the thoughts of others, and why may this prove to be more difficult for deaf children? Insight into the thoughts and feelings of others has been referred to as theory of mind (ToM) and is an ability we use when interacting with others. ToM has been proposed to be contingent on the child’s early experiences of social interaction together with an early exposure to language. This framing is noteworthy because infants and children not exposed to early fluent language, such as children who are deaf and have speaking parents, will thus receive limited interactional experiences of this kind. A deaf child who receives a cochlear implant (CI) at an early age, however, will consequently have the opportunity to experience early fluent language and interaction. This paper will discuss the importance of the early social environment to achieve intersubjectivity; of the caregiver’s interaction in the form of mind-mindedness; and of ample opportunities to use the senses to understand the social world, language, and interactional practices. ToM abilities are, for example, demonstrated in the ability to understand the intentions and knowledge of others and when a child begins to understand the desires, beliefs, and emotions of others. Through social learning and experiencing situations with all of the senses, a child will form theories about the social world and about the minds of people in that world.
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| 36. |
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