5 year-old children may have limited knowledge of the world compared to older people but a recent study confirms that their understanding of their self-worth matches up with adults.
Dario Cvencek, a research scientist at the University of Washington's Institute for Learning & Brain Sciences (I-LABS) said, "Our work provides the earliest glimpse to date of how preschoolers sense their selves. We found that as young as 5 years of age self-esteem is established strongly enough to be measured and we can measure it using sensitive techniques."
The study conducted, and was released in the January 2016 issue of the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, aims to test the truth that experts attested in the past which is that toddlers are too young to gain a complete awareness of their self-worth. The research proves the opposite. "Our new work shows that preschoolers do have a global, overall knowledge of their goodness as a person. It's a first," Dr. Cvencek stated. According to Dr. Andrew Meltzoff, I-LABS' co-editor, children's knowledge of their self-esteem is not acquired from school but a disposition carried in.
The test, developed by Doctors Cvencek, Meltzoff and Anthony Greenwald, known as the Preschool Implicit Association Test (PSIAT), is to assess a child's favorable feeling of himself. 234 five year-old girls and boys residing in the state of Washington were given set of flags where they have to classify as 'me' or 'not me'. The researchers then displayed an audio visual of 'good' (fun, happy, good, nice) and 'bad' (bad, mad, mean, yucky) words. After hearing the words, the kids were asked to identify whether the words pertain to them or not. The result shows that the participants related more 'good' words to the 'me' than 'not me' flags.
Dr. Greenwald, one of the journal's co-authors said, "Previously we understood that preschoolers knew about some of their specific good features. We now understand that, in addition, they have a global, overall knowledge of their goodness as a person."
Young children's absolute grasp of their value could be another reason for parents and teachers to provide healthy and positive experiences to them as they grow up.
