The ability to learn and apply rules lies at the heart of cognition. In a seminal study, Marcus et al.(1999) reported that 7-month-old infants learned abstract rules over syllable sequences and wereable to generalize those rules to novel syllable sequences. Dozens of studies have since replicatedthat finding and extended it using different rules, modalities, stimuli, participants (human adultsand non-human animals) and experimental procedures. Yet questions remain about thegeneralizability of Marcus et al.’s (1999) core findings, and sources of variation across thesefindings. In the current study, we address this issue by testing 839 infants of a wide age range(5;0-12;0 months) in a multi-laboratory (30 laboratories, [31 samples]) conceptual replication ofthe Marcus et al. (1999) study. This study and the analyses were submitted as a registered report.A mixed-model analysis of the looking times at consistent vs. inconsistent test trials indicated nosignificant effect. The current study therefore finds no evidence for rule-learning; to the contrary, aBayesian analysis of the data indicated strong evidence for a null effect. This was similarly thecase for the moderating factors that were part of the design: mono- vs. multilingualism, age, andexperimental paradigm; none of these factors showed significant effects. Robustness analysesindicated that the results were not different in the case of different choices in the (pre-)processingof the data. A follow-up analysis for single labs indicated that there was no evidence ofrule-learning in 30 of the 31 contributed samples. The current finding raises fundamental issuesabout rule-learning that are presented in Discussion.

Mother-child communication is crucial for children's development. However, the mental health status of the mother can influence this communication. One of the most common mental health challenges faced by mothers is depression, which may lead to delayed language and dysregulated emotional development for the child. The purpose of this scoping review was to identify the effects of depression of mothers with children under age five, on various domains of communication, including affect, physical touch, gaze, and speech measures. Using keywords related to Maternal Mental Health and Mother-Child Communication, a search was conducted within the PsychINFO, PsychArticles, PubMed databases. After identifying 37 articles that met eligibility criteria, we extracted data related to maternal mental health concerns (i.e., depression or comorbid depression and anxiety) and communication variables (i.e., speech, touch, affect, gaze). These data were then qualitatively summarized. Findings revealed that maternal depression may influence a mother's tone and pitch, level of physical touch, and gaze synchronization. Consequently, this impacts the child's communicative and emotional development, as they may be less likely to engage with or seek comfort from their mother. This scoping review identified that maternal depression can impact various domains of communication. These findings highlight the importance of supporting maternal mental health needs as a key piece of child development.

Infant-directed speech (IDS) is a specialized speech register widely believed to play an important role in early development. IDS research has been predominantly WEIRD-centric (Western, educated, industrialized, rich, and democratic) and English-focused, limiting our understanding of how it varies across diverse linguistic and cultural contexts. Although IDS is often assumed to be universal, cross-cultural evidence reveals both common patterns and meaningful variation. In this review, we examine Middle Eastern (ME) IDS—an underexplored area in cross-cultural research—by comparing it with Western IDS across prosodic, phonological, lexical, syntactic, and pragmatic modifications. Emphasizing the role of culture in shaping caregiver–infant interaction, we suggest that while IDS is present across many cultural contexts, its specific features, including lexical choices and interactional styles, may be influenced by sociocultural values. We further evaluate methodologies widely used in infant language research, with particular attention to the Language ENvironment Analysis (LENA) system, originally developed for English-speaking households. We discuss LENA's technical challenges that are exacerbated in ME contexts characterized by multi-speaker and multi-generational caregiving environments, including speaker classification and overlapping speech. Ethical challenges in ME settings are also examined, including issues of consent and authority, as well as privacy and confidentiality. Building on these concerns, we propose methodological considerations for adapting infant language research tools to ME contexts. Overall, this review advances a culturally grounded perspective on IDS and underscores the need for culturally responsive methodologies in infant language research.

A decade of ManyBabies research, testing thousands of babies across hundreds of labs, has shown that some, but not all findings in infant research replicate well. Collectively, these projects have shown us that our methods carry limitations that larger samples alone cannot resolve. Here we present three lessons that point toward a more reliable, inclusive developmental science.

This study examines variation sets (VS) - structured repetitions of words in different morphosyntactic contexts - in child-directed speech (CDS) compared to adult-directed speech (ADS) across two communities (Argentinian Spanish and North American English) and socioeconomic groups. Drawing on naturalistic recordings from 101 families, results show that VS are more frequent in CDS than in ADS. In Argentinian Spanish, they are more prevalent in middle socioeconomic status (SES) households, whereas no SES-related differences emerged in the North American sample. Across languages, they were often anchored in verbs. However, SES-related differences in lexical anchoring varied by community: in Argentinian middle-SES households, CDS includes more VS anchored in adjectives, whereas in middle-SES North American English households, noun-based VS were less frequent relative to verb-based VS. Findings indicate that linguistic typology - particularly the pro-drop versus non-pro-drop distinction - and socioeconomic context are associated with the lexical distribution and organization of repetition with variation in children's everyday linguistic environments.

PurposeBoth practitioners and scholars recognize that school resource officers (SROs) need specialized training for their positions. However, research into SRO training is limited, and thus, little is known surrounding the content and effectiveness of available training. This study aimed to explore SRO training in a Florida school district.Design/methodology/approachQualitative data collection included participant observations of five required trainings and interviews with SROs and their supervisors (n = 43). Qualitative description and thematic analysis were used to analyze the data.FindingsDescriptions of training content and facilitation are provided. Three themes were identified conveying problems with the training including an inefficient use of training time, lack of participant engagement and an omission of topics critical to the SRO position. The findings suggest that SRO programs need to consider the time devoted to training, the needs of their SROs and expectations for training.Originality/valueThis is the first study using both field research and interviews to investigate the underexplored topic of SRO training.

Evaluating others’ actions as praiseworthy or blameworthy is a fundamental aspect of human nature. A seminal study published in 2007 suggested that the ability to form social evaluations based on third-party interactions emerges within the first year of life, considerably earlier than previously thought (Hamlin, Wynn, & Bloom, 2007). In this study, infants demonstrated a preference for a character (i.e., a shape with eyes) who helped, over one who hindered, another character who tried but failed to climb a hill. This study sparked a new line of inquiry into infants’ social evaluations; however, numerous attempts to replicate the original findings yielded mixed results, with some reporting effects not reliably different from chance. These failed replications point to at least two possibilities: (1) the original study may have overestimated the true effect size of infants’ preference for helpers, or (2) key methodological or contextual differences from the original study may have compromised the replication attempts. Here we present a pre-registered, closely coordinated, multi-laboratory, standardized study aimed at replicating the helping/hindering finding using a well-controlled video version of the hill show. We intended to (1) provide a precise estimate of the true effect size of infants’ preference for helpers over hinderers, and (2) determine the degree to which infants’ preferences are based on social features of the Helper/Hinderer scenarios. XYZ labs participated in the study yielding a total sample size of XYZ infants between the ages of 5.5 and 10.5 months. Brief summary of results will be added after data collection.

The purpose of this study is to test the internal structure of the Child and Adolescent Needs and Strengths (CANS) assessment, a widely used assessment of behavioral health difficulties among youth. The dimensionality and internal consistency of the CANS was examined using Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) and Cronbach's coefficients. Data were drawn from two separate samples of adolescents (ages 11-17) who completed the CANS as part of a community-based intervention program. The use of two separate samples facilitated assessments of measurement invariance (Sample 1, n = 120; Sample 2, n = 170). Results did not provide strong support for the internal structure of the CANS. Item performance (i.e., standardized factor loadings), explained factor variance (R2), and internal reliability estimates (alpha) were inconsistent across CANS domains and samples. The implications of these findings for continued use of the CANS domains in jurisdictions across the country are discussed and key areas for future research are outlined.

Comparative cognition research investigates the evolutionary background and functions of cognitive skills that enable individuals and species to adapt to and act in their environment. Traditionally, research in this field has been confined to isolated facilities and individual research teams focusing on one or just a handful of species. While this approach has yielded valuable insights, it has also introduced severe limitations, such as varying definitions of key concepts across disciplines, small sample sizes at both the cross-species and -taxon levels leading to underpowered study designs, and conflicting empirical results. As a result, the traditional research model has proven inadequate for addressing broader questions related to behavior and cognition, especially those encompassing numerous species and taxa. In response to these challenges, we introduce Big Team Science (BTS) as a complementary, collaborative, and grassroots approach to comparative cognition research. BTS brings together a diverse array of researchers from across different countries, all driven by the shared goal of achieving high-quality datasets capable of tackling questions beyond the reach of individual teams. Here—as a group of researchers currently involved in the ManyManys BTS collaboration—we identify and describe key distinct advantages that BTS offers for comparative cognition research, highlighting its potential for (i) increasing sample size and diversity, (ii) balancing cross-species standardization and species-fair design, (iii) advancing theories, and (iv) improving welfare standards and conservation initiatives. BTS represents a profound shift in how comparative cognition research is conducted—one that has the power to unlock the future of the field.

Following highly publicized incidents of police responses to individuals with a mental illness, policing executives attempt to placate public outcry by mandating mental health training. However, police training curriculums are not well-evaluated, especially pertaining to implementation challenges that may arise. Using interviews with certified Mental Health First Aid instructors (n = 18), this study explores challenges experienced when implementing and facilitating the training with law enforcement officers (LEOs). Thematic analysis identified four themes: 1) In general, LEOs are a difficult group to train; 2) LEOs and their agencies often have different expectations for training compared to other populations; 3) instructors must be knowledgeable surrounding LEO-specific state and local policies surrounding mental health responses; and 4) instructors lacking credibility with the LEO audience may find facilitating the training to be more challenging. Findings highlight the importance of carefully selecting both instructors and training participants when implementing mental health training.

From early on, infants show a preference for infant-directed speech (IDS) over adult-directed speech (ADS), and exposure to IDS has been correlated with language outcome measures such as vocabulary. The present multi-laboratory study explores this issue by investigating whether there is a link between early preference for IDS and later vocabulary size. Infants' preference for IDS was tested as part of the ManyBabies 1 project, and follow-up CDI data were collected from a subsample of this dataset at 18 and 24 months. A total of 341 (18 months) and 327 (24 months) infants were tested across 21 laboratories. In neither preregistered analyses with North American and UK English, nor exploratory analyses with a larger sample did we find evidence for a relation between IDS preference and later vocabulary. We discuss implications of this finding in light of recent work suggesting that IDS preference measured in the laboratory has low test-retest reliability.

Test-retest reliability --- establishing that measurements remain consistent across multiple testing sessions --- is critical to measuring, understanding, and predicting individual differences in infant language development. However, previous attempts to establish measurement reliability in infant speech perception tasks are limited, and reliability of frequently-used infant measures is largely unknown. The current study investigated the test-retest reliability of infants' preference for infant-directed speech over adult-directed speech in a large sample (N=158) in the context of the ManyBabies1 collaborative research project (Frank et al., 2017; ManyBabies Consortium, 2020). Labs were asked to bring in participating infants for a second appointment retesting infants on their preference for infant-directed speech. This approach allowed us to estimate test-retest reliability across three different methods used to investigate preferential listening in infancy: the head-turn preference procedure, central fixation, and eye-tracking. Overall, we found no consistent evidence of test-retest reliability in measures of infants' speech preference (overall r=.09, 95% CI [-.06,.25]). While increasing the number of trials that infants needed to contribute for inclusion in the analysis revealed a numeric growth in test-retest reliability, it also considerably reduced the study's effective sample size. Therefore, future research on infant development should take into account that not all experimental measures may be appropriate for assessing individual differences between infants.

Culture is a key determinant of children’s development both in its own right and for understanding the generalizability of developmental phenomena. Studying the role of culture in development requires information about participants’ demographic backgrounds. However, both reporting and treatment of demographic data are limited and inconsistent in child development research. A barrier to reporting demographic data in a consistent fashion is that no standardized tool currently exists to collect these data. Variation in cultural expectations, family structures, and life circumstances across communities make the creation of a unifying instrument challenging. Here, we present a framework to standardize demographic reporting for early child development (birth to 3 years of age), focusing on six sociodemographic construct categories: biological information, gestational status, health status, community of descent, caregiving environment, and socioeconomic status. For each, we discuss potential measurement items and provide guidance for their use and adaptation to different contexts. These items are stored in a repository of context-adapted questionnaires that provide a consistent approach to obtaining and reporting demographic information so that these data can be archived and shared in a more standardized format. The public significance of this work is to facilitate diversification of participants within developmental psychology by providing a framework for capturing demographic diversity.

The valid assessment of vocabulary development in dual-language-learning infants is critical to developmental science. We developed the Dual Language Learners English-Spanish (DLL-ES) Inventories to measure vocabularies of U.S. English-Spanish DLLs. The inventories provide translation equivalents for all Spanish and English items on Communicative Development Inventory (CDI) short forms; extended inventories based on CDI long forms; and Spanish language-variety options. Item-Response Theory analyses applied to Wordbank and Web-CDI data (n = 2603, 12-18 months; n = 6722, 16-36 months; half female; 1% Asian, 3% Black, 2% Hispanic, 30% White, 64% unknown) showed near-perfect associations between DLL-ES and CDI long-form scores. Interviews with 10 Hispanic mothers of 18- to 24-month-olds (2 White, 1 Black, 7 multi-racial; 6 female) provide a proof of concept for the value of the DLL-ES for assessing the vocabularies of DLLs.

Abstract Activity contexts are increasingly recognized as important for the variation observed in the type and quantity of speech heard by children. However, there is little data from children’s everyday experiences to properly study this role. We analyzed the quantity of target child-directed speech (TDS) and other-directed speech (ODS) according to children’s activity contexts. We used Daylong Audio Recordings of American English children aged 6–17 months old from the Bergelson Seedlings corpus. A higher quantity of ODS per minute was observed in Solitary playful and exploratory activity contexts, while a higher quantity of TDS per minute was observed in Social activity contexts in comparison to other activity contexts. However, the interindividual variation found needs to be further explored. These results highlight the link between the language environment and activity contexts, and their importance for understanding child language development.

We present an exploratory cross-linguistic analysis of the quantity of target-child-directed speech and adult-directed speech in North American English (US & Canadian), United Kingdom English, Argentinian Spanish, Tseltal (Tenejapa, Mayan), and Y & eacute;l & icirc; Dnye (Rossel Island, Papuan), using annotations from 69 children aged 2-36 months. Using a novel methodological approach, our cross-linguistic and cross-cultural findings support prior work suggesting that target-child-directed speech quantities are stable across early development, while adult-directed speech decreases. A preponderance of speech from women was found to a similar degree across groups, with less target-child-directed speech from men and children in the North American samples than elsewhere. Consistently across groups, children also heard more adult-directed than target-child-directed speech. Finally, the numbers of talkers present in any given clip strongly impacted children's moment-to-moment input quantities. These findings illustrate how the structure of home life impacts patterns of early language exposure across diverse developmental contexts.

Purpose: In the 2016-17 school year a Florida county integrated and formalized their school resource officer (SRO) program while simultaneously expanding SRO presence into the elementary schools. This study examines whether these changes influenced the number of school-based arrests. Methods: Descriptive statistics explored demographic and offense characteristics of school arrests of juveniles in the county. Interrupted time series analysis was used to examine arrest trends over a six-year period and explore whether formalization and expansion of the county's SRO program immediately impacted student arrests. Results: Results showed that contrary to the proffered hypothesis, the number of school arrests decreased by 5% post-intervention. Interrupted time series analysis indicated that the new SRO program did not have a statistically significant impact on total number of student arrests, but disaggregating the data revealed a significant increase to felony arrests and arrests completed by certain law enforcement agencies. Conclusions: Findings suggest that expanding SRO presence into elementary schools does not automatically result in an increase in student arrests. However, the reorganization and formalization of SRO programming attempted in the county did not appear to universally prevent the criminalization of student behaviors.

In recent years, psychological researchers have been heavily criticized for generalizing broadly from narrow samples, a concern that intersects with questions about the validity, reproducibility, replicability, and generalizability of the psychological literature. One issue is the limited reporting of participants' identities, backgrounds, and lived experiences. To address this issue, several journals have begun to require greater reporting of participants' sociodemographic information. In this article, we address both challenges and considerations with respect to sociodemographic reporting for researchers, reviewers, and journal editors. We provide guidance for recording, evaluating, protecting, and interpreting sociodemographic data.

Long-form audio recordings are increasingly used to study individual variation, group differences, and many other topics in theoretical and applied fields of developmental science, particularly for the description of children's language input (typically speech from adults) and children's language output (ranging from babble to sentences). The proprietary LENA software has been available for over a decade, and with it, users have come to rely on derived metrics like adult word count (AWC) and child vocalization counts (CVC), which have also more recently been derived using an open-source alternative, the ACLEW pipeline. Yet, there is relatively little work assessing the reliability of long-form metrics in terms of the stability of individual differences across time. Filling this gap, we analyzed eight spoken-language datasets: four from North American English-learning infants, and one each from British English-, French-, American English-/Spanish-, and Quechua-/Spanish-learning infants. The audio data were analyzed using two types of processing software: LENA and the ACLEW open-source pipeline. When all corpora were included, we found relatively low to moderate reliability (across multiple recordings, intraclass correlation coefficient attributed to the child identity [Child ICC], was < 50% for most metrics). There were few differences between the two pipelines. Exploratory analyses suggested some differences as a function of child age and corpora. These findings suggest that, while reliability is likely sufficient for various group-level analyses, caution is needed when using either LENA or ACLEW tools to study individual variation. We also encourage improvement of extant tools, specifically targeting accurate measurement of individual variation.

Youth Mental Health First Aid (YMHFA) training has been adopted across the United States to teach adults how to identify and respond to youth mental health challenges and crises. Evaluations of YMHFA have yet to be undertaken with law enforcement populations, although agencies and officers are participating in the training. The present study implemented and evaluated YMHFA with law enforcement officers (N = 446) across a southeastern state. A longitudinal survey design (pretest, posttest, 90-day follow-up) was employed to measure training participants' satisfaction with the training and changes to seven constructs: mental health knowledge; confidence to engage in help-seeking behaviors; intentions to intervene; positive attitudes toward youth with mental health needs; negative attitudes toward community responsibility for youth with mental health needs; positive attitudes toward youth with mental health needs living in the community; and preparedness. Results of analyses demonstrated statistically significant improvements among all constructs immediately following training completion, and participants generally reported being satisfied with the training. However, most of the improvements observed immediately following the training disappeared at the 90-day follow-up, with only participants' reported confidence and preparedness continuing to show improvement over pretest scores. The implications of these findings for law enforcement officers, their agencies, and researchers are discussed.