Full Description
This volume focuses on the role of social interactions in the development of executive function, and offers a new and exciting alternative to many contemporary cognitive approaches. Executive function consists of higher cognitive skills involved in the control of thought, action, and emotion. Relatively little is known about the processes that promote its development. The volume is aimed at a broad range of child and adolescent developmental researchers and practitioners interested in how parental scaffolding, family background, as well as educational and cultural processes are linked to the development of children's self-control and social understanding.
Contents
1. Introduction1 Charlie Lewis, Jeremy I. M. Carpendale This chapter introduces the study of executive function and theoretical perspectives acknowledging the influence of social interaction and outlines the contributions made by the chapters in this volume. 2. Parental Scaffolding and the Development of Executive Function 17 Maximilian B. Bibok, Jeremy I. M. Carpendale, Ulrich Muller In this chapter the authors take a microgenetic approach to illustrating the role of parental scaffolding in development of executive function. 3. How Do Families Help or Hinder the Emergence of Early Executive Function? 35 Claire H. Hughes, Rosie A. Ensor A longitudinal study of a socially diverse group of families, reported in this chapter, examines the links between aspects of family interaction and development of executive function. 4. New Directions in Evaluating Social Problem Solving in Childhood: Early Precursors and Links to Adolescent Social Competence 51 Susan H. Landry, Karen E. Smith, Paul R. Swank This chapter presents an ecologically valid measure of social problem solving that is linked to earlier development and that predicts social interactive skills in early adolescence. 5. Culture, Executive Function, and Social Understanding 69 Charlie Lewis, Masuo Koyasu, Seungmi Oh, Ayako Ogawa, Benjamin Short, Zhao Huang This chapter examines differences in the links between executive function and social understanding in four cultures in order to question current assumptions about their relationship. 6. Social Origins of Executive Function Development 87 Stephanie M. Carlson This final chapter is an integrative commentary on the chapters in this volume, setting the discussion in the context of other recent research and suggesting new directions for research on the social origins of executive function. INDEX 99
