Papers - Fujisawa, Keiko

Cooperation and conversations about the mind: a study of individual differences in 2-year-olds and their siblings.

Hughes, C., Fujisawa, K. K., Ensor, R., Lecce, S., Marfleet, R.

British Journal of Developmental Psychology (British Journal of Developmental Psychology)  24 ( 1 ) 53 - 72 2006

Research paper (scientific journal), Joint Work, Accepted,  ISSN  0261510X

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Sibling relationships appear important in fostering young children's growing theory-of-mind skills, but the quality of sibling interactions has rarely been investigated directly in relation to children's mental-state awareness (e.g. as indexed by talk about perceptions, desires, feelings, cognitions, i.e. inner state talk; IST). This study explored individual differences in young siblings' IST in relation to (i) child characteristics (verbal ability and theory-of-mind task performance); (ii) family characteristics (sib-ship size; social disadvantage, maternal well-being); and (iii) the quality of the children's play with their siblings (frequencies of pretence and reciprocal play). A socially diverse sample of 111 2-year-olds was filmed at home playing with a sib (mean age = 4.92 years; SD = 1.67 years); these sessions were coded from video for reciprocal play and then transcribed and coded for IST and pretence. Verbal ability was assessed for both sibs; in addition, 2-year-olds completed theory-of-mind tasks. Age and verbal ability were correlated with frequencies of overall talk, IST, pretence and reciprocal play. (Theory-of-mind scores were also correlated with 2-year-olds' IST, but this relation fell below significance once verbal ability was controlled). Significant independent relations were found between IST and children's quality of play, even when age, verbal ability and overall rates of talk were controlled. Although there were no gender contrasts in mean rates or in the variety of IST, gender differences were found in their correlates: in particular, context effects were significantly more important for girls than for boys. Individual differences in children's IST reflect multiple factors, including the dynamic features of children's reciprocal play. © 2006 The British Psychological Society.

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Peacemaking and consolation in Japanese preschoolers witnessing peer aggression.

Fujisawa, K. K., Kutsukake, N., Hasegawa, T.

Journal of Comparative Psychology (Journal of Comparative Psychology)  120 ( 1 ) 48 - 57 2006

Research paper (scientific journal), Joint Work, Accepted,  ISSN  07357036

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This article reports developmental changes relating to reconciliation and bystanders' affiliation with victims of aggression (i.e., consolation) among 3- to 5-year-old Japanese preschool children. Use of the postconflict-matched control (PC-MC) method revealed that the frequency with which reconciliation and consolation were offered to a victim increased steeply in 5-year-olds, compared with 3- and 4-year-olds. The complexity of contextual factors affecting the occurrence of reconciliation and the form of consolation increased with age. Consolation occurred more often before reconciliation than after among all but the 3-year-olds and occurred more often when no reconciliation occurred than when it did occur among all classes. These findings support the view that consolation functions as a substitute for reconciliation, lessening the tension experienced by the victim of aggression. Copyright 2006 by the American Psychological Association.

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Reconciliation pattern after aggression among Japanese preschool children.

Fujisawa, K. K., Kutsukake, N., Hasegawa, T.

Aggressive Behavior (Aggressive Behavior)  31 ( 2 ) 138 - 152 2005

Research paper (scientific journal), Joint Work, Accepted,  ISSN  0096140X

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Using an ethological observation method (the PC-MC comparison method), this study investigated patterns of reconciliation after aggression among Japanese preschool children, focusing on factors that influenced its occurrence or acceptance, as well as on strategies and function. There were several factors among four-year-olds that facilitated reconciliatory attempts and acceptance, such as proximity after the aggression; among three-year-olds there were no such factors. Depending on the situation during and after aggression, children used 'explicit' (e.g., apologizing, compromising, and offering objects) and 'implicit' (e.g., being friendly, talking without apologizing, and touching the opponent gently) reconciliatory strategies. Reconciliation occurred more often among friends than among non-friends, particularly among four-year-olds. However, after considering the baseline affiliation level, the conciliatory tendency among non-friends was higher than that among friends in four-year-olds. Victims' self-directed behavior (SDB) - a behavioral index of stress - was elevated following aggression, but decreased following reconciliation. This suggests that reconciliation functions to reduce the post-conflict stress suffered by the targets of aggression. © 2005 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

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