Related Experiment Videos
Conversation about the future self improves preschoolers' prospection abilities
Kathryn A Leech1, Kristi Leimgruber2, Felix Warneken3
1Harvard University Graduate School of Education, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA.
Journal of Experimental Child Psychology
|February 4, 2019
Summary
Conversations about their future selves significantly boost preschool children's prospective thinking and memory. This highlights how early childhood conversations foster crucial cognitive development.
Area of Science:
- Developmental Psychology
- Cognitive Science
- Early Childhood Education
Background:
- Prospection, or future-oriented thinking, emerges in preschool but is immature.
- Children face challenges reasoning about their future selves during early development.
- Adult-child conversations are vital for language and cognitive skill development.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate if conversations about the future and self enhance prospective thinking in preschoolers.
- To determine the impact of discussing future selves on cognitive abilities.
Main Methods:
- Sixty-eight 4- and 5-year-olds participated.
- Children were randomly assigned to discuss books about their present/future selves or another child's present/future selves.
- Prospection assessments were administered post-discussion.
Main Results:
- Children discussing their future selves showed superior performance on prospection tasks.
- The strongest effect was observed in prospective memory assessments.
- This suggests a significant impact of future-self conversations on cognitive skills.
Conclusions:
- Conversations focused on future selves enhance preschoolers' prospective thinking abilities.
- Discussions about the future self are particularly beneficial for prospective memory development.
- Everyday conversations play a critical role in fostering cognitive development in early childhood.