The relationship between early cumulative caregiver sensitivity and children\u27s later self-perception of cognitive competence and cognitive performance

The purpose of the study was to examine the relationship between children’s experiences of caregiver sensitivity during the first three years of their life and their later self-perceptions of cognitive competence and cognitive performance. Caregiver sensitivity was measured using data that had been collected with the Caregiver Interaction Scale (CIS, Arnett, 1989) during an earlier longitudinal study, the Baton Rouge Early Care Study (BRECES; Pierce & Benedict, 2007). Measures of cognitive competence were derived using the Pictorial Scale of Perceived Competence and Social Acceptance for Young Children (Harter & Pike, 1984) and measures of cognitive performance were derived using the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test (Dunn & Dunn, 1997). Data were collected from 26 children for whom the researchers had measures of caregiver sensitivity for a minimum of 18 months. Bivariate correlations and t-tests were used to examine the relationship between children’s cumulative level of sensitivity experienced during the first 36 months of child care and the predicted outcomes. No statistically significant relationships were found