AbstractsPsychology

This study aims to identify early developmental processes that may be affected by the experience of pediatric cancer in young children, with particular focus on emotion regulation, executive functioning, and identifying the intentions of others. Additionally, it was hypothesized that parents of children with and without a history of pediatric cancer would have differing perceptions of their children. Thirty-nine children with a history of pediatric cancer and 40 children without a history of pediatric cancer, ages 4-7, were recruited for the current study. The children completed 4 tasks: the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test, Silly Sounds, Secret Sharing, and Identifying Intentionality. Parents were asked to complete brief questionnaires. Differences were found between various parent measures as well as cognitive ability and identifying intentionality. However, there were fewer differences than expected. Despite a potentially stressful and emotional pediatric cancer experience, results from this study suggest that certain developmental processes are unaffected by the child's history of pediatric cancer.