The relation between young children's cognitive role-taking and mothers' preference for a conflict-inducing...

In this study, we examined children's cognitive role-taking in relation to their mothers' choices of techniques to solve domestic dilemmas involving children's misbehavior, social skills, and logical reasoning. Results showed that a mother's preference for the childrearing strategy known as distancing, which uses a Socratic or dialectical inquiry to create cognitive conflict in the child, bore a significant association to her child's advancement in cognitive role-taking skill. This finding is discussed in relation to theories of cognitive development that postulate that mental conflict or tension stimulates cognitive growth. Practical factors that might inhibit mothers from making effective use of the distancing technique are also considered.