Mechanisms linking socioeconomic status and academic achievement in early childhood: Cognitive stimulation and language

• Published in: Cognitive development Vol. 58; pp. 1 - 14
• Main Authors: Lurie, Lucy A., Hagen, McKenzie P., McLaughlin, Katie A., Sheridan, Margaret A., Meltzoff, Andrew N., Rosen, Maya L.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Elsevier Inc 01.04.2021
• Subjects: Cognitive development; Home environment; Language development; Longitudinal studies; SES-achievement gap; Societal inequities; Language development; Societal inequities; SES-achievement gap; Longitudinal studies; Cognitive development; Home environment; cognitive development; home environment; societal inequities; language development; longitudinal studies
• ISSN: 0885-2014; 1879-226X
• DOI: 10.1016/j.cogdev.2021.101045

•SES was positively associated with language scores at age five.•Cognitive stimulation was positively associated with language scores at age five.•Cognitive stimulation mediated the association between SES and language scores.•Child language was positively associated with academic achievement 18 months later.•Language scores mediated the association between SES and academic achievement. 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.