Children Strategically Decide What to Practice
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 9646233 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Daniil Serko (0000-0003-2101-5618, Technical University of Munich , Munich, corresponding author), Julia A Leonard (0000-0001-8099-2721, Yale University , New Haven, Connecticut ,), Azzurra Ruggeri (0000-0002-0839-1929, Technical University of Munich , Munich) |
| Year | 2025 |
| Volume | 96 |
| Issue | 5 |
| Pages | 1619-1631 |
| Publication date | 2025-09-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Child Development (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0009-3920 • E-ISSN: 1467-8624 |
| Publisher | Oxford University Press (OUP) (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1111/cdev.14268 |
| PMID | 40448508 |
| OpenAlex | W4410921978 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 1 |
| References cited | 52 |
Adjusting practice to different goals and characteristics is key to learning, but its development remains unclear. Across 2 preregistered experiments, 190 4-to-8-year-olds (106 female; mostly White; data collection: December 2021–September 2022) and 31 adults played an easy and a difficult game, then chose one to practice before a test on either the easy, difficult, or a randomly chosen game. All children adjusted their active practice choices to condition. When the test game was known, they practiced that game. However, when the test game was randomly chosen, only children 6+ and adults practiced the difficult game, while younger children only showed a trending effect. This suggests that the ability to prepare for uncertainty may develop between ages 4 and 6
Cognitive psychology · Developmental psychology · Game play · Multimedia · Test (biology) · Applied Psychology · Child and Animal Learning Development · Computer Science · Innovative Teaching and Learning Methods · Neuroscience, Education and Cognitive Function · Psychology · Social Psychology
A Developmental Perspective on Executive Function
Active‐Constructive‐Interactive
Deliberate Practice and Acquisition of Expert Performance
The double-edged sword of pedagogy
Deliberate Practice and Proposed Limits on the Effects of Practice on the Acquisition of Expert Performance
The Equivalence of Learning Paths in Early Science Instruction
Metacognitive Development
The role of deliberate practice in the acquisition of expert performance.
Young Children Are Wishful Thinkers
Planning in young children
Introduction to the special issue
Why is Toma late to school again?” Preschoolers identify the most informative questions
What are the odds? Preschoolers’ ability to distinguish between possible, impossible, and probabilistically distinct future outcomes
Building a practically useful theory of goal setting and task motivation
Young children consider the expected utility of others' learning to decide what to teach
| Unique citing works | 1 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 1 |
| Citation span | 2026 - 2026 (1) |
| Citation velocity | current |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 1 |