Studied by 2 people
Study of "Marshmallow experiment" was popularized in
the 80s - 90s
Selective attention
ability to tune into certain things while tuning out others
Sustained or focused attention
maintaining that focus over time
Eye-contact exercises
sustained attention improved when children needed to make eye contact with teacher before leaving the group in circle time
Chants/Phrases to refocus
"crisscross apple sauce" ; "123 eyes on me" for selective attention ; refocusing
Focus of self control and regulation has shifted to
broader concept self-regulation of emotions, cognitive processes, learning as opposed to deprivation and discipline
Thought in research that “self-control is like
a muscle” , you need to build and strengthen , and it can get fatigued
The marshmallow study is a popularized study at Stanford that looked at
children’s ability to delay instant gratification for a later reward
The marshmallow study found correlation with
those who “waited” had later academic and employment success
After 8 weeks, Neville found
positive changes in the way these children’s brains functioned and in their language skills, nonverbal IQ, and social skills, as well as a reduction in problem behaviors.
Neville and her colleagues developed
a training program for children from low SES using games that allowed them to practice attention skills.
Parents in Neville’s study
benefitted from the program, showing reduced stress and greater ability to maintain conversations with their children.
Young children from low-income families may have
less effective selective attention
Differences in attention in part to
heritable characteristics (nature), yet also influenced by experience (nurture)
Ability to focus and sustain attention in preschool children has also been linked to
differences in families’ economic circumstances
In a longitudinal study, parents rated
their 4-year-old child’s attention span and persistence.
Children who were better able to maintain focused attention and who persisted even when faced with difficulties
had higher math and reading achievement at age 21 and a greater chance of college completion by age 25
A 2005 longitudinal study of 1000 preschoolers showed that
children ranked low in attentional control had poorer social skills and peer relationships in 1st and 3rd grade
Ability to attend to information critical foundational skill for
all learning, aspects of school readiness
General rule of thumb:
2 - 3 minutes x age
Can often focus on tasks of interest for
longer periods of time
Child’s ability to ‘pay attention’ improves over
the preschool years, relative to toddlerhood, but still under development
Note 
Flashcard (54)