Document Type

Article

Publication Date

4-1-2021

Publication Title

Cognitive Development

Abstract

There is a strong positive association between childhood socioeconomic status (SES) and academic achievement. This disparity may, in part, be explained by differences in early environmental experiences and language development. Cognitive stimulation—including language exposure, access to learning materials, caregiver involvement in children's learning, and variety of experiences—varies by SES and may link SES to language development. Childhood language development in turn is associated with academic achievement. In the current longitudinal study of 101 children (60–75 months), SES was positively associated with cognitive stimulation and performance on language measures. Cognitive stimulation mediated the association between SES and children's language. Furthermore, children's language mediated the association between SES and academic achievement 18 months later. In addition to addressing broader inequalities in access to resources that facilitate caregivers’ abilities to provide cognitive stimulation, cognitive stimulation itself could be targeted in future interventions to mitigate SES-related disparities in language and academic achievement.

Keywords

Cognitive development, Home environment, Language development, Longitudinal studies, SES-achievement gap, Societal inequities

Volume

58

DOI

10.1016/j.cogdev.2021.101045

ISSN

08852014

Comments

Peer reviewed accepted manuscript.

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