The development of conceptual interests in young children Academic Article uri icon

abstract

  • We conducted a longitudinal analysis of the relative intensity and duration of interests associated with conceptual domains between the ages of 4 and 6 years, respectively. Results indicated a significant portion of preschool children do sustain an interest in conceptual domains during some portion of their childhood. Expected gender differences were found, with boys more likely to express an interest in a conceptual domain than girls. A latent growth curve analysis revealed that the probability of exhibiting a conceptual interest declined as school began, though the rate of that decline was similar for both boys and girls. Potential explanations for the decrease in conceptual interests as school begins are considered. 2007 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

published proceedings

  • Cognitive Development

altmetric score

  • 32.5

author list (cited authors)

  • Alexander, J. M., Johnson, K. E., Leibham, M. E., & Kelley, K.

citation count

  • 37

complete list of authors

  • Alexander, Joyce M||Johnson, Kathy E||Leibham, Mary E||Kelley, Ken

publication date

  • January 2008