A group of studies have shown that the number of siblings a preschool child has is negatively correlated with expressive vocabulary. However, the effect of presence of siblings has been underexplored, while most of the previous studies have studied the role of siblings in expressive vocabulary and not in other language domains mainly in children after their second birthday. Also, the few studies regarding birth order effect on language development come up with inconsistent results. The aim of the present study was to examine the role of the presence of siblings as well as the birth order on expressive vocabulary and emergent grammar skills. A total of 242 Greek- speaking children aged 16 to 36 were included in the study. Their expressive vocabulary as well as grammar skills were measured with the Greek MacArthur-Bates Communicative Development Inventory. The children with siblings had statistically significant better performance in expressive vocabulary as well as on the appropriate use of grammatical rules (irregular nouns and verbs), compared to only children. Regarding birth order, it was found that firstborn children had statistically significant better performance in expressive vocabulary, as well as in the appropriate use of words (reference to past events, to future events, to non-present objects, to the owner of the object, understanding what is being said in reference to an absent object) compared to the second-born children. Also, the firstborn children in comparison to second and third birth order had better performance oin the appropriate use of grammar (plural, possessive genitive, present and past tense), in comparison to second and third born children. Furthermore, the first-born children had better performance on the appropriate use of grammatical rules (irregular nouns and verbs) in comparison to the second bornsborn. Overall, the results are discussed in relation to previous studies and relevant theoretical models.

Children’s language skills, which are related to later academic and employment outcomes, differ by socioeconomic background as early as the age of 3 years. Previous studies have shown the detrimental effects of both excessive media consumption and low levels of parent-child book reading on early language development. However, the question of whether the social gap in language development is mediated by these activities has received little attention in previous research. The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between socioeconomic status, as indicated by maternal educational attainment and material hardship during pregnancy, and children’s communication skills at 3 years of age, taking into account the mediating role of daily screen time and parent-child book reading frequency at 18 months of age. Relevant data from the Cohort ’18 Growing Up in Hungary birth cohort study were available for 2,006 children (51% male, 49% female). Data on parenting activities and child development were provided by the mothers. Children’s communication skills were measured using the Ages and Stages Questionnaire-3 screening tool. Children's daily screen time and frequency of parent-child book reading at age 18 months varied significantly by socioeconomic status in bivariate analyses, as did communication skills at 3 years of age. The proportion of children with delayed communication skills at 3 years of age was higher for children of mothers with low (14.3%) and medium (13.6%) compared to high (6.7%) educational attainment. The results from the mediation analyses indicated that screen time and parent-child book reading frequency at 18 months mediated the relationship between maternal educational attainment and delayed communication skills at 3 years. Meanwhile, material hardship mediated the relationship between maternal educational attainment and the aforementioned activities. In conclusion, social differences in digital media use and parent-child book reading frequency contribute to the social gap in language skills.

In middle childhood, children’s experiences with books and screens are shaped by their parents’ attitudes, both because parents serve as role models and because parents create the environment in which their children are growing up. This study explores the relationship between parental attitudes about the importance of reading and using digital technology and language comprehension. The study also explores the mediating role of the home literacy environment, measured as formal and informal literacy activities that children engage in with their parents and children’s use of digital devices in the above-mentioned relationship.

The study was conducted during the first wave of the DigiLitA project. It involved 221 parents of first-grade elementary school students, who assessed their attitudes toward the importance of reading and the use of digital technology. Additionally, parents provided insights into both formal and informal literacy activities they engage in with their children, as well as their children's use of digital devices. Children’s language comprehension was measured with the Peabody picture vocabulary test (Dunn et al., 2009). A bootstrapped mediation model was tested to examine the relationship between parents' attitudes and children's language comprehension, with children's use of digital technology and their engagement in formal and informal literacy activities as mediators.

The analysis revealed an indirect effect between parents’ attitudes toward the importance of reading and children’s language comprehension, mediated by exposure to informal literacy activities. Specifically, parents with more positive attitudes toward reading engaged their children in more informal literacy activities, which, in turn, contributed to higher language comprehension in children. Exposure to formal literacy activities and the use of digital technology did not mediate the relationship between parents' attitudes toward reading or digital technology use and children's language comprehension. Surprisingly, greater exposure to formal literacy activities was associated with lower language comprehension in children.

We propose a cognitive model explaining the emergence of pretend play among kindergarten children, implicating a novel developmental model of communication and sociality. This study is based on a 12-month-long observation of three-year-old children spontaneously playing with a communicative robot. Our qualitative analysis of video data from the robot's onboard camera reveals individual and collective processes underlying the formation of pretend play. This report describes the cognitive psychological model that explains these processes.

At the individual level, each of the children generated imaginative expectations, such as object substitutions (e.g., an empty cup for that with milk) and role assignments (e.g., the robot for a sick baby). Based on Friston's "free-energy principle," we identified two key processes: (1) children projected their expectations onto the real world, constructing blended story-scene representations from the counter-factual expectations and the physical reality, and (2) they externalized these expectations through speech and actions, creating a shared history that became interpretable by others.

At the collective level, the children's expectations gradually converged into a mostly consistent shared fantasy. Initially, their expectations were incongruent; however, as the interaction unfolded, each child continuously updated their expectations, aligning them with those of others. We identified the underlying cognitive process driving this convergence as maximizing the meaningfulness in interpreting the history of each other's speech and actions. This process of individual optimization resulted in the self-organized emergence of a shared fantasy at the collective level.

In this presentation, we will share (1) a detailed case study of observed pretend play and (2) the cognitive mechanisms driving the emergence of shared fantasies at individual and collective levels. Pretend play, involving the imagination of non-existing things and events, is deeply connected to meta-representation and theory of mind. A deeper understanding of this process provides a novel insight into children's social and cognitive development.

Migrant allophone students, often weakened by difficult migration journeys (UNHCR, 2024), face linguistic insecurity and suboptimal educational conditions, such as linguistic submersion (Guedat-Bittighoffer, 2024). These factors not only influence their academic success but also their overall well-being, particularly their life satisfaction and emotions in language learning, such as foreign language enjoyment (Dewaele & MacIntyre, 2016). Yet, to the best of our knowledge, no research studies the interaction between the two.

Therefore, this presentation aims to share the results of an exploratory study examining the interplay between life satisfaction and enjoyment in learning French as a second language among migrant allophone students enrolled in French learning classes in France. Drawing on data collected from 72 students (primary, middle school, high school), this study includes validated tools, such as a life satisfaction scale adapted for allophone students (Coudronnière et al., 2017) and a measure of emotions in language learning (Guedat-Bittighoffer & Dewaele, 2023).

Preliminary results indicate that life satisfaction across four domains—family, school, self, and environment—is initially high but experiences a significant decline during high school, although it remains relatively elevated overall. Similarly, enjoyment in learning French, despite the challenging educational conditions faced by these pupils, is generally high but tends to decrease with age. Moreover, positive correlations have been observed between life satisfaction domains and enjoyment in learning, underscoring the major role positive emotions might have in supporting the linguistic and psychological development of migrant children.

In addition to presenting the progress of this research, we will propose new perspectives to deepen our understanding of the multifaceted challenges faced by migrant children. This study contributes to increase knowledge on the psycho-affective mechanisms involved in the learning processes of migrant allophone students and offers insights for designing educational practices that support both their academic integration and overall well-being.