Browsing by Author "Koc, Nursena"

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Better Reflective Functioning in Mothers Linked to Longer Joint Attention with Infants
(Elsevier Science Inc, 2026) Koc, Nursena; Unlu, Huseyin; Uzundag, Berna A.
Joint attention is a foundational precursor to later developmental outcomes such as vocabulary, intelligence, and theory of mind. Previous research has shown that maternal sensitivity, depressive symptoms, and parent-child attachment security are associated with attention-sharing behaviors between mothers and their infants. The present study examined the relationship between mothers' reflective functioning (the ability to recognize and interpret one's own and one's child's mental states, as well as the behaviors motivated by those mental states) and joint attention. Data were collected from 72 infants aged 10-16 months and their mothers. Results indicated that mothers who reported greater difficulty in understanding and distinguishing between their own and their child's mental states (i.e., higher prementalization) tended to engage in joint attention episodes that were shorter and more frequent, and they were also more likely to terminate these interactions. In contrast, mothers expressing greater interest and curiosity about their infants' mental states spent longer periods in joint attention, initiated these episodes less often, and were less inclined to terminate them. Additionally, mothers who felt more certain about their infants' mental states were less likely to end joint attention episodes. After controlling for infant age and socioeconomic status, higher levels of interest and certainty continued to predict lower maternal termination, while prementalization was still linked to a higher number of joint attention episodes. These findings suggest that mothers' perceptions of their infants' mental states shape how they engage in shared attention during everyday play interactions.
From Mind To Mind: Understanding the Role of Mothers in Children's Theory of Mind
(Elsevier Science inc, 2024) Koc, Nursena; Tahiroglu, Deniz; Uzundag, Berna A.
Theory of mind (ToM) enables children to comprehend mental states of themselves and others. In this first study investigating the mediating role of mothers' mental state talk between mothers' sociocognitive skills (i.e., mothers' ToM and parental reflective functioning) and children's ToM, 89 children (M(SD)age = 57.0 months (5.49)) and their mothers from T & uuml;rkiye participated. Results revealed that mothers with higher prementalization scores used fewer affective and desire words. Mothers exhibiting greater interest and curiosity in mental states used more cognitive words, while those with more proficient ToM skills tended to use more mental state terms indicating certainty (e.g., 'perhaps'). Furthermore, mothers' use of certainty words mediated the relationship between mothers' ToM and children's ToM. These cross-sectional findings underscore the significant role of mothers' socio-cognitive abilities in mother-child interactions regarding mental states and the development of children's ToM skills, and call for a longitudinal investigation into these relationships.
Küçük Çocukların Ekran Süresini Neler Belirler? Çocuk, Anne-Baba ve Ev Ortamı ile İlgili Yordayıcı Unsurlar
(Istanbul Univ, Fac Letters, Dept Psychology, 2025) Kessafoglu, Dilara; Altundal, Merve Nur; Koc, Nursena; Yildiz, Ezgi; Uzundag, Berna A.
Young children spend a significant part of their day in front of screens. Existing literature has shown associationsbetween children's screen time and various demographic, parent7related, and home7related factors. Most evidencecomes from high7income, developed countries with access to early childcare options. Investigating these factors inT & uuml;rkiye is crucial to compare findings across countries and identify new variables that might influence children'sscreen time. The first goal of this study was to examine child7related factors (e.g., age), parent7related factors (e.g.,parental stress), and home7related factors (e.g., background television) that may be associated with young children'sscreen time through an online survey. The second goal was to investigate the relationship between children's screentime and parents' perceived social support for the first time in the literature. A total of 647 parents with children younger than six (M = 41.5, SD = 17.9) months) participated. Results revealed that children's screen time was positivelycorrelated with parents' positive attitudes toward children's use of technology, parents' own screen time, child ageand distractibility as perceived by the parents, and the frequency of background television at home. Conversely,children's screen time was negatively related to parental education, household income, and parents' perceived social support. Hierarchical regression analysis indicated that the frequency of background television at home, parents' positive attitudes toward children's use of technology, and child age emerged as the strongest predictors of children's screen time. This study is the first to propose and demonstrate the role of social support in determining children's screen time. Our findings may provide valuable insights for designing intervention strategies to reduce screen time among preschoolers.