Research led by the University of St Andrews has shown children performing cognitive tasks faster on their own, rather than in the presence of a stranger - a finding that researchers say could lead to a better understanding of the best learning environments for children.
An adult is almost always in the room with the child during developmental research, to ensure that the instructions are understood and answer any questions. Yet, there has been little insight into whether this could influence how children focus on a task.
However, in a , research from the University of St Andrew’s School of Psychology and Neuroscience finds that children were slower to respond on a cognitive task when an adult was present, especially when the task required children to be particularly attentive.
‘Simple social aspect’ influences children’s attention
Cognitive control development across childhood, says the university, is critically linked to later academic achievement and life outcomes.
Despite recent advancements in its understanding, no study is thought to have addressed whether the presence of another person has an impact on cognitive learning and development.
The researchers gave a total of 123 Chinese children aged 4-5 and 8-9 years a well-established cognitive task. They compared the performance of children completing the task in the presence of an unfamiliar adult to peers who were doing the task alone, without the adult next to them.
This research, in collaboration with Tsinghua University (China), Clermont-Auvergne University (France) and University of Fribourg (Switzerland), aligns with recent efforts in research to better understand how the experimental context affects children’s cognitive performance and development.
The University of St Andrews says the research is “unique in showing that a social aspect as simple as the presence of an adult is enough to influence how children exert their attention”.
More research required
It adds that more research is needed to understand what causes this effect and how it differs depending on various factors such as children’s personality, preferences and habits.
Lead researcher Dr Aurélien Frick from the University of St Andrews School of Psychology and Neuroscience, said: “The research question of this study was trivial: does it matter whether or not I’m in the room with the children during psychological research? The simple and short answer coming from this study is ‘yes’.
“However, what underlies this and what is the role of individual differences on this effect remains an open, but exciting, question for future studies.”
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