title: Contributions of societal modernity to cognitive development: a comparison of four cultures.
abstract: This study examined how societal changes associated with modernization are related to cognitive development. Data were from 4 cultural communities that represented a broad range of traditional and modern elements: the Garifuna (Belize), Logoli (Kenya), Newars (Nepal), and Samoans (American Samoa). Naturalistic observations and the performances of 3-, 5-, 7-, and 9-year-old children (N = 192) on 7 cognitive measures were examined. Results replicated age-related improvement on all measures. Contributions of modernity were evident in children's play behaviors and cognitive performances, especially in skills related to schooling. Modernization and schooling independently predicted differences on most of the measures. Results are discussed in relation to the Flynn effect, the worldwide increase in cognitive scores across generations, and the ways in which societal modernization may contribute to cognitive development.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of California, Riverside, CA 92521, USA. mary.gauvain@ucr.edu
authors.forename: Mary
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Gauvain
authors.forename: Robert L
authors.initials: RL
authors.lastname: Munroe
mesh_terms: D000124:Achievement; D000367:Age Factors; D018948:American Samoa; D001531:Belize; D002648:Child; D002657:Child Development; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003071:Cognition; D003431:Cross-Cultural Comparison; D003906:Developing Countries; D004493:Education; D005006:Ethnicity / Q000523:psychology*; D005106:Exploratory Behavior; D005260:Female; D005364:Field Dependence-Independence; D005783:Gender Identity; D006801:Humans; D007630:Kenya; D008297:Male; D011939:Mental Recall; D009048:Motor Skills; D009390:Nepal; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D010364:Pattern Recognition, Visual; D018187:Personal Construct Theory; D010988:Play and Playthings; D011597:Psychomotor Performance; D012737:Sex Factors; D012922:Social Change; D012931:Social Environment