Humans are social beings, and engage in social interactions from early in life. Be it through direct social interactions or observation of the social surroundings, the social environment has the potential to impact infants’ lives from early on. As children grow older, these interaction contexts become increasingly complex, for example moving beyond the home environment or playing with peers. Social experiences can also differ drastically between children depending on a multitude of factors (such as cultural context, home environments, teaching styles and child characteristics). Thus, while social experiences are likely to impact later social and cognitive development significantly, it remains an open question how they shape current and later development.
As social and cognitive development take place in human social interaction, this special issue aims to bring together research that addresses how infants’ and young children’s social environments shape their early and later social and cognitive development. We aim to draw on longitudinal and cross-sectional research using a variety of methods and theoretical perspectives in order to inform how infants and children build complex social skills, such as an increasingly complex understanding of other social beings.
How does the social environment in early childhood shape early and later social-cognitive development? This Research Topic aims to include both empirical research as well as theoretical perspectives, focusing on varying social environments, spanning from fine-grained analyses of individual differences in parent-child interactions to broader investigations of the complex social networks within which infants and young children (0-4 years) are embedded.
Research methods may include but are not limited to: surveys, lab-based tasks, longitudinal research; neuroimaging, or large cohorts.
Possible topics include but are not limited to: atypical or at-risk populations; bioecological systems; collaboration; communication; contingency; cultural contexts; developmental cascades; digital learning contexts; dyadic interactions; emotional regulation; imitation; individual differences; ingroup/outgroup; joint action; neural synchrony; parent-child interactions; parenting; peer cooperation; social cognitive development; social learning; social mirroring; social networks; social rejection; teaching & learning; theory of mind
Humans are social beings, and engage in social interactions from early in life. Be it through direct social interactions or observation of the social surroundings, the social environment has the potential to impact infants’ lives from early on. As children grow older, these interaction contexts become increasingly complex, for example moving beyond the home environment or playing with peers. Social experiences can also differ drastically between children depending on a multitude of factors (such as cultural context, home environments, teaching styles and child characteristics). Thus, while social experiences are likely to impact later social and cognitive development significantly, it remains an open question how they shape current and later development.
As social and cognitive development take place in human social interaction, this special issue aims to bring together research that addresses how infants’ and young children’s social environments shape their early and later social and cognitive development. We aim to draw on longitudinal and cross-sectional research using a variety of methods and theoretical perspectives in order to inform how infants and children build complex social skills, such as an increasingly complex understanding of other social beings.
How does the social environment in early childhood shape early and later social-cognitive development? This Research Topic aims to include both empirical research as well as theoretical perspectives, focusing on varying social environments, spanning from fine-grained analyses of individual differences in parent-child interactions to broader investigations of the complex social networks within which infants and young children (0-4 years) are embedded.
Research methods may include but are not limited to: surveys, lab-based tasks, longitudinal research; neuroimaging, or large cohorts.
Possible topics include but are not limited to: atypical or at-risk populations; bioecological systems; collaboration; communication; contingency; cultural contexts; developmental cascades; digital learning contexts; dyadic interactions; emotional regulation; imitation; individual differences; ingroup/outgroup; joint action; neural synchrony; parent-child interactions; parenting; peer cooperation; social cognitive development; social learning; social mirroring; social networks; social rejection; teaching & learning; theory of mind