Cognitive Development in Children: An Essay Analysis

This essay analyzes the cognitive development of children, focusing on the influence of socio-economic factors and cultural contexts, as supported by Lev Vygotsky's Sociocultural theory. The essay references a study examining the impact of socio-economic status in several Latin American countries (Colombia, Nicaragua, Ecuador, Peru, and Chile) on early childhood cognitive development, including language acquisition. The findings highlight the significant disparities in cognitive outcomes between children from different wealth quartiles. The essay discusses the implications of these findings, emphasizing the long-lasting effects of early childhood experiences and the importance of considering social and cultural backgrounds alongside biological factors. The author reflects on the study's methodology and limitations, offering insights into policy considerations for supporting children in developing countries. The essay concludes by reiterating the importance of addressing socio-economic disparities to promote optimal cognitive development in children.

Running head: COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT IN CHILDREN
Cognitive development in children
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author note

1COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT IN CHILDREN
Introduction
Cognitive development in children takes place in terms of conceptual resources,
information processing, language learning and perceptual skills that are aspects of brain
development. During early childhood, cognitive development of a child is built on language
acquisition, numeracy, pre-reading building skills beginning after the child is born (Campbell et
al., 2014). Therefore, the following discussion involves the study of factors like socio-economic
factors affecting cognitive development in children.
Main tenets of the article
In an article by Schady et al., (2015) the socio-economic status of Latin American
countries (Colombia, Nicaragua, Ecuador, Peru and Chile) affects the early childhood
development and there were significant changes in them over time once they enter school. They
conducted a descriptive study where the comparison of TVIP scores for bottom and top quartiles
for children in wealth distribution was studied. These evidences showed that socioeconomic
gradients and shortfalls in cognitive development among the children in developing countries are
scarce. It was observed that early language development showed differences among children in
poorer and wealthier households. The main findings suggested that difference in income levels
and other well-being measures may seem apparent in adulthood, however, important for early
childhood development.
Psychological theory
Lev Vygotsky’s Sociocultural theory of cognitive development is best applied to the main
theme for the chosen article. This theory explains that cultural-historical aspects affect cognitive
development in children. Culture and history greatly affect the mental functions like reasoning

2COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT IN CHILDREN
and speech in children. The main assertion of this theory is that a child is entrenched in various
socio-cultural contexts and cognitive development is advanced and affected through social
interaction (Christy, 2013). This theory aligns with the chosen topic of the article as the socio-
economic status of the five countries greatly affected the language acquisition and cognitive
development in children in those countries (Heckman, Pinto & Savelyev, 2013). The difference
in education level of parents in the five Latin American countries direct and organize the
children’s learning experiences in mastering and internalizing the learning behaviour. In this
way, the theory explains that the social culture of a family greatly affects the learning ability and
language acquisition of child directing cognitive development (Spencer, 2013).
Personal reflection
The stark findings in the article was astonishing for me as it highlighted that fact that
apart from biological factors that affect cognitive development in children, culture and society
also influence their developmental aspects. The main findings added to my existing knowledge
showed that early childhood developmental factors have long-lasting consequences while
transitioning into adulthood (Heckman, Pinto & Savelyev, 2013). The article provided an insight
for me that in the future, I will be considerate about social and cultural background of the
children apart from biological factors that affect their cognitive development.
I liked the methodology of the article as it is the first multi-country and systematic
comparison of wealth gradients that studies cognitive development in children in the developing
world when they suffer critical periods in lifetime courses. It provided some insights into the
policy considerations reinforcing to direct poor young children through programs in developing
countries. The paper has certain limitations like lack of representative data at national level and

3COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT IN CHILDREN
urban data in Nicaragua that limited the comparisons. Also, the complete list of swelling
characteristics and asset ownership was also limited.
Conclusion
The above findings suggested that early childhood development is not only affected by
biological factors, but also social and cultural background that affects their upbringing. As per
Vygotsky theory of cognitive development, history and culture affect language and speech
development in children taking socio-cultural aspects into consideration. The article highlights
those poor countries’ children need consideration closing the gap between the developed and
developing countries.

4COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT IN CHILDREN
References
Campbell, F., Conti, G., Heckman, J. J., Moon, S. H., Pinto, R., Pungello, E., & Pan, Y. (2014).
Early childhood investments substantially boost adult health. Science, 343(6178), 1478-
1485.
Christy, T. C. (2013). Vygotsky, Cognitive Development and Language. Historiographia
Linguistica, 40.
Heckman, J., Pinto, R., & Savelyev, P. (2013). Understanding the mechanisms through which an
influential early childhood program boosted adult outcomes. The American economic
review, 103(6), 2052-2086.
Schady, N., Behrman, J., Araujo, M. C., Azuero, R., Bernal, R., Bravo, D., ... & Vakis, R.
(2015). Wealth gradients in early childhood cognitive development in five Latin
American countries. Journal of Human Resources, 50(2), 446-463.
Spencer, M. B. (2013). Cultural cognition and social cognition as identity correlates of Black
children's personal-social development. MJ Peebles-Kleiger, Beginnings: The Art and
Science of Planning Psychotherapy, 215-260.