Article Version of Record

Positive and Negative Thoughts in Ambiguous Anxiety-Related Stories: The Child’s Perspective

Author(s) / Creator(s)

Valadão Dias, Filomena
Oliveira, Raquel V.
Leal, Isabel
Maroco, João

Abstract / Description

Aim: To evaluate the presence/absence, frequency of cognitive products (positive, negative and neutral thoughts) in a Portuguese community sample of children aged 10 and 11 years. Method: A total of 274 children participated in this study, 151 girls and 123 boys, from the 5th and 6th grades, aged 10 and 11 years. Cognitive products were accessed through children’s cognitive responses to the Nine Ambiguous Stories. Results: The answers to the nine stories produced 6,633 thoughts (positive - 2,570, negative - 4,063, neutral - 32). The number of positive and negative thoughts varied according to the stories. The absence of either positive or negative thoughts was observed in a very small number of children. The simultaneous presence of positive and negative thoughts per child occurred in all stories. More than half of the children showed more negative thoughts in all stories except for stories 2 and 6. Conclusion: The results of this study contribute to the understanding of cognitive development of children, based on what is known and observed in the child and calls attention to the importance of the research of positive and negative content of thoughts shown by children and their impact on childhood anxiety.

Keyword(s)

anxiety child cognition developmental positive and negative thoughts cognitive products

Persistent Identifier

Date of first publication

2015-03-31

Journal title

Psychology, Community & Health

Volume

4

Issue

1

Page numbers

53–64

Publisher

PsychOpen GOLD

Publication status

publishedVersion

Review status

peerReviewed

Is version of

Citation

Valadão Dias, F., Oliveira, R. V., Leal, I., & Maroco, J. (2015). Positive and Negative Thoughts in Ambiguous Anxiety-Related Stories: The Child’s Perspective. Psychology, Community & Health, 4(1), 53–64. https://doi.org/10.5964/pch.v4i1.114
  • Author(s) / Creator(s)
    Valadão Dias, Filomena
  • Author(s) / Creator(s)
    Oliveira, Raquel V.
  • Author(s) / Creator(s)
    Leal, Isabel
  • Author(s) / Creator(s)
    Maroco, João
  • PsychArchives acquisition timestamp
    2018-12-06T06:49:08Z
  • Made available on
    2018-12-06T06:49:08Z
  • Date of first publication
    2015-03-31
  • Abstract / Description
    Aim: To evaluate the presence/absence, frequency of cognitive products (positive, negative and neutral thoughts) in a Portuguese community sample of children aged 10 and 11 years. Method: A total of 274 children participated in this study, 151 girls and 123 boys, from the 5th and 6th grades, aged 10 and 11 years. Cognitive products were accessed through children’s cognitive responses to the Nine Ambiguous Stories. Results: The answers to the nine stories produced 6,633 thoughts (positive - 2,570, negative - 4,063, neutral - 32). The number of positive and negative thoughts varied according to the stories. The absence of either positive or negative thoughts was observed in a very small number of children. The simultaneous presence of positive and negative thoughts per child occurred in all stories. More than half of the children showed more negative thoughts in all stories except for stories 2 and 6. Conclusion: The results of this study contribute to the understanding of cognitive development of children, based on what is known and observed in the child and calls attention to the importance of the research of positive and negative content of thoughts shown by children and their impact on childhood anxiety.
    en_US
  • Publication status
    publishedVersion
  • Review status
    peerReviewed
  • Citation
    Valadão Dias, F., Oliveira, R. V., Leal, I., & Maroco, J. (2015). Positive and Negative Thoughts in Ambiguous Anxiety-Related Stories: The Child’s Perspective. Psychology, Community & Health, 4(1), 53–64. https://doi.org/10.5964/pch.v4i1.114
    en_US
  • ISSN
    2182-438X
  • Persistent Identifier
    https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12034/1910
  • Persistent Identifier
    https://doi.org/10.23668/psycharchives.2276
  • Language of content
    eng
  • Publisher
    PsychOpen GOLD
  • Is version of
    https://doi.org/10.5964/pch.v4i1.114
  • Keyword(s)
    anxiety
    en_US
  • Keyword(s)
    child
    en_US
  • Keyword(s)
    cognition
    en_US
  • Keyword(s)
    developmental
    en_US
  • Keyword(s)
    positive and negative thoughts
    en_US
  • Keyword(s)
    cognitive products
    en_US
  • Dewey Decimal Classification number(s)
    150
  • Title
    Positive and Negative Thoughts in Ambiguous Anxiety-Related Stories: The Child’s Perspective
    en_US
  • DRO type
    article
  • Issue
    1
  • Journal title
    Psychology, Community & Health
  • Page numbers
    53–64
  • Volume
    4
  • Visible tag(s)
    Version of Record