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

•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 mon...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inCognitive 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
LanguageEnglish
Published United States Elsevier Inc 01.04.2021
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Summary:•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.
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ISSN:0885-2014
1879-226X
DOI:10.1016/j.cogdev.2021.101045