Boys and Girls on the Playground: Sex Differences in Social Development Are Not Stable across Early Childhood

Sex differences in human social behaviors and abilities have long been a question of public and scientific interest. Females are usually assumed to be more socially oriented and skilful than males. However, despite an extensive literature, the very existence of sex differences remains a matter of discussion while some studies found no sex differences whereas others reported differences that were either congruent or not with gender stereotypes. Moreover, the magnitude, consistency and stability across time of the differences remain an open question, especially during childhood. As play provides an excellent window into children's social development, we investigated whether and how sex differences change in social play across early childhood. Following a cross-sectional design, 164 children aged from 2 to 6 years old, divided into four age groups, were observed during outdoor free play at nursery school. We showed that sex differences are not stable over time evidencing a developmental gap between girls and boys. Social and structured forms of play emerge systematically earlier in girls than in boys leading to subsequent sex differences in favor of girls at some ages, successively in associative play at 3–4 years, cooperative play at 4–5 years, and social interactions with peers at 5–6 years. Preschool boys also display more solitary play than preschool girls, especially when young. Nevertheless, while boys catch up and girls move on towards more complex play, sex differences in social play patterns are reversed in favor of boys at the following ages, such as in associative play at 4–5 years and cooperative play at 5–6 years. This developmental perspective contributes to resolve apparent discrepancies between single-snapshot studies. A better understanding of the dynamics of sex differences in typical social development should also provide insights into atypical social developments which exhibit sex differences in prevalence, such as autism

Pyrethroid insecticide exposure and cognitive developmental disabilities in children: The PELAGIE mother–child cohort

International audiencePyrethroid insecticides are widely used in agriculture and in homes. Despite the neurotoxicity of these insecticides at high doses, few studies have examined whether lower-level exposures could adversely affect children's neurodevelopment. The PELAGIE cohort included 3421 pregnant women from Brittany, France between 2002 and 2006. When their children reached their sixth birthday, 428 mothers from the cohort were randomly selected, successfully contacted and found eligible. A total of 287 (67%) mothers agreed to participate with their children in the neuropsychological follow-up. Two cognitive domains were assessed by the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children: verbal comprehension and working memory. Five pyrethroid and two organophosphate insecticide metabolites were measured in maternal and child first-void urine samples collected between 6 and 19 gestational weeks and at 6 years of age, respectively. Linear regression models were used to estimate associations between cognitive scores and urinary pyrethroid metabolite concentrations, adjusting for organophosphate metabolite concentrations and potential confounders. Maternal prenatal pyrethroid metabolite concentrations were not consistently associated with any children's cognitive scores. By contrast, childhood 3-PBA and cis-DBCA concentrations were both negatively associated with verbal comprehension scores (P-trend = 0.04 and P-trend < 0.01, respectively) and with working memory scores (P-trend = 0.05 and P-trend < 0.01, respectively). No associations were observed for the three other childhood pyrethroid metabolite concentrations (4-F-3-PBA, cis-DCCA, and trans-DCCA). Low-level childhood exposures to deltamethrin (as cis-DBCA is its principal and selective metabolite), in particular, and to pyrethroid insecticides, in general (as reflected in levels of the 3-PBA metabolite) may negatively affect neurocognitive development by 6 years of age. Whatever their etiology, these cognitive deficits may be of importance educationally, because cognitive impairments in children interfere with learning and social development. Potential causes that can be prevented are of paramount public health importanc

Suivi des trajectoires de développement cognitif et social d'enfants TSA scolarisés en unités d'enseignement maternelle : données sur 2 ans.

International audienceInclusive schooling settings have been recently implemented in France towards allowing children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) as young as 3 to benefit from a pedagogy adapted to their special needs, while maintaining the experience of sharing the educative environment of their typical peers, which is recognized as a key factor of their social and cognitive development. The objective of this pilot study is to assess the developmental trajectories of 3 cohorts of ASD children benefiting from these new inclusive educational settings in Ile-de-France and Bretagne, in a follow-up design conducted by two university departments involved in a collaborative research program. Outcome measures, repeated every 6-8 months, included standardized assessments of cognitive and social development, of clinical behavioral disorders and sensorial processing, as well as a series of complementary measures specific to each research site such as language, communication in the classroom, manual lateralization and fine motor skills.First results showed that all children progressed in most of the functional domains explored, although baseline levels and developmental rhythms may differ from one child to another. Behavioral problems significantly decreased as soon as the end of first school year. Over the 2 years, profiles of cognitive and social development strengthened both in levels achieved and in homogeneity across domains. The implications of these encouraging initial results and their limits are discussed, in the perspective of ensuring the best educational opportunities and well-being of ASD children within early inclusive school settings.Des dispositifs de scolarisation inclusive ont été récemment mis en place en France pour permettre aux enfants avec Trouble du spectre de l’autisme (TSA) de bénéficier dès 3 ans d’une éducation adaptée à leurs besoins spécifiques tout en partageant le milieu de vie commun de tous les enfants de leur âge, facteur de soutien à leur développement cognitif et social. L’étude pilote présentée ici a pour objectif de rendre compte des trajectoires développementales sur deux ans de 3 cohortes d’enfants TSA scolarisés dans de tels dispositifs en Ile-de-France et en Bretagne, suivis par deux équipes universitaires impliquées dans un programme de recherche collaboratif. Les mesures, effectuées tous les 6 à 8 mois, comprennent des évaluations standardisées du développement social et cognitif, des comportements autistiques et des particularités sensorielles, complétées selon les cohortes d’évaluations plus fines de la communication et du langage, ou encore de la motricité fine et latéralisation manuelle. Les premiers résultats montrent que tous les enfants ont progressé dans l’ensemble des champs fonctionnels évalués, même si les niveaux de départ et rythmes d’évolution se différencient d’un enfant à un autre. Les troubles du comportement s’atténuent sensiblement dès la 1re année. Les profils sociocognitifs des enfants non seulement gagnent en niveaux atteints mais aussi s’homogénéisent davantage entre secteurs. Ces premiers résultats encourageants sont discutés quant à leurs implications et limites, dans l’objectif d’ajuster au mieux la mise en œuvre des dispositifs d’unités d’enseignement spécialisé précoce pour enfants TSA en école ordinaire

Caractéristiques personnelles du jeune enfant et attitudes éducatives

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Identité sexuée

National audienceCe traité de Psychologie sociale apporte un panorama introductif des domaines actuels de la psychologie sociale. Rédigé par près de cinquante spécialistes, il aborde dans un langage accessible qui ne sacrifie pas à la simplification les aspects fondamentaux des pensées, émotions et conduites individuelles et collectives. Le traité s’organise en trois parties. La première introduit à l’histoire et aux méthodologies qui fondent la science du comportement social. La seconde partie aborde les thématiques fondamentales de la psychologie sociale telles que l’identité, les émotions, les attributions, la conformité sociale, les stéréotypes, les conduites agressives ou encore les représentations sociales. Celles-ci sont présentées à travers les recherches classiques et les développements brûlants de la discipline. Une troisième partie offre un aperçu très documenté des applications actuelles de la discipline : la santé, la justice, le sport, l’éducation, l’environnement. Enfin, les domaines les plus récents qui animent aujourd'hui la discipline sont abordés : la psychologie positive et les neurosciences sociales. Un texte de référence, enrichi de nombreuses illustrations et figures, qui dévoile les fondements sociaux de la nature humaine

La construction de l’identité sexuée

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Adaptation scolaire, émotionnelle et sociale au lycée : différences dispositionnelles et contextuelles.

International audienc

A quoi jouent les petits garçons et les petites filles ?

National audienc

Développement social et variabilité inter-sexe : dynamique développementale des différences sexuées entre 2 et 6 ans

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Attachment representations in teenagers with Down syndrome: An application of an item response model

International audienc