The developmental psychopathology framework posits that development is a cumulative process, such that new skills are built upon existing capacities (Masten & Cicchetti, 2010). Thus, competency in an early-emerging domain is expected to foster competency in later-emerging domains. Results from the current study suggest that the capacity for goal-directed attention at age 2 is foundational to acquiring more complex cognitive abilities across the third year. Because the cognitive abilities observed in this study are so important to children’s early school success (e.g., Yeniad et al., 2014), these findings may have implications for children’s later academic and social competency. Children in this study who were better able to control their attention at age 2 were better able to delay gratification, had more flexible cognition, and comprehended more words at age 3. As a result of this competency, they may have an easier time adjusting to school, because they will have more resources to devote towards learning and fostering positive social relationships. However, whether deficits in cognition this early necessarily place children at risk for later school adjustment is not clear from this study, and requires additional research.
