Applying Automated Text Analysis to Detect Ideologically-Motivated Manipulations in Mass-Media News

Partisan interest groups manipulate news to cultivate certain viewpoints; the partisan-oriented public creates demand for such polarized information; this forms a harmful feedback loop that amplifies societal polarization. This study presents the application of automated text analysis methodology to detect stylistic and semantic differences between mass-media news sources of different ideological leanings and radicalism levels to identify text characteristics that might indicate information manipulation. 640 articles on four contentious topics from four mass-media news sources, representing combinations of ideological leanings and radicalism levels, were collected from a seven-year period at times of low and high public interest and analyzed using DICTION software. Results showed significant effects of ideological leaning, radicalism level, and the level of public interest on twelve stylistic and semantic text characteristics. These findings were interpreted in the context of possible information manipulations. As a result, we proposed key text characteristics that might indicate information misrepresentation

Experiential Learning During Early Childhood Play: Free Play, Problem Solving, and Executive Function

Experiential learning is rooted in free play that encourages problem solving skills through discovery of causal relationships and practice of self-control.1 During play, children learn to self-regulate their emotional responses by developing appropriate problem-solving techniques when encountering challenges. Moreover, play allows children to experiment through trial and error, observe consequences of their actions, and engage in flexible thinking.2,3,4 Planning and implementing sequences of goal-directed actions during play not only facilitates children’s problem-solving skills,1,5 but also involves working memory and planning aptitude, typically associated with higher order executive functions.2,5 Thus, play is intrinsically interconnected with problem solving and executive functioning, though the two elements have distinguishable relevance. Problem solving requires self-regulation, ability to identify an obstacle, projecting an outcome based on previous experiences, and tailoring one’s behavior to achieve a goal.1 Executive functions, on the other hand, utilize the information gathered from both the discoveries made during play and problem solving to integrate higher order cognitive strategies into overseeing challenging life tasks and goal-directed behaviors.4,6 Examining the relation between free play and problem solving highlights the impact that early experiential learning has on the development of executive functioning as skills become more refined through practice. References 1. Babik, I., Cunha, A. B., Ross, S. M., Logan, S. W., Galloway, J. C., & Lobo, M. A. (2019). Means‐end problem solving in infancy: Development, emergence of intentionality, and transfer of knowledge. Developmental Psychobiology, 61(2), 191–202. doi:10.1002/dev.21798 2. Golinkoff, R. M., Hirsh-Pasek, K., & Singer, D. G. (2006). Why play = Learning: A challenge for parents and educators. Play = Learning: How play motivates and enhances children’s cognitive and social-emotional growth, 3–12. doi:10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195304381.003.0001 3. Trawick-Smith, J., & Dziurgot, T. (2011). ‘Good-fit’ teacher-child play interactions and the subsequent autonomous play of preschool children. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 26(1), 110–123. doi:10.1016/j.ecresq.2010.04.005 4. Bernier, A., Carlson, S. M., & Whipple, N. (2010). From external regulation to self-regulation: Early parenting precursors of young children’s executive functioning. Child Development, 81(1), 326–339. doi:10.1111/j.1467-8624.2009.01397. 5. Berk, L., & Meyers, A. (2013). The role of make-believe play in the development of executive function: Status of research and future directions. American Journal of Play, 6(1) 98–107. 6. Blakey, E., Visser, I., & Carroll, D. J. (2015). Different executive functions support different kinds of cognitive flexibility: Evidence from 2-, 3-, and 4-year-olds. Child Development, 87(2), 513–526. doi:10.1111/cdev.1246

Sociocultural and Parenting Factors Affect Children\u27s Cognitive Development Through Mastery Motivation

Human development involves multiple, dynamic interactions between a person and their environment. Children’s environment has a significant impact on their current behavior and future development.1,2 Serving as a main component of this environment, parenting behavior influences a child’s development, encouraging certain behavioral patterns, personality traits, and mental dispositions.1,3 Key subcomponents of parenting behavior include level of parental control and intrusiveness, involvement in child play, parenting style, and the amount of attention provided to the child.3,4,5 Two primary factors shape these child-rearing practices: 1) cultural values, which indirectly guide the establishment of customs and behavioral norms such as child-rearing, and 2) socioeconomic status, which affects the amount of resources and stimulation a child receives.1,3,6 One specific developmental outcome affected by parenting is mastery motivation, a psychological force describing an individual\u27s independent, persistent attempts to solve or master a challenging task.7 Although mastery motivation is intrinsic and relatively stable, it is still malleable to multiple environmental influences, especially parental factors.2,7,8 In general, less parental control and more allowance of exploratory play stimulate opportunities for more optimal development.2,5 Previous research on infants and young children linked mastery motivation to increased self-regulation and persistence in challenging tasks, heightened belief in self, encouragement of autonomy, and improved sensorimotor skills as a result of practice.2,7,8 Importantly, the latter are positively related to children\u27s future cognitive development and academic outcomes.4,6,

Text Analysis Identified Semantic Differences in Ideologically-Motivated News

In recent years, there has been a dramatic increase in polarization of public opinion on some topics of global importance, leading to increasing public reliance on partisan-based online news.1 However, news outlets may manipulate public opinion through misinformation or subtle modifications of news text’s semantic, stylistic, and affective characteristics.2,3 We hypothesized significant differences in news text characteristics between sources with different ideological orientations, levels of radicalism, and levels of public interest for highly divisive topics in our society: immigration, gun control, and vaccination. Data was collected from 360 articles on these topics from MSNBC News (left-leaning non-radical), Fox News (right-leaning non-radical), and Breitbart (right-leaning radical) during times of lowest and highest public interest. Text analysis with DICTION software identified characteristics of text, and a two-way ANOVA in SPSS 29 evaluated the effects of source and public interest on text characteristics. Results showed significant differences in text characteristics based on the source’s ideological leaning and radicalism level, as well as public interest in the topic. Right-leaning sources exhibited more categorical thinking, a greater tendency to overstate opinions, and a lower predisposition to invite readers to engage critically and evaluate the presented information than the left-leaning source. More radical sources displayed greater authoritarian inflexibility and robustness in their opinions. These differences suggest that news sources may aim to sway public opinion in a specific direction, potentially misrepresenting information. This study highlights the importance of critically evaluating news sources and the need for unbiased reporting to promote informed public opinion

Hand-Use Preferences for Reaching and Object Exploration in Children with Impaired Upper Extremity Functioning: The Role of Environmental Affordances

Infants and young children with weakened or impaired upper extremity functioning often develop a strong hand-use “preference” for reaching and object manipulation. While “preferring” their stronger hand, they often partially or completely ignore their “non-preferred” hand. Such manual lateralization might impede complex object exploration, which would negatively affect children’s cognitive development. The question is whether environmental affordances would significantly affect children’s manifested hand-use “preferences” by promoting the use of the “non-preferred” hand. The current sample included 17 children (5 males; 13.9 ± 8.7 months at baseline) with arthrogryposis multiplex congenita (arthrogryposis). The reaching and object exploration of the children were evaluated longitudinally across a 6-month period with and without the Playskin LiftTM exoskeletal garment (Playskin). Results showed that the use of the Playskin increased both unimanual and bimanual object contact. Also, when anti-gravity support was provided to the arms by the Playskin, children significantly increased the use of their non-preferred hand, which correlated with improved quality of object play—more bimanual object interaction and greater intensity, variability, and complexity of exploration. These findings suggest that hand-use “preference” in children with arthrogryposis is quite malleable during early development. It is likely that children with impaired upper extremity functioning do not “prefer” to use a particular hand but, rather, cannot afford using both hands due to their limited muscular or manual abilities. Importantly, environmental affordances (i.e., anti-gravity support for the arms) might significantly affect the early development of manual lateralization, with potential implications for children’s quality of object exploration and future cognitive development

Early Exploration of One’s Own Body, Exploration of Objects, and Motor, Language, and Cognitive Development Relate Dynamically Across the First Two Years of Life

Early exploratory behaviors have been proposed to facilitate children’s learning, impacting motor, cognitive, language, and social development. This study related the performance of behaviors used to explore oneself to behaviors used to explore objects, and then related both types of exploratory behaviors to motor, language, and cognitive measures longitudinally from 3 through 24 months of age via secondary analysis of an existing dataset. Participants were 52 children (23 full-term, 29 preterm). Previously published results from this dataset documented delays for preterm relative to full-term infants in each assessment. The current results related performance among the assessments throughout the first 2 years of life. They showed that the developmental trajectories of behaviors children used for self-exploration closely related to the trajectories of behaviors they employed to explore objects. The trajectories of both self and object exploration behaviors significantly related to trajectories of children’s motor, language, and cognitive development. Specifically, significant relations to global development were observed for self-exploratory head lifting, midline head and hand positioning, hand opening, and behavioral variability, as well as for object-oriented bimanual holding, mouthing, looking, banging, manipulating, transferring of objects, and behavioral intensity and variability. These results demonstrate continuity among the early exploratory behaviors infants perform with their bodies alone, exploratory behaviors with portable objects, and global development. The findings identify specific self- and object-exploration behaviors that may serve as early indicators of developmental delay and could be targeted by interventions to advance motor, language, and cognitive outcomes for infants at risk for delay

Factors Affecting the Perception of Disability: A Developmental Perspective

Perception of disability is an important construct affecting not only the well-being of individuals with disabilities, but also the moral compass of the society. Negative attitudes toward disability disempower individuals with disabilities and lead to their social exclusion and isolation. By contrast, a healthy society encourages positive attitudes toward individuals with disabilities and promotes social inclusion. The current review explored disability perception in the light of the in-group vs. out-group dichotomy, since individuals with disabilities may be perceived as a special case of out-group. We implemented a developmental approach to study perception of disability from early age into adolescence while exploring cognitive, affective, and behavioral components of children’s attitudes. Potential factors influencing perception of disability were considered at the level of society, family and school environment, and the individual. Better understanding of factors influencing the development of disability perception would allow the design of effective interventions to improve children’s attitudes toward peers with disabilities, reduce intergroup biases, and promote social inclusion. Based on previous research in social and developmental psychology, education, and anthropology, we proposed an integrative model that provides a conceptual framework for understanding the development of disability perception

Development of handedness for role-differentiated bimanual manipulation of objects in relation to the development of hand-use preferences for acquisition during infancy

Handedness development during infancy could be represented as a progressive expansion of a hand-use preference across a wider range of increasingly complex skills. The goal of the present study was to explore the development of role-differentiated bimanual manipulation (RDBM) during infancy as an expansion of the development of handedness for acquiring objects and unimanual manipulation. Infants were categorized according to their handedness status for acquiring objects (right-hand, left-hand, or no distinct hand-use preference). This status was determined from nine monthly assessments performed during 6-14 month period and resulted in a sample of 90 normally developing infants (30 right-handers, 30 left-handers, and 30 no preference infants). These infants were tested monthly from 9 to 14 months for unimanual manipulation and RDBM handedness. The results of the multilevel analyses showed that lateralization of handedness for toy acquisition increased during 6-12 month interval and decreased thereafter. Lateralization of handedness for unimanual manipulation and RDBM increased during 9-14 month period. Furthermore, handedness for toy acquisition was found to be positively related to handedness for unimanual manipulation, which, in its turn, was positively related to handedness for difficult, but not simple, RDBM. Also, handedness for toy acquisition was positively related to handedness for difficult RDBM. Thus, it was concluded that handedness for toy acquisition concatenates into unimanual handedness which further influences the development of RDBM handedness

Potential postural constraints on the development of lateralized hand-use in infancy

Lateralized hand-use is an easily observable sensorimotor skill that can be used as a model for the exploration of the development of differential functioning between the two cerebral hemispheres, or hemispheric lateralization. However, it has been argued that handedness is not a stable trait, and it cannot be reliably identified until 6 years of age or later. Many studies of infants report variability as the prominent characteristic of infant manual asymmetries. However, other studies have reported significantly consistent hand-use preferences for infants. Perhaps, the hand-use preferences in infants are somewhat different from their lateralized hand-use. Some researchers have tried to explain high variability in the development of lateralized hand-use using a dynamic systems perspective. From this perspective, the emergence of new motor skills such as sitting, crawling and walking imposes new constraints on the development of lateralized hand-use but not necessarily on the development of hand-use preferences. The current large scale (108 infants) longitudinal (from 6 to 14 months) study explored the relationship between the development of gross motor skills and lateralized hand-use. Our goal was to explore possible fluctuations in lateralized hand-use development at the onset of sitting, crawling, and walking among infants with and without clear hand-use preferences (as assessed by a valid and reliable measure) and controlling for gender. The multilevel analysis performed in HLM program showed that only the onset of walking significantly influences the trajectory of lateralized hand-use, however this trajectory differ between males and females, and also depends on infant's handedness status

Infant Hand Preference and the Development of Cognitive Abilities

Hand preference develops in the first two postnatal years with nearly half of infants exhibiting a consistent early preference for acquiring objects. Others exhibit a more variable developmental trajectory but by the end of their second postnatal year, most exhibit a consistent hand preference for role-differentiated bimanual manipulation. According to some forms of embodiment theory, these differences in hand use patterns should influence the way children interact with their environments, which, in turn, should affect the structure and function of brain development. Such early differences in brain development should result in different trajectories of psychological development. We present evidence that children with consistent early hand preferences exhibit advanced patterns of cognitive development as compared to children who develop a hand preference later. Differences in the developmental trajectory of hand preference are predictive of developmental differences in language, object management skills, and tool-use skills. As predicted by Casasanto’s body-specificity hypothesis, infants with different hand preferences proceed along different developmental pathways of cognitive functioning