View in EDS

The Development of Selective Attention in Children's Emotion Reasoning

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Title: The Development of Selective Attention in Children's Emotion Reasoning
Language: English
Authors: Andrea G. Stein (ORCID 0000-0002-1792-6606), Seth D. Pollak (ORCID 0000-0001-5184-9846)
Source: Developmental Science. 2026 29(3).
Availability: Wiley. Available from: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030. Tel: 800-835-6770; e-mail: cs-journals@wiley.com; Web site: https://www.wiley.com/en-us
Peer Reviewed: Y
Page Count: 10
Publication Date: 2026
Sponsoring Agency: National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) (DHHS/NIH)
Contract Number: R01MH061285
T32MH018931
Document Type: Journal Articles
Reports - Research
Descriptors: Attention, Age Differences, Emotional Response, Young Children, Preadolescents, Cues, Child Development, Visual Stimuli
DOI: 10.1111/desc.70167
ISSN: 1363-755X
1467-7687
Abstract: We investigated developmental differences in the attention strategies children use in their emotion reasoning across middle childhood. Specifically, we examined whether, with age, children become less likely to distribute their attention broadly when reasoning about emotions, and more likely to come to attend selectively to the most reliable cues. To test this hypothesis, N = 180 five- through ten-year-old children learned to classify an alien's emotional displays into two categories. Categories could be learned via two different strategies: distributing attention across all possible emotion-related cues or selectively attending to the most predictive cue. Consistent with our hypothesis, Bayesian zero-one inflated beta regression revealed that from five through approximately eight years old, with age, participants were increasingly likely to use a selective attention strategy. Selective attention use increased by an average of 5 percentage points per year across this age range (95% CI [2%pt, 7%pt]). This result was also characterized by decreasing strategic variability across development. For every year older a participant was, they were also 1.77 times more likely to use a single consistent attention strategy, rather than a hybrid of distributed and selective attention (95% CI [1.43, 2.22]). These results reflect a potential trade-off across development between flexibility and efficiency in emotion reasoning.
Abstractor: As Provided
Entry Date: 2026
Accession Number: EJ1504386
Database: ERIC
FullText Text:
  Availability: 0
Header DbId: eric
DbLabel: ERIC
An: EJ1504386
AccessLevel: 3
PubType: Academic Journal
PubTypeId: academicJournal
PreciseRelevancyScore: 0
IllustrationInfo
Items – Name: Title
  Label: Title
  Group: Ti
  Data: The Development of Selective Attention in Children's Emotion Reasoning
– Name: Language
  Label: Language
  Group: Lang
  Data: English
– Name: Author
  Label: Authors
  Group: Au
  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Andrea+G%2E+Stein%22">Andrea G. Stein</searchLink> (ORCID <externalLink term="https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1792-6606">0000-0002-1792-6606</externalLink>)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Seth+D%2E+Pollak%22">Seth D. Pollak</searchLink> (ORCID <externalLink term="https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5184-9846">0000-0001-5184-9846</externalLink>)
– Name: TitleSource
  Label: Source
  Group: Src
  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="SO" term="%22Developmental+Science%22"><i>Developmental Science</i></searchLink>. 2026 29(3).
– Name: Avail
  Label: Availability
  Group: Avail
  Data: Wiley. Available from: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030. Tel: 800-835-6770; e-mail: cs-journals@wiley.com; Web site: https://www.wiley.com/en-us
– Name: PeerReviewed
  Label: Peer Reviewed
  Group: SrcInfo
  Data: Y
– Name: Pages
  Label: Page Count
  Group: Src
  Data: 10
– Name: DatePubCY
  Label: Publication Date
  Group: Date
  Data: 2026
– Name: SourceSuprt
  Label: Sponsoring Agency
  Group: SrcSuprt
  Data: National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) (DHHS/NIH)
– Name: NumberContract
  Label: Contract Number
  Group: NumCntrct
  Data: R01MH061285<br />T32MH018931
– Name: TypeDocument
  Label: Document Type
  Group: TypDoc
  Data: Journal Articles<br />Reports - Research
– Name: Subject
  Label: Descriptors
  Group: Su
  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Attention%22">Attention</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Age+Differences%22">Age Differences</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Emotional+Response%22">Emotional Response</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Young+Children%22">Young Children</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Preadolescents%22">Preadolescents</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Cues%22">Cues</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Child+Development%22">Child Development</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Visual+Stimuli%22">Visual Stimuli</searchLink>
– Name: DOI
  Label: DOI
  Group: ID
  Data: 10.1111/desc.70167
– Name: ISSN
  Label: ISSN
  Group: ISSN
  Data: 1363-755X<br />1467-7687
– Name: Abstract
  Label: Abstract
  Group: Ab
  Data: We investigated developmental differences in the attention strategies children use in their emotion reasoning across middle childhood. Specifically, we examined whether, with age, children become less likely to distribute their attention broadly when reasoning about emotions, and more likely to come to attend selectively to the most reliable cues. To test this hypothesis, N = 180 five- through ten-year-old children learned to classify an alien's emotional displays into two categories. Categories could be learned via two different strategies: distributing attention across all possible emotion-related cues or selectively attending to the most predictive cue. Consistent with our hypothesis, Bayesian zero-one inflated beta regression revealed that from five through approximately eight years old, with age, participants were increasingly likely to use a selective attention strategy. Selective attention use increased by an average of 5 percentage points per year across this age range (95% CI [2%pt, 7%pt]). This result was also characterized by decreasing strategic variability across development. For every year older a participant was, they were also 1.77 times more likely to use a single consistent attention strategy, rather than a hybrid of distributed and selective attention (95% CI [1.43, 2.22]). These results reflect a potential trade-off across development between flexibility and efficiency in emotion reasoning.
– Name: AbstractInfo
  Label: Abstractor
  Group: Ab
  Data: As Provided
– Name: DateEntry
  Label: Entry Date
  Group: Date
  Data: 2026
– Name: AN
  Label: Accession Number
  Group: ID
  Data: EJ1504386
PLink https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=eric&AN=EJ1504386
RecordInfo BibRecord:
  BibEntity:
    Identifiers:
      – Type: doi
        Value: 10.1111/desc.70167
    Languages:
      – Text: English
    PhysicalDescription:
      Pagination:
        PageCount: 10
    Subjects:
      – SubjectFull: Attention
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Age Differences
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Emotional Response
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Young Children
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Preadolescents
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Cues
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Child Development
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Visual Stimuli
        Type: general
    Titles:
      – TitleFull: The Development of Selective Attention in Children's Emotion Reasoning
        Type: main
  BibRelationships:
    HasContributorRelationships:
      – PersonEntity:
          Name:
            NameFull: Andrea G. Stein
      – PersonEntity:
          Name:
            NameFull: Seth D. Pollak
    IsPartOfRelationships:
      – BibEntity:
          Dates:
            – D: 01
              M: 05
              Type: published
              Y: 2026
          Identifiers:
            – Type: issn-print
              Value: 1363-755X
            – Type: issn-electronic
              Value: 1467-7687
          Numbering:
            – Type: volume
              Value: 29
            – Type: issue
              Value: 3
          Titles:
            – TitleFull: Developmental Science
              Type: main
ResultId 1