Social working memory (WM) has distinct neural substrates from canonical cognitive WM (e.g., color). However, no study, to the best of our knowledge, has yet explored how social WM develops. The current study explored the development of social WM capacity and its relation to theory of mind (ToM). Experiment 1 had sixty-four 3- to 6-year-olds memorize 1-5 biological motion stimuli, the processing of which is considered a hallmark of social cognition. The social WM capacity steadily increased between 3- and 6-year-olds, with the increase between 4 and 5 years being sharp. Furthermore, social WM capacity positively predicted preschoolers' ToM scores, while nonsocial WM capacity did not; this positive correlation was particularly strong among 4-year-olds (Experiment 2, N = 144).

Exuberance, a temperament type influenced by approach motivation, has been found to be associated with maladaptive behaviors such as more externalizing behaviors in early childhood. A possible mechanism underlying it is children's selective attention to environmental cues.

Empathy, crucial to harmonious interpersonal relationships and moral development, has both affective and cognitive components. Previous studies found that toddlers' temperamental inhibition may influence their empathy, but mainly focused on emotional response to others' distress. Little is known about whether inhibited children's poor empathy is due to high reactivity and social withdrawal when sharing others' affective states, such as distress (affective empathy), or to a difficulty in comprehending and inferring others' perspective (cognitive empathy). The current study investigated the role of behavioral inhibition (BI) in affective empathy (response to pain simulation) and cognitive empathy (performance in perspective-taking task) among 163 Chinese toddlers and tested in both only and non-only children. Correlation analyses showed that BI was only negatively associated with affective empathy. The relation between BI and cognitive empathy was moderated by self-regulation and inhibited children who were low in selfregulation presented low cognitive empathy. Additionally, only children presented advanced cognitive empathy but poorer affective empathy than non-only children. These findings imply different roles of BI in affective versus cognitive empathy in early childhood. Although highly inhibited children rarely show positive social expression toward others' distress, caution is needed in inferring that they lack a capacity for cognitive empathy.

The current longitudinal study examined the association of temperamental inhibition (assessed by behavioral observation and parental reports) at three years old with reward and punishment bias (measured by a spatial cueing task) and mothers’ and teachers’ reports of internalizing behaviors and social competence at five years old in 153 Chinese children. As predicted, behavioral inhibition positively predicted later mother-rated internalizing behaviors. In addition, punishment bias moderated this relation such that children with higher punishment bias showed a positive inhibition–internalizing link. Furthermore, inhibition negatively predicted both mother-rated and teacher-rated social competence. However, novel findings were that reward bias moderated the relation between inhibition and teacher-rated social competence, such that inhibited children showed an increased risk of low competence when they had lower reward bias.

ObjectiveThis study aimed to examine how father involvement and family relationships changed during the COVID‐19 lockdown and their relations to fathers' work arrangements.BackgroundThe COVID‐19 pandemic has transformed how parents arrange their work and family in China and elsewhere. Many fathers, once working long hours at the workplace, had to adjust their work arrangements, working reduced hours or working from home.MethodThis study used a mixed methods design. Participants were parents of preschool or school‐age children in China. In Study 1, 31 mothers were interviewed about the change in father involvement and family relationships during the COVID‐19 lockdown compared with pre‐COVID‐19. In Study 2, a sample of father–mother dyads (N = 637) completed survey measures of work arrangements, father involvement, and family relationships.ResultsStudy 1 suggested increased father involvement and improved family relationships amid the lockdown and highlighted the role of fathers' work. Study 2 revealed that fathers' changed work arrangements (i.e., working from home) were associated with higher father involvement and more positive family relationships during the lockdown. Father involvement may mediate the associations between fathers' work arrangements and father–child closeness as well as mothers' marital satisfaction.Conclusion and ImplicationsWorking from home could promote involved fathering and stronger family relationships, strengthening the family's overall capacity to combat the stressors and challenges brought by the COVID‐19 pandemic.