Project 1, 2, 3! Post

Winter 2009 Volume 1, Issue 1

University of Washington Psychology Department Box 351525 Seattle, WA 98195 206-616-5768

We want to thank all of the families who have participated in this project. Our goal at Project 1, 2, 3, GO! is to find out more about the development of self-control in young children. These skills are critical for child’s positive social development, but we know little about how children acquire these skills. The information we gain will help us understand how and when children develop these skills and what families do to promote self-control and other positive behaviors in young children. So far we have interviewed more than 175 families in the Seattle area, and our goal is to interview 300 families in all. We have reached families through local daycares, community centers, the University of Washington participant pool, and through word of mouth. We strive to interview families who represent the diverse experiences of the Puget Sound Area. This diversity is important to us as researchers for it allows us to understand differences and similarities in children’s experiences. This information can then be used to help foster positive growth for all children. We are just beginning to look at the information we have received from families’ first visits, so there are no findings to report yet. But, updates on what we find will be available in future newsletters. Thank you so much for your generous help and support with this project. Your efforts are an important contribution to improving the social and emotional adjustment of young children! Thank you for participating!!! Your family’s second visit Individual Highlights:	Thank you!!! 1	Time 2 Visit 1	Our Tasks 2	Psychology Spotlight 2	Physiological Measures 3	Fun Activities 4	Families have just begun to come in for their second visits. As we expected, there are already dramatic differences in what your children are able to do now compared to when they had just turned 3! Some of the children even seem to fondly remember a few of the activities! Your family will be contacted approximately 9 months from your first visit at the UW. The second visit is also two hours long and will be very similar to the first visit. Once again, free parking is provided, and families will receive up to $120 for participating. Just like before, your child will be able to take home a couple of small prizes. We greatly appreciate your continued participation for it allows us to see how children develop. Please don’t hesitate to contact us between visits if you have any questions or concerns. We look forward to seeing your family again soon! In this issue:	•	About the project •	A description of some of our tasks	Physiological data measures

Here is a description of some of the tasks your child participated in while at the UW: Some of the tasks your child participated in… Moreabout Ru promotes a new product. You can also research articles or find “filler” articles by accessing the World Wide Web. You can write about a variety of topics but try to keep your articles short. Much of the content you put in your newsletter can also be used for your Web site. Microsoft Word offers a simple way to convert your newsletter to a Web publication. So, when you’re finished writing your newsletter, convert it to a Web site and post it.

Card Sort Task (picture top left): Children are instructed to sort a series of cards into boxes first by shape, then another series by color. This task requires children to refrain from doing the obvious thing and doing something less obvious. This requires holding instructions in memory and thinking about what the right response should be. You can imagine how important this is for school work and social interactions! Locked Box Task (picture on right): In this task, a desirable toy is locked in a clear box. Children are given a set of keys to try and open the box. However, unknown to the child, none of the keys are the correct one to unlock the box. After two minutes of trying, the research assistant admits

that they must have given the child the wrong set of keys, then helps the child retrieve the toy with the right keys. The aim of this task is to observe how a child handles a mildly frustrating situation. Good frustration tolerance is expected to relate to better school and social adjustment. The stuffed lion is locked inside the box!

Project 1, 2, 3, GO! is under the direction of Dr. Liliana Lengua. In her research, she uses a bioecological framework to examine the complex relations among individual, interpersonal, and contextual factors in development. She is particularly interested in individual differences in children’s responses to their stressful experiences with the goal of identifying children who are at heightened risk for developing problems, as well as children who are resilient in the face of risk. Through her research, she aspires to enhance the understanding of adjustment, both for basic knowledge and to create interventions aimed at preventing adjustment problems and promoting positive adjustment. Psychology Spotlight: Dr. Liliana Lengua “If it’s a star it goes in here, if it’s a truck it goes in here. Here’s a star.” Page 2 of 4
Psychology Spotlight continued: Diane Kim

Diane Kim is one of our accomplished research assistants who recently graduated from the University of Washington with a bachelor in psychology. She has been with Project 1, 2, 3, GO! since January of 2008. Peers describe Diane as warm, enthusiastic, and engaging. Her favorite things about being in this study are having the opportunity to interact with your children, experiencing how they are all unique and being able to see how kids grow and develop between visits. When she isn’t busy working at Project 1, 2, 3, Go! Diane likes to play tennis and watch movies, and she would like to have more time to read books. Diane is currently applying for PhD programs in organizational behavior, a component of business school. We at the project wish Diane much success in life and would like to thank her for all of her hard work and dedication towards the project! The next time your family comes in for a visit, be sure to say hi to Diane!

“Hi, my name is Diane!”

Hop on Board! Since Project 1, 2, 3 Go! began last year 97 preschools and childcare centers, and 118 teachers have agreed to participate in the study. All combined, the schools, childcare centers and teachers have earned $1670! Your school, childcare center, and teachers can get involved and be compensated for participation by calling our Project Coordinator, Karen Pang at (206) 616-5768 or sending us an email at go123@u.washington.edu. We’d love for you to participate! Spiderman has on his own set of leads and electrodes so we can measure his heart rate! As part of children’s GO! Visit, we measure their heart rate and sweat response. These are common and non-invasive ways to see how children react to challenging situations. To make putting on the leads more enjoyable, children get to practice putting on sticker electrodes on their favorite doll or action figure. They get to choose between Dora the Explorer, Spiderman, or the Red Ranger. This usually helps children feel more comfortable with putting the electrode stickers on their own chest and fingers. Children are then read a book so we can see how their heart rate and sweat response look when they are calm. Next, we do other activities that look at their self-regulation. Over the four time points that your family is involved with our project, we will continue to measure their heart rate and sweat response so that we can see how preschool children develop. Learning about children’s bodies helps us understand how they develop, both inside and out! Page 3 of 4

Fun and free activities around Puget Sound 7th annual Seattle Children’s Health Fair: Lots of hands-on, health related fun at Children’s annual health fair! Bring a doll or bear for a “check up” at the Teddy Bear clinic; visit with the Tooth Fairy; learn about car seats, water safety and poison prevention; buy a low-cost life jacket or booster seat; get a finger cast; learn about research and try out a microscope; collect tips about healthful, family-friendly eating; and get a free bike helmet and fitting (while supplies last). Children’s Hospital, 4800 Sand Point Way NE, Seattle. Date: 3/14/2009. Time: 10am-2pm. Ages 3-8. Event info: 206-987-1569 Bird and Plant Walk: Spot birds and identify plants native to the Wetland Park on a leisurely guided walk around the center. No registration necessary. Adriana Hess Audubon Center, 2917 Morrison Rd W, University Place. Dates: Second and Third Mondays of the month until May. Time: Noon-1pm. Ages: All ages. Event info: 253-565-9278 Craft Activities for Kids: Kids can do a fun new craft every week at the store. No need to register- just drop by! March 7, air/sea collage; March 14, leprechaun want; March 21, colorful kite; March 28, royal crowns. Lakeshore Learning Store, 11027 NE 4th St, Bellevue. Time: Saturdays 11am-3pm. Ages: Ages 3 and up. Event info: 425-462-8076 Free First Friday at the Bellevue Arts Museum: Admission to the museum is free all day. Bellevue Arts Museum, 510 Bellevue Way NE, Bellevue. Date: first Friday of each month. Time: 10am-9pm. Ages: All ages. Event info: 425-519-0770 University of Washington Psychology Department

Address: Box 351525 Seattle, WA 98195 Phone: 206-616-5768 E-Mail: go123@ u.washington.edu

Help Wanted!

If you know another family with a child between two-and-a-half and three years old who might want to participate in our project, please pass along our information so they can call us! A message to interested families: We would like to have mothers and their three year olds come in for a study on how children develop self-control skills. If you were involved, it would mean coming to our research office at the UW for a session lasting about 2 hours. Your family would receive up to $100 for helping us out at the first visit. We would also ask you and your child to come back again 3 more times, once every 9 months for similar sessions.

Project 1, 2, 3, GO! Lab Members