Variety of Cognitively Oriented Caregiver Activities: Relationships to Cognitive and Motivational Functioning at One and 3 1/2 Years of Age

Summary

This study investigated relationships between the variety of infants' social experience and their cognitive competence and motivation to master the environment. A measure of the variety of cognitively-oriented social activities with regular caregivers was significantly related to the Bayley Mental Development Index at 13 months and to three of the four McCarthy Scales of Children's Abilities at 3 1/2 years. The relationships were especially strong with language development at both 1 and 3 1/2 years. Some relationships between the variety of cognitively-oriented caregiver activities and mastery motivation were found at 1, but not at 3 1/2 years of age. Infant experience was not related to 13-month motor development.