Peer-reviewed article
The indirect role of working memory in the association between perspective-taking skills and social problem-solving skills in preschool children: an age-sensitive moderated mediation in a Turkish sample.
Küçükkara MF ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-haiku-4-5-20251001This study examined how perspective-taking skills in preschool children relate to social problem-solving abilities, with working memory playing an intermediate role. The research involved 457 Turkish children aged 4-6 years and tested whether this relationship differed by age. The findings show that working memory acts as a pathway between perspective-taking and problem-solving skills, with this pathway becoming stronger as children get older.
Key points
- Perspective-taking has three sub-dimensions: cognitive, perceptual, and affective, each showing significant indirect associations with social problem-solving through working memory
- The indirect effect through working memory strengthened with age across all three perspective-taking dimensions
- Cognitive perspective-taking showed the strongest indirect effect (0.60), followed by perceptual (0.52), then affective (0.15)
- The findings support educational approaches that integrate cognitive and social-emotional learning components
- The study measured children using standardized tests: the Perspective-Taking Test for Children and the Wally Social Problem-Solving Test
Limitations
The cross-sectional design means the associations found cannot establish causality or confirm developmental progression; longitudinal data would be needed to confirm whether these patterns reflect true causal mechanisms and age-related development.
Abstract
Background Perspective taking, working memory and social problem solving are central to early childhood social and cognitive development, yet they have rarely been examined jointly within a single model. Aim The present study examined whether the association between three perspective-taking sub-dimensions (cognitive, perceptual, affective) and social problem solving in Turkish preschoolers was indirect, operating through working memory, and whether this indirect association varied with age. Method A sample of 457 Turkish preschoolers aged 48-72 months (50.3% girls) was recruited from independent preschools and kindergarten classrooms affiliated with primary schools in Bolu. Children completed the Perspective-Taking Test for Children and the Wally Social Problem-Solving Test, and mothers completed the working-memory subscale of the Self-Regulation Skills Scale. Three separate moderated mediation models, one for each perspective-taking sub-dimension, were estimated using PROCESS Model 59 with age group as the moderator of all three paths and 5,000 bootstrap resamples. Results Indices of moderated mediation were significant in all three models (cognitive 0.60, perceptual 0.52, affective 0.15) and indirect effects through working memory strengthened systematically with age. Conclusion Perspective taking was indirectly associated with social problem solving through working memory, and this indirect association was stronger in older preschoolers. Because the design is cross-sectional, these patterns are associational and require longitudinal confirmation. The findings are consistent with curricular approaches that address cognitive and social-emotional components together.