The COVID-19 pandemic redefined daily life for many families. Schools and daycares closed, parents worked from home, and social distancing limited interactions. These changes disrupted early childhood development. Until recently, researchers had not studied how they affected social cognition.
A new study in Scientific Reports compared two groups of 3.5- to 5.5-year-olds. Researchers tested one group before the pandemic, and the other afterward.
Researchers focused on false-belief understanding (FBU), a key social cognition skill. FBU is the ability to recognize others’ different or incorrect beliefs.
Results showed that children tested after the pandemic performed worse on false-belief tasks. Even after controlling for age and language skills, the post-pandemic group struggled more. The effect was stronger for children from lower-income families.
Why Did Researchers Conduct this Child Development Study?
The pandemic impaired children’s mental health and learning. School-aged children lost about 35% of a school year’s education. These losses remained even after returning to in-person classes.
Lockdowns increased children’s screen time. More screen time yielded slower vocabulary growth in infants and toddlers. However, children from wealthier families sometimes showed language gains. This could be a result of increased parent-child reading time.
Social cognition, including FBU, develops in early childhood. This skill is key to communication, cooperation, and academic success.
Social interactions with family and peers foster childhood development. Since the pandemic reduced these interactions, researchers predicted a negative effect.
How Did Researchers Study Social Skills in Children?
The study’s final sample included 96 children, aged 3.5 to 5.5 years. All were fluent in English and had no known speech or developmental delays.
Researchers tested the pre-pandemic group from July 2019 to March 2020. Then, they tested the post-pandemic group from September 2021 to November 2023. The two groups did not differ in age, parental education, or household income.
Children attended two lab sessions, each lasting about one hour. The study tested false-belief understanding, inhibitory control, and language skills.
How Did the Study Measure False Belief Understanding?
Children completed three tasks measuring FBU. First, they underwent the “unexpected-contents task”. Participants saw a crayon box and guessed what was inside. Afterward, the experimenter revealed that it actually contained Band-Aids.
Children then answered three questions:
- What they originally thought was inside.
- What a “naive puppet” would think was inside.
- What was actually inside.
The second test was the “change-of-location task.” A puppet named Piggy placed a toy in a container and left. Another puppet, Doggy, moved the toy to a different container. Once again, children answered three questions:
- Where Piggy would look for the toy.
- Where Doggy put the toy.
- Where the toy was now.
The final false-belief test was the “low-demand elicited-response task.” A storybook character, Emma, placed an apple in one location and left. Her brother, Ethan, moved the apple away. Researchers asked children where Emma would look for her apple.
How Did the Study Measure Inhibition and Language Skills?
Children also completed two tasks that tested their ability to resist automatic responses. First was the “day/night task.” Children saw an image and had to say something contradictory (e.g., saying “day” when shown a moon).
Afterward, they attempted the “grass/snow task.” Children once again had to produce false verbal responses (e.g., saying “green” for white and “white” for green).
Finally, child participants took the Test of Early Language Development, Fourth Edition (TELD-4). This test measures spoken language skills in children aged 3 to 8.
High temperatures and long daylight hours made outbreaks more likely. The model ruled out less relevant factors, such as wind speed and sunshine duration.
Even though food is usually consumed indoors, outdoor weather strongly affects outbreaks. Warm temperatures can speed up bacterial growth and increase risky food handling. Outdoor activities, like picnics and barbecues, may also play a role.
Researchers measured socioeconomic status (SES) based on two factors:
- The highest degree earned by either parent.
- Total household income in the past year.
What Did the Study Reveal about the Pandemic and FBU?
Children tested post-pandemic performed worse on false-belief tasks than those tested before. However, both groups had similar language and inhibitory control skills. This suggests that the pandemic mainly affected social cognition.
The pandemic’s impact was stronger for children from lower-income families. These children already face an increased risk for developmental delays. The pandemic may have deepened this socioeconomic inequality in child development.
During the pandemic, preschools closed and playdates were cancelled, reducing peer interactions. Parents under stress may have spoken less with their children. Conversations are a major pathway to help children develop FBU.
Conclusion
This study found that the COVID-19 pandemic harmed social cognition in young children. False-belief understanding declined, especially for children from lower-income families. These findings highlight the need for increased support to prevent growing developmental deficits.
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Logan Hamilton is a health and wellness freelance writer for hire. He’s passionate about crafting crystal-clear, captivating, and credible content that elevates brands and establishes trust. When not writing, Logan can be found hiking, sticking his nose in bizarre books, or playing drums in a local rock band. Find him at loganjameshamilton.com.
