Related Experiment Videos
Catch-points as strangulation hazards in cribs
1Department of Kinesiology, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA 19122, USA.
Insights
Children explored neck cord manipulation, with no significant difference in frequency across various lengths. Hand use, however, influenced the size of openings created in the cords.
Area of Science:
- Child development
- Motor skills development
- Pediatric research
Background:
- Understanding early childhood motor skills is crucial for developmental assessments.
- Neck cords are common objects used in play and developmental studies.
- Previous research has not extensively detailed the manipulation of neck cords by toddlers.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate how 2-year-old children manipulate neck cords of varying lengths.
- To analyze the frequency and nature of neck cord manipulation in young children.
- To determine if neck cord length affects manipulation patterns.
Main Methods:
- Observational study involving 80 children aged 2 years.
- Children were presented with neck cords of four different lengths.
- Manipulation behaviors and resulting cord openings were recorded and analyzed.
Main Results:
- Children actively manipulated the neck cords.
- No statistically significant difference was found in manipulation frequency across the four cord lengths.
- The largest cord openings were observed when children used one or two hands for manipulation.
Conclusions:
- Two-year-olds engage with neck cords, but length does not appear to be a primary factor in manipulation frequency.
- Hand usage is a key factor influencing the degree of manipulation, specifically the creation of openings.
- Findings contribute to understanding fine motor skills and object interaction in early childhood.
Abstract:
The purpose of this study was to describe the manipulation of various lengths of neck cords by 80 2-yr.-old children. Analysis indicated that the children manipulated the neck cords, but the frequencies of these manipulations were not significantly different for the four different lengths of neck cords. The largest openings within the neck cord occurred when the children were using one or both hands to manipulate the neck cord.