No abstract

Children's ability to understand and infer the thoughts and feelings of others influences how they develop a unique view of the world. Examining developmental factors that impact young children's success in both social and cognitive domains has important implications for advancing our current knowledge of social cognition. The purpose of this study was to examine relations among emotion knowledge, deception detection, and Theory of Mind to shed light on the development of social cognition. Specifically, preschoolers' deception detection skills were found to moderate the relationship between emotion knowledge and Theory of Mind. Thus, children's ability to use their emotion knowledge to understand the points of view of others varies as a function of their ability to detect deception. Implications for child development are discussed. Highlights The purpose of this study was to examine relations among emotion knowledge, deception detection, and Theory of Mind. Preschoolers' deception detection skills were found to moderate the relationship between emotion knowledge and Theory of Mind. Children's ability to use emotion knowledge to understand the points of view of others varies as a function of deception detection.

Understanding how to support children from low‐income families as they begin kindergarten is paramount, because they may have delays in developing cognitive and social skills in preschool, putting them at risk for poorer outcomes. Importantly, further research needs to be conducted on how specific constructs that relate to school readiness interact, such as inhibitory control (IC) and emotion knowledge (EK). Previous research has examined relations between IC and EK, but the directionality reported is inconsistent, and few studies have the longitudinal data necessary to assess the interaction fully. Thus, the present study (N = 539) aimed to expand previous research by assessing the directionality of the relationship over four time points using cross‐lagged panel models in a low‐income population. The results showed positive bidirectional relations between the two constructs from preschool to kindergarten, but not kindergarten to first grade, perhaps indicating a shift in these constructs’ interdependency to increased specificity. This study clarified the directionality of these related constructs from preschool into first grade, expanding previous research that focuses on this interaction primarily in the preschool years in samples of convenience. Implications for curricula and intervention for children from low‐income families are discussed.

Few studies have utilised a person‐centred approach when it comes to understanding risk factors in young children. The present study uses this type of approach while examining risk factors in relation to social–emotional skills. Parent reports for 444 preschool‐aged children disclosed each child's exposure to eight different risk factors, as well as their social–emotional abilities. A latent class analysis was utilised to examine subgroups of risk, rather than using a cumulative approach, to see whether specific risk factors differentiated participants. Subgroup differences in distal social–emotional skills were then examined. The subgroup with systemic, economic and parent stress risk factors showed the lowest social–emotional abilities, in comparison to subgroups with only systemic or a combination of systemic and economic risks. These results suggest that addressing parent stress may be particularly relevant when considering children's social–emotional development. Implications for interventions and clinical practice are discussed.

Self-regulation and social cognition flourish as children begin school and engage with a new social environment. At the same time, this novel setting provides more complex social situations that children must navigate, including understanding when others may be lying to them. Social cognition and self regulatory abilities, such as Theory of Mind (ToM) and executive function (EF) respectively, may aid children in understanding such advanced social situations by helping children consider others' viewpoints and focus on problem solving (Garte, 2016;Kultti & Pramling, 2015;Winsler, Fernyhough, & Montero, 2009). In order to investigate these possible relations, children between the ages of 3 and 5 (N = 92, M = 51.42 months, SD = 8.86, range = 37 to 69 months; 49 males; 38 3-year-olds, 31 4-year-olds, 23 5-year-olds) completed a battery of EF skills, ToM, and implausible lie detection measures. Results indicated that EF skills significantly predicted implausible lie detection, over and above both age and ToM. Findings are discussed in terms of the unique contribution that self-regulation skills, such as EF, make to young children's blossoming implausible lie detection ability.