Language, Age, and Problem Solving

Developmental psychologists have investigated how language directs cognition for many years (Baldo et al., 2004; Farrant, Maybery, & Fletcher, 2011; Vygotsky, 1987). However, it is difficult to discover whether is it language or age that directs cognition because of the language-age confound (Salimi, 2016). The current study focuses on how language comprehension affects one aspect of cognitive development, problem solving ability, independently of age by having four to five-year-olds take the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test (PPVT) and The Wisconsin Card Sorting Task (WCST). While there were no significant correlations found between age and problem solving ability or language comprehension and problem solving ability, there was a significant correlation between the increase in PPVT scores and the increase in age. These findings support the language-age confound and indicate that language development and age are strongly tied together. It also leaves the question that perhaps there is another factor that helps enhance problem solving ability