FAMILY TYPE AND CHILDRENS COGNITION IN 2 ETHNIC-GROUPS

Lautrey (1980) related variations in children's cognition to type of family structuring. The prediction that the flexible type would be the most favorable for cognitive development, due to greater provision of opportunities for development experiences, was supported within both working-class and middle-class samples in Paris. The range of applicability of this finding was tested on indigenous and Pakistani samples in Glasgow. The results largely supported the structuring hypothesis. Associations between type of family structuring and process aspects of children's cognition were independent of sex and sociocultural variables. The cumulative benefits of the flexible type of environment were evident in the school performance of Scottish but not Pakistani children. Links between family structuring and both ecological and cultural variables are discussed. © 1990, Sage Publications. All rights reserved.