Daily fluctuations in young children's persistence. Issue 2 (14th December 2021)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Leonard, Julia A.; Lydon‐Staley, David M.; Sharp, Sophie D. S.; Liu, Hunter Z.; Park, Anne T.; Bassett, Danielle S.; Duckworth, Angela L.; Mackey, Allyson P.
• Is Part Of: Child development. Volume 93:Issue 2(2022)
• Page Start: e222
• Page End: e236
• Publication Date: 2021-12-14
• Subjects: Child development -- Periodicals; Child psychology -- Periodicals; Child Development -- Periodicals; Child Development; Pediatrics -- Periodicals; Pedicatrics; 305.231
• DOI: 10.1111/cdev.13717
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0009-3920

Abstract

Abstract: Children's behavior changes from day to day, but the factors that contribute to its variability are understudied. We developed a novel repeated measures paradigm to study children's persistence by capitalizing on a task that children complete every day: toothbrushing ( N = 81; 48% female; 36–47 months; 80% white, 14% Multiracial, 10% Hispanic, 2% Asian, 1% Black; 1195 observations collected between January 2019 and March 2020). Children brushed longer on days when their parents used more praise ( d = .23) and less instruction ( d = −.22). Sensitivity to mood, sleep, and parent stress varied across children, suggesting that identifying the factors that shape an individual child's persistence could lead to personalized interventions.