Culture, Communication and Socio-cognitive Development: Understanding the Minds of Others

Abstract

This chapter reviews the literature on the role of children’s social experience in promoting cognitive development. During early childhood, children develop a psychological understanding of others, in which they become increasingly skilled at recognising and identifying the internal states that motivate behaviour. This development does not take place in a vacuum, however, with robust evidence that the interactions children engage in with their caregivers—particularly discussion about their own and others’ mental states—predict children’s socio-cognitive development. Such discussions reflect the cultural milieu and thus vary significantly across cultural groups. The focus of this chapter is on cultural differences in the style and content of parent–child language interactions, and the significance of these differences for the development of a psychological understanding of others. In integrating previous findings across a range of cultural groups, I hope to advance our theoretical understanding of socio-cognitive development.