Alain Legendre

Environmental Features Influencing Toddlers' Bioemotional Reactions in Day Care Centers

The investigation focuses on environmental features of day care centers likely to affect emotional and stress reactions of toddlers in group settings. To assess stress reactions, the morning cortisol changes of 113 children (18 to 40 months) were analyzed in eight day care centers. Childrens cortisol levels in the centers remained stable between 9:30 a.m. and 10:30 a.m., whereas at home, as expected, cortisol levels decreased at the same time of day. Childrens cortisol changes showed differences among the eight centers, suggesting the influence of environmental factors. Cortisol increases were related to large group sizes (n > 15), important age differences among children (> 6 months), less available area per child in the playrooms (< 5 m2), and unexpectedly, large number of caregivers in the team (> 4 adults). Overall, the findings support the claim that the physical and social attributes of preschool settings intervene in the regulation of childrens bioemotional reactions.

Interindividual Relationships in Groups of Young Children and Susceptibility to an Environmental Constraint

It was investigated whether the behavioral reactions of young children to modifications of the playroom arrangement were modulated as a function of their relationships with peers. Interpersonal relationships between 21-month-old and 36-month-old children were observed in three groups. Hierarchical cluster analysis led to seven types of dyadic relationships among peers. In each group, the arrangement of the furniture was modified to compare visually open to visually restricted playroom arrangements. The type of arrangement did not change the joint use of play areas and the social interactions for the peers whose relationships were weak. In contrast, for children showing an emerging relationship, the playroom arrangement affected the quantity and the quality of their social interactions. The presence of major visual obstacles also markedly hindered their joint use of adult-distant areas, except for some children showing a particularly tight relationship. Results are discussed with regard to the development of relationships among young children.

Young Children’s Social Competence and Their Use of Space in Day-Care Centers

Environmental psychology theorists have called for the development of “transactional” models that emphasize the bidirectional relationship between environment and behavior (Barker, 1976; Bronfenbrenner & Crouter, 1983; Stokols, 1978; Wohlwill, 1970). However, the influence of environmental features on children’s behavior has often been studied without considering the behavioral characteristics that could enable a child to better adapt to environmental constraints.

Diferencias interindividuales en el conocimiento y en el uso de los espacios públicos exteriores por niños

Resumen El estudio está enfocado en el análisis de las diferencias interindividuales que aparecen en los niños de 6 a 11 años en el conocimiento y en las modalidades de utilización de los espacios públicos exteriores. Se realizó una encuesta a 378 niños de escuelas primarias de una pequeña ciudad de la región parisina. Un cuestionario fue utilizado para interrogar a los niños sobre sus conocimientos, la frecuencia de sus visitas, su acceso autónomo y la utilización lúdica de los principales espacios exteriores de su ciudad. Los resultados señalan que en un medio urbano, los espacios públicos juegan un rol importante para los niños. A partir de los 6 años los niños conocen los tres cuartos del total de plazas, parques y zonas de juego presentes en su medioambiente urbano de proximidad. La mayoría de los espacios conocidos son visitados regularmente y utilizados de manera lúdica, pero el acceso autónomo a estos espacios resulta en extremo restringido. El acceso autónomo a los espacios exteriores es el comportamiento que evoluciona más fuertemente en función de la edad. Sin embargo, las diferencias más grandes en el conocimiento y en el uso de los espacios públicos se encuentran ligadas al género, en provecho de los chicos. Diferencias significativas aparecen igualmente entre los niños que habitan en casas de aquellos que habitan en apartamentos, estos últimos tienen un uso más extenso de los espacios públicos de su ciudad.

Interindividual differences in children's knowledge and uses of outdoor public spaces

Abstract The focus of this study is on interindividual differences emerging among 6 to 11 year-old children in terms of their knowledge of and the way in which they use outdoor public spaces. A survey was conducted with 378 primary school children in a small town in the outskirts of Paris. A questionnaire was used to ascertain the childrens knowledge, frequency of visits, recreational use and independent access to the main outdoor public spaces in their town. The results highlight that in an urban environment, public spaces fulfil an important function for children. As young as six years of age, children demonstrate that they already have an extensive knowledge of the squares, parks and play areas in their nearby urban environment. Most of the known outdoor public spaces are regularly visited and used for play by the children; however their independent access to these places is quite restricted. Independent access to outdoor spaces is the behaviour that shows the clearest evolution with age. However, the most important differences observed in childrens knowledge and uses of public spaces are related to gender, in favour of the boys. Manifest differences also emerge between children who live in a house and those who live in a flat, the latter exhibiting a more extensive use of the public spaces in their town.