<b>Unlocking Young Minds: Investigating the Impact of Parent-Child Interaction on Cognitive Development in Preschoolers</b>

Abstract

Background: Early childhood is a very critical stage in the development of mental capacities and the interaction between parents and children is an essential environmental factor. Parental responsiveness, scaffolding and verbal interaction during play and joint activities has been associated with better cognitive and executive performance among children but there is not much evidence that has been conducted among preschool-aged children. Aim: The objective of the study was to determine how parent-child interaction quality affects cognitive development among preschoolers besides exploring whether parental reflective functioning mediates the relationship between parent and child. Method: Quantitative correlational design was used with 200 parent child dyads whose children were between the ages of 3 and 5 years. The interactions between parents and children were videotaped when they were engaged in structured play and reading books and were coded with the help of standardized observational instruments. The Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence-IV and Head-Toes-Knees-Shoulders (HTKS) task were used to test the cognitive abilities of children. Pearson correlations, hierarchical regression, and mediation analysis were used to analyze data. Results: Results showed that parental scaffolding, responsiveness and children cognitive scores have significant positive correlations (p <.001). The quality of parent and child interaction accounted to 44 percent of the difference in cognitive outcomes when the demographics were factored out. The mediation analysis showed that parental reflective functioning mediated, to some extent, the interaction between the quality of interaction and cognitive performance. Conclusion: Quality parent child interaction significantly improves cognitive development in preschoolers and this means that parent oriented interventions are required to facilitate pedagogical environments.

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