Variety of cognitively oriented caregiver activities: relationships to cognitive and motivational functioning at one and 31/2 years of age.

This study investigated relationships between the variety of infants' social experience and their cognitive competence and motivation to master the environment. A measure of the variety of cognitively-oriented social activities with regular caregivers was significantly related to the Bayley Mental Development Index at 13 months and to three of the four McCarthy Scales of Children's Abilities at 31/2 years. The relationships were especially strong with language development at both 1 and 31/2 years. Some relationships between the variety of cognitively-oriented caregiver activities and mastery motivation were found at 1, but not at 31/2 years of age. Infant experience was not related to 13-month motor development.