Rachel B Thibodeau-Nielsen
Biographic Data
| ID | 5760531 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Rachel B Thibodeau-Nielsen |
| GIVEN NAMES | Rachel B |
| FAMILY NAME | Thibodeau-Nielsen |
| SIGNATURE | THIBODEAU-NIELSEN R B |
| AFFILIATIONS | University of Missouri |
| ORCID | 0000-0002-0854-1317 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 10 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 8 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 10 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2017 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2025 |
| H-INDEX | 2 |
The Creativity in Play Scale
Exploring Playful Opportunities for STEM Learning in Early Elementary School
Early childhood is an opportune time to introduce science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) concepts, yet it is one of the least studied developmental periods for STEM learning. Teachers report challenges incorporating STEM into early education settings, highlighting the need for research examining how children naturally incorporate STEM thinking into their everyday activities, including play. The purpose of this study was to observationa…
Do you want to play doctors?’ An exploratory study of parent engagement in medical play with preschool children
Medical fears are common in early childhood, and managing young children’s distress with routine healthcare encounters is essential for promoting lifelong health. Previous research suggests medical play guided by healthcare professionals reduces children’s anxiety and distress in medical settings, and medical play has been recommended as a strategy families can use at home to prevent or address medical fears. However, little is known about how pa…
Parent conversations with young children
Parent-child conversations may minimize the impact of stressful situations on children's well-being. Parents were encouraged to talk with their children about the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, yet research suggests that parent stress in response to the pandemic was associated with disruptions in parenting and increased child emotional distress. In the present study, 205 parents of children aged 3-6 years (50.7% girls, 56.6% White) reported on …
Advancements in observing behavior in preschool classrooms
This article outlines a new method for collecting observational data in preschool classrooms using a combination of state‐of‐the‐art audio and visual equipment, including omnidirectional cameras. This audiovisual recording method capitalizes on the advantages of existing in‐person and mechanical observational designs. For example, the technique presented in this paper allows researchers to seamlessly follow multiple children as they move througho…
Physiological substrates of imagination in early childhood
Recent research suggests that imagination, defined as engaging in behaviors or cognitions not representative of one's current reality, is related to the development of emotion regulation (ER) skills in early childhood. Yet, the underlying mechanisms responsible for driving this relationship are unknown. The present study aimed to elucidate one potential pathway through which imagination may influence ER by examining the possible physiological sub…
Engagement in social pretend play predicts preschoolers’ executive function gains across the school year
Spanish-speaking preschoolers’ effortful control and their English vocabulary and letter-word skills
Conceptual Similarities Among Fantasy and Religious Orientations
Often in conservative religious populations, fantastical thoughts, interests, and beliefs are discouraged because fantastical beliefs are thought to contradict religious doctrine. However, beliefs in invisible, omnipotent entities such as God and Santa Claus likely rely on similar conceptual abilities that might complement rather than contradict religiosity. Therefore, the present study examined how one’s current and retrospective fantasy orienta…
Supporting the development of empathy
Theory of mind (ToM) and empathy are separate, but related components of social understanding. However, research has not clearly defined the distinctions between them. Similarly, related constructs, such as fantasy orientation (FO), are associated with better ToM understanding; however, little is known about how FO may provide a context in which both ToM and affective empathy develop. Children between the ages of 3 and 5 ( N = 82) completed a bat…
Engagement in social pretend play predicts preschoolers’ executive function gains across the school year
Supporting the development of empathy
Theory of mind (ToM) and empathy are separate, but related components of social understanding. However, research has not clearly defined the distinctions between them. Similarly, related constructs, such as fantasy orientation (FO), are associated with better ToM understanding; however, little is known about how FO may provide a context in which both ToM and affective empathy develop. Children between the ages of 3 and 5 ( N = 82) completed a bat…
Physiological substrates of imagination in early childhood
Recent research suggests that imagination, defined as engaging in behaviors or cognitions not representative of one's current reality, is related to the development of emotion regulation (ER) skills in early childhood. Yet, the underlying mechanisms responsible for driving this relationship are unknown. The present study aimed to elucidate one potential pathway through which imagination may influence ER by examining the possible physiological sub…
Supporting the development of empathy
Theory of mind (ToM) and empathy are separate, but related components of social understanding. However, research has not clearly defined the distinctions between them. Similarly, related constructs, such as fantasy orientation (FO), are associated with better ToM understanding; however, little is known about how FO may provide a context in which both ToM and affective empathy develop. Children between the ages of 3 and 5 ( N = 82) completed a bat…
Conceptual Similarities Among Fantasy and Religious Orientations
Often in conservative religious populations, fantastical thoughts, interests, and beliefs are discouraged because fantastical beliefs are thought to contradict religious doctrine. However, beliefs in invisible, omnipotent entities such as God and Santa Claus likely rely on similar conceptual abilities that might complement rather than contradict religiosity. Therefore, the present study examined how one’s current and retrospective fantasy orienta…
Spanish-speaking preschoolers’ effortful control and their English vocabulary and letter-word skills
Advancements in observing behavior in preschool classrooms
This article outlines a new method for collecting observational data in preschool classrooms using a combination of state‐of‐the‐art audio and visual equipment, including omnidirectional cameras. This audiovisual recording method capitalizes on the advantages of existing in‐person and mechanical observational designs. For example, the technique presented in this paper allows researchers to seamlessly follow multiple children as they move througho…
Physiological substrates of imagination in early childhood
Recent research suggests that imagination, defined as engaging in behaviors or cognitions not representative of one's current reality, is related to the development of emotion regulation (ER) skills in early childhood. Yet, the underlying mechanisms responsible for driving this relationship are unknown. The present study aimed to elucidate one potential pathway through which imagination may influence ER by examining the possible physiological sub…
Engagement in social pretend play predicts preschoolers’ executive function gains across the school year
Parent conversations with young children
Parent-child conversations may minimize the impact of stressful situations on children's well-being. Parents were encouraged to talk with their children about the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, yet research suggests that parent stress in response to the pandemic was associated with disruptions in parenting and increased child emotional distress. In the present study, 205 parents of children aged 3-6 years (50.7% girls, 56.6% White) reported on …
The Creativity in Play Scale
Exploring Playful Opportunities for STEM Learning in Early Elementary School
Early childhood is an opportune time to introduce science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) concepts, yet it is one of the least studied developmental periods for STEM learning. Teachers report challenges incorporating STEM into early education settings, highlighting the need for research examining how children naturally incorporate STEM thinking into their everyday activities, including play. The purpose of this study was to observationa…
Do you want to play doctors?’ An exploratory study of parent engagement in medical play with preschool children
Medical fears are common in early childhood, and managing young children’s distress with routine healthcare encounters is essential for promoting lifelong health. Previous research suggests medical play guided by healthcare professionals reduces children’s anxiety and distress in medical settings, and medical play has been recommended as a strategy families can use at home to prevent or address medical fears. However, little is known about how pa…
Psychology (10 works) · Developmental psychology (7 works) · Early Childhood Education and Development (4 works) · Social Psychology (4 works) · Child development (3 works) · Cognition (3 works) · Pedagogy (3 works) · Social Psychology (3 works) · Child and Adolescent Psychosocial and Emotional Development (2 works) · Child and Animal Learning Development (2 works)