Preschoolers negatively evaluate conventional norm violations in pretend play.

A growing body of research demonstrates that children's pretend play is largely influenced by their understanding of reality. The current work took a novel approach to testing children's understanding of pretense by investigating whether children apply and uphold their knowledge of conventional norms in pretend play. In this study, 3- to 5-year-old children (N = 200) were introduced to a series of pretend play scenarios (e.g., pretending to eat breakfast) in which a puppet pretended to follow a norm (e.g., pretended to eat cereal for breakfast) or violate a norm (e.g., pretended to eat a hamburger for breakfast). These pretend play scenarios were presented as either fantastical or realistic in nature. Consistent with our hypotheses, children evaluated pretend norm violation more negatively than pretend norm adherence and reported liking norm violators less than norm followers. Contrary to our hypothesis, the manipulation of play context (fantastical vs. realistic) did not affect children's evaluations. That is, children were just as negative about pretend norm violations (relative to pretend norm adherence) in fantastical pretend play scenarios as they were in realistic pretend play scenarios. Furthermore, individual differences in children's fantasy orientation did not predict their evaluations. This study is the first to establish that children maintain their real-world understanding of conventional norms in pretend play, providing further evidence that children's pretense is largely realistic in nature.

Navigating Life Challenges Through Play.

In today's ever-changing world, adaptability is a key skill that is required to successfully navigate life's challenges. Through play individuals can build their innovation and adaptability skills. Additionally, through play we are able to collaborate with others and this builds connection amongst groups. And lastly, through practices such as gratitude we can increase our resilience skills when faced with life stressors.

A Pilot Randomized Trial Evaluating the Cool 2 Be Safe Junior Playground Safety Program for Preschool Children.

OBJECTIVE: Unintentional injury is the leading cause of death to children worldwide, and playgrounds pose a significant risk of injury. Those aged 5 and 6 years are particularly vulnerable to playground injuries. Previous interventions have typically targeted environmental modifications or increased supervision to reduce playground injuries; however, minimal research has focused on implementing behavioral interventions that seek to change children's safety knowledge and risk-taking behaviors on the playground. The current randomized trial addressed these gaps in the literature and sought to increase preschool children's hazard awareness skills and knowledge of unsafe playground behaviors and decrease their intentions to engage in risk-taking behaviors on the playground. METHOD: A total of 77 children aged 5 and 6 years were tested at a laboratory on a university campus, using a parallel group design, with 38 randomized to the playground intervention group and 39 randomly assigned to a control group. The intervention was manualized and delivered to small groups of children (3-5) over several sessions. RESULTS: Statistical analyses revealed significant group differences. Intervention experience led to significant increases in hazard awareness skills and knowledge of unsafe playground behaviors, and significant decreases in children's risk-taking behavioral intentions, whereas those in the control group showed no significant changes in these scores. Attention scores for those in the intervention group highlighted that the program content was successful in maintaining children's attention and engagement, and memory scores indicated excellent retention of lesson content. CONCLUSION: The program shows promise in addressing the issue of unintentional playground injuries in young children.

The impact of loose-parts-play on schoolyard social participation of children with and without disabilities: A case study.

BACKGROUND: Outdoor social participation in the school playground is crucial for children's socio-emotional and cognitive development. Yet, many children with disabilities in mainstream educational settings are not socially included within their peer group. We examined whether loose-parts-play (LPP), a common and cost-effective intervention that changes the playground play environment to enhance child-led free play, can promote social participation for children with and without disabilities. METHOD: Forty-two primary school children, out of whom three had hearing loss or autism, were assessed for two baseline and four intervention sessions. We applied a mixed-method design, combining advanced sensors methodology, observations, peer nominations, self-reports, qualitative field notes and an interview with the playground teachers. RESULTS: Findings indicated for all children a decrease during the intervention in social interactions and social play and no change in network centrality. Children without disabilities displayed also an increase in solitude play and in the diversity of interacting partners. Enjoyment of LPP was high for all children, yet children with disabilities did not benefit socially from the intervention and became even more isolated compared with baseline level. CONCLUSIONS: Social participation in the schoolyard of children with and without disabilities did not improve during LPP in a mainstream setting. Findings emphasize the need to consider the social needs of children with disabilities when designing playground interventions and to re-think about LPP philosophy and practices to adapt them to inclusive settings and goals.

Capturing children's play behaviours in outdoor environments: A comparative analysis of play in early adolescence at primary school versus high school.

INTRODUCTION: Transition from primary school to high school can be a time of significant stress for young people. Social connection may mitigate the stress experienced by young people, yet their play activities, which are a key source of connection and friendship, have not been examined. The aim of the study was to capture the play behaviours of children in outdoor school environments. METHODS: Children's play behaviours in their final year of primary school and those in their first year of high school were captured using a standardised tool (Tool for Observing Play Outdoors). Observations occurred in school outdoor environments during break times in the South Australian autumn of 2021. Frequencies and types of play were compared between year levels using descriptive statistics and contingency tables. Data were collected from four schools (two metropolitan and two regional), which were all from a similar level on the Index of Educational Disadvantage. Four observation sessions were held at each school. RESULTS: Parents of 42 (16 girls) primary school students and 85 (33 girls) high school students gave permission for their children to participate. Physical play was the most frequent activity observed in both primary school and high school followed by expressive play. Year level was significantly associated with the type of play engaged in. CONCLUSION: Findings demonstrate children in the first year of high school continue to engage in physical and social play albeit less than those in the final year of primary school. Further research is needed to determine whether the physical and social environment or onset of puberty is more influential on changes in children's play.

Opinion of the Scientific Committee on health, environmental and emerging risks on the safety of titanium dioxide in toys.

The Opinion of the Scientific Committee on Health, Environmental and Emerging Risks advises the European Commission on whether the uses of titanium dioxide in toys and toy materials can be considered to be safe in light of the identified exposure, and the classification of titanium dioxide as carcinogenic category 2 after inhalation. Four toy products including casting kits, chalk, powder paints and white colour pencils containing various amounts of TiO2 as colouring agent were evaluated for inhalation risks. For the oral route, childrens' lip gloss/lipstick, finger paint and white colour pencils were evaluated. When it can be demonstrated with high certainty that no ultrafine fraction is present in pigmentary TiO2 preparations used in toys and toy materials, safe use with no or negligible risk for all products considered is indicated based on the exposure estimations of this Opinion. However, if an ultrafine fraction is assumed to be present, safe use is not indicated, except for white colour pencils.

Controlling the input: How one-year-old infants sustain visual attention.

Traditionally, the exogenous control of gaze by external saliencies and the endogenous control of gaze by knowledge and context have been viewed as competing systems, with late infancy seen as a period of strengthening top-down control over the vagaries of the input. Here we found that one-year-old infants control sustained attention through head movements that increase the visibility of the attended object. Freely moving one-year-old infants (n = 45) wore head-mounted eye trackers and head motion sensors while exploring sets of toys of the same physical size. The visual size of the objects, a well-documented salience, varied naturally with the infant's moment-to-moment posture and head movements. Sustained attention to an object was characterized by the tight control of head movements that created and then stabilized a visual size advantage for the attended object for sustained attention. The findings show collaboration between exogenous and endogenous attentional systems and suggest new hypotheses about the development of sustained visual attention.

What Drives Sex Toy Popularity? A Morphological Examination of Vaginally-Insertable Products Sold by the World's Largest Sexual Wellness Company.

There is limited research into the morphology of sex toys, and specifically into (the often phallic-shaped) vibrators and dildos and what they may represent in terms of user preferences for male genital morphology. This study provides insight into consumer preference around vaginally insertable sex toys, their features, and what contributes to their popularity. Using a data set compiling information from the world's largest online sexual wellness retailer Lovehoney, we examined the dimensions, price, and morphological features of 265 sex toys designed for vaginal insertion to determine what contributes to item popularity. Using regression models, we found that realistic features did not predict item popularity, whereas price (p < .001) and circumference (p = .01) significantly predicted the overall popularity of a toy. It appears that consumers show a preference for insertable sex toys that are not direct replicas of the male penis, which suggests they are not seeking a realistic partner substitute. Further, we found that the length of the toy did not significantly predict popularity which is consistent with other work showing that women do not place considerable emphasis on large phallus size. Our results can contribute to future product design and marketing, as well as reveal preferences toward particular characteristics of the phallus (whether real or toy).

Sexual Behaviors as a Mediator Between Pornography Use and Heterosexual Relationship Outcomes.

This study seeks to build on previous research about how pornography use is associated with relationship outcomes. Using the 3AM model (Wright, 2011) as a theoretical guide, sexual behaviors were tested as a possible mediator of the association between pornography use and relationship well-being. Using a national data set of individuals in heterosexual relationships (n = 2519), associations between different types of pornography use (alone use vs. joint use), sexual behaviors, and relationship outcomes were analyzed. Results showed that pornography use with a partner is a distinct activity when compared to pornography use alone. Additionally, significant indirect relationships between pornography use and relationship outcomes were found through sexual behaviors. Both vaginal sex and oral sex had positive effects, while anal sex had a unique, negative effect (use of sex toys was not significantly related). Future research should continue to examine the context of pornography use and how it is related to behaviors and outcomes in relationships.

Do toys get in the way? The duration of shared emotional experiences is longer when mothers engage their infants without toys.

During mother-infant interaction, shared emotional experiences, defined as reciprocal and synchronous emotional sharing between mother and infant, are an indicator of early relational health. Yet, it is unclear how mothers' efforts to engage with their infants relate to dyadic-level shared emotional experiences. Utilizing a sample of 80 randomly selected videos of the NICHD Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development, we examined how mothers' bids for interaction with their 6-month-old infants related to the duration of shared emotional experiences. An event sampling, sequential coding system was used to identify a maternal bid for interaction (i.e., with toy, without toy) and the subsequent presence or absence of a shared emotional experience, including duration of the shared emotional experience. Results indicated that shared emotional experiences were longer following mothers' efforts to engage their infants in play without toys. Findings suggest that methods matter; researchers and practitioners interested in studying and promoting shared emotional experiences between mothers and infants may wish to focus on dyadic interactions without toys.

Durante la interacción madre-infante, las experiencias emocionalmente compartidas, definidas como el recíproco y síncrono compartir emocional entre madre e infante, son un indicador de la temprana saludable relación. Aún así, no está claro cómo los esfuerzos de las madres para compartir con sus infantes se relacionan con las experiencias emocionales compartidas al nivel de la díada. Utilizando un grupo muestra de 80 videos del Estudio NICHD del Temprano Cuidado Infantil y Desarrollo de la Juventud, seleccionados al azar, examinamos cómo las posturas de las madres para interactuar con sus infantes de 6 meses de edad se relacionaban con la duración de las experiencias emocionales compartidas. Se usó un sistema de codificación secuencial de muestreo de eventos para identificar una postura materna para la interacción (v.g., con juguete, sin juguete) y la subsecuente presencia o ausencia de una experiencia emocional compartida, incluyendo la duración de la experiencia emocional compartida. Los resultados indicaron que las experiencias emocionales compartidas eran más largas cuando los esfuerzos de las madres para interactuar con sus infantes en el juego no incluían juguetes. Los resultados sugieren que los métodos importan; los investigadores y profesionales de la práctica interesados en estudiar y promover las experiencias emocionales compartidas entre madres e infantes pudieran querer enfocarse en las interacciones diádicas sin juguetes.

Integrating Post-Ionization Separation via Differential Mobility Spectrometry into Direct Analysis in Real Time Mass Spectrometry for Toy Safety Screening.

Direct analysis in real time (DART) enables direct desorption and ionization of analytes, bypassing the time-consuming chromatographic separation traditionally required for mass spectrometry (MS) analysis. However, DART-MS suffers from matrix interference of complex samples, resulting in compromised detection sensitivity and quantitation accuracy. In this study, DART-MS was combined with differential mobility spectrometry (DMS) to provide an additional dimension of post-ionization ion mobility separation within a millisecond time scale, compensating for the lack of separation in DART-MS analysis. As proof-of-concept, primary aromatic amines (PAAs), a class of potentially hazardous chemicals, were analyzed in various toy products, including bubble solutions, finger paints, and plush toys. In addition to commercial Dip-it glass rod and metal mesh sampling tools, a customized rapid extractive evaporation device was designed for the accelerated extraction and sensitive analysis of solid toy samples. The incorporation of DMS in DART-MS analysis enabled the rapid separation and differentiation of isomeric analytes, leading to improved accuracy and reliability. The developed protocols were optimized and validated, achieving good linearity with correlation coefficients greater than 0.99 and acceptable repeatability with relative standard deviations less than 10%. Moreover, satisfactory sensitivity was realized with limits of detection and quantitation ranges of 0.2-5 and 1-20 µg/kg (µg/L) for the 11 PAA analytes. The established methodology was applied for the analysis of real toy samples (n = 18), which confirmed its appealing potential for toy safety screening and consumer health protection.

Epidemiological Characteristics of School Playground Injuries.

Reports of children's play-related injuries have remained stagnant according to epidemiology studies of the past 3 decades. This article provides a unique look into the context of playground injuries within an entire school district, demonstrating the prevalence of these injuries. This study reports that playgrounds are the leading location of school injury, comprising one-third of all elementary school injuries. This study found that while head/neck injuries were the most commonly injured body region within the playground environment, the proportion of head/neck injuries decreased with age, whereas the proportion of extremity injuries increased with age. At least 1 upper extremity injury required outside medical attention for every 4 that were treated on-site, making upper extremity injuries roughly twice as likely to require outside medical attention as injuries to other body regions. The data in this study are useful for interpreting injury patterns in the context and evaluation of existing safety standards for playgrounds.

Construction and validity of educational technology about the human papillomavirus vaccine for adolescents.

OBJECTIVES: to construct and validate an educational technology in comic book format about the human papillomavirus vaccine aimed at adolescents. METHODS: a methodological study, with a quantitative approach, through the agreement method. It was carried out in two phases: educational technology construction and content validity. Participants are expert judges in the health field. Data collection took place in a virtual environment, through a questionnaire. Data analysis was performed by calculating the Content Validity Index. A Content Validity Index of at least 80% was accepted. RESULTS: the comic book's overall Content Validity Index was 82%, reaching the minimum limit established to be validated. CONCLUSIONS: comics are fundamental in the teaching-learning process, aiming to catch adolescents' attention. Therefore, it is characterized as a valid tool to inform, in a playful manner, about the human papillomavirus vaccine.

Outdoor Time in Childhood: A Mixed Methods Approach to Identify Barriers and Opportunities for Intervention in a Racially and Ethnically Mixed Population.

A growing body of literature suggests that outdoor time is beneficial for physical and mental health in childhood. Profound disparities exist in access to outdoor spaces (and the health benefits thereof) for children in communities of color. The objectives of this research were to: (1) identify challenges and solutions to outdoor time for children; (2) assess the importance of outdoor time for children; and (3) evaluate results stratified by race/ethnicity. Using a convergent mixed methods approach, we conducted a thematic analysis from 14 focus groups (n = 50) with outdoor educators, parents with children attending outdoor preschools, and community members with children. In addition, 49 participants completed a survey to identify challenges and solutions, perceived importance, and culturally relevant perspectives of outdoor time. The main challenges identified for outdoor time were safety concerns, inclement weather, lack of access to outdoor spaces, and parent work schedules. The primary proposed solution was integrating outdoor time into the school day. Nearly all participants, independent of racial identity, reported that outdoor time improved physical and mental health. Overall outdoor time was lower in participants from communities of color (~8 h/week) compared to their White counterparts (~10 h/week). While 50% of people of color (POC) reported that outdoor time was an important cultural value, only 18% reported that people in their respective culture spent time outside. This work contributes to accumulating knowledge that unique barriers to outdoor time exist for communities of color, and the children that live, learn, and play in these communities. Increasing outdoor time in school settings offers a potential solution to reduce identified barriers and to promote health equity in childhood.

Analysis of Barbie medical and science career dolls: descriptive quantitative study.

OBJECTIVES: To identify Barbie brand dolls that had medicine and science themed professions in comparison with other career dolls and to determine their accuracy in meeting clinical and laboratory safety standards. DESIGN: Descriptive quantitative study. SETTING: Visual and data analysis of web searches. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: To identify the kinds of medical and scientific subspecialties that the Barbie dolls (and a comparison doll group) worked in; and to determine whether these medical professional and scientist dolls met laboratory and clinical safety standards. Additional data about doll demographics (ie, age, ethnic group, and sex) were also collected. PARTICIPANTS: 92 Barbie brand dolls were analyzed: doctor (n=53), scientist (n=10), science educator (n=2), nurse (n=15), dentist (n=11), and paramedic (n=1). 65 non-Barbie brand dolls were also analyzed for comparison purposes: doctor (n=26), scientist (n=27), nurse (n=7), dentist (n=2), engineer (n=2), and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) technician (n=1) dolls. RESULTS: Barbie brand medical professional dolls (n=80) largely treated children (66%, n=53/80), with only three (4%) medical professional dolls being directly depicted working with adults. Of the 12 scientist Barbie brand dolls, none met all proper personal protective equipment requirements related to hair and clothing. Barbie brand dolls often came with items, such as laboratory coats, microscopes, stethoscopes, and glasses, that children stereotypically associate with doctors and scientists. While comparison dolls offered a wider range of age and ethnic groups than the Barbie doll group did, the dolls similarly struggled to portray a wide range of medical and scientific subfields and most comparison dolls did not wear proper personal protective equipment. CONCLUSIONS: Medicine and science themed dolls help to inspire tomorrow's medical professionals and scientists. All toy companies should ensure that future medical professional and scientist dolls meet clinical and laboratory safety standards and diversify the types of medical and scientific professions represented (especially among male dominated fields). For young girls' sakes as much as her own, Barbie must keep shattering glass ceilings.

Kite String (Manjha) Injuries Among Children: Single Center Experience Over Four Years.

We reviewed hospital records for kite-string injuries among children over four years (2017-2022). Of 42 affected children, mortality was 9.5%. The mean (SD) Pediatric Trauma Score (PTS) was 8.02 (2.66), with passively involved children facing greater severity [mean (SD) PTS, 5.58 (2.23)]. Kite-string injuries, alarmingly, endanger even bystanders, urging stricter preventive strategies.

Play behavior: Tickle and play in the periaqueductal gray.

A new study has identified the periaqueductal gray as an important brain region for play and tickle behavior in rats.

Gamified online surveys: Assessing experience with self-determination theory.

We developed four online interfaces supporting citizen participation in decision-making. We included (1) learning loops (LLs), good practice in decision analysis, and (2) gamification, to enliven an otherwise long and tedious survey. We investigated the effects of these features on drop-out rate, perceived experience, and basic psychological needs (BPNs): autonomy, competence, and relatedness, all from self-determination theory. We also investigated how BPNs and individual causality orientation influence experience of the four interfaces. Answers from 785 respondents, representative of the Swiss German-speaking population in age and gender, provided insightful results. LLs and gamification increased drop-out rate. Experience was better explained by the BPN satisfaction than by the interface, and this was moderated by respondents' causality orientations. LLs increased the challenge, and gamification enhanced the social experience and playfulness. LLs frustrated all three needs, and gamification satisfied relatedness. Autonomy and relatedness both positively influenced the social experience, but competence was negatively correlated with challenge. All observed effects were small. Hence, using gamification for decision-making is questionable, and understanding individual variability is a prerequisite; this study has helped disentangle the diversity of responses to survey design options.

Story stems in early mother-infant interaction promote pretend play at 30 months.

During early childhood, play develops through levels of sensory exploration and manipulation, to functional activities and during the second year of life to the level of pretend and symbolic play. However, little is known about the factors contributing to individual variations in the development of play. The present study investigated associations between maternal sensitivity and play conditions with different ways of engaging and participating and children's development of pretend play. Participants were 64 primiparous mothers and their 30-months-old children. Sensitivity was assessed using the Coding Interactive Behavior (CIB) coding system, and children's play was coded using the 12 Step Play Scale. Analyses showed no significant associations between sensitivity and children's play development but a play condition introducing a story stem was associated with a higher developmental play level and longer duration of pretend play compared to free interactive play. The findings suggest that the use of a story stem may promote pretend play in interactive settings with the mother.