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Social Cognition and Societal Influence: Synthesis of Learning
Randall L. Noggle
ECE353: Cognitive Development of Infants & Young Children
Instructor Heather Miller
7/20/2015

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The earliest stages of child development are egocentric. The child is only concerned and
aware of how environmental influences work for them. Despite this egocentrism, a child’s world
is shaped by the environmental influences and more specifically, the social world around them.
While they are unaware of the significance of their surroundings, those surroundings are the
blueprints, if you will, for their development. A sociocultural approach to understanding
development is necessary in the merging of nature and nurture in the creation of social cognition
being formed as a result of the social context in which a child develops. As such, the purpose of
this paper is to emphasize the role of societal influences in a child’s thinking and its effect on the
development of their social cognition as being invariably intertwined and will be demonstrated
through the gravity of social cognition and social context in later societal function, social
cognition’s dependence on societal influence through current research, the requirement of a
multi-disciplinary view of social cognition, paralleling application of differential instruction to
student needs, and the challenges that are presented.
The aspect of social cognition is paramount in development for later involvement in a
society that is more social than ever with the advent of novel ways of communicating and
interacting. Infants internalize environmental influences and use this information to build a
foundation on which serves to help them understand themselves and the world around them
(Siegler & Alibali, 2005). The earliest of social interactions work in conjunction with biological
factors to create a wholly unique child whose social cognition is a direct result of the interplay of
influences. It is in this beginning stage of cognition that children learn how to interact, behave,
and process information within a social context.
Social context is an important element in the development of social cognition, as well as
other aspects of early childhood development. Who children interact with serve as examples of

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acceptable social behavior. Whoever has the most interaction and is observed the most by the
child will inevitably shape their constructs on what it is interact and how to do it. Not only do
these interactions shape social constructs, but further, shape the very manner in which children
think. The sponge-like ability of children to absorb information coupled with greater analyzation
capabilities than commonly believed leads social influences, again, serving as a form of
blueprint. Within this social context is where children form their dispositional thought processes.
Social cognition and social context are invariably and irrevocably linked. The same basic
dynamics are being utilized in both the neural processes of social cognition and social
interaction. It provides a paradox in that social cognition is needed to participate in social
interaction, yet social interaction is necessary to develop social cognition. As previously
mentioned, albeit brief, there are biological factors at work in this process. In Tackling the Social
Cognition Paradox through Multi-Scale Approaches, the concept of Mirror Neuron Systems
(MNS) is proposed. This theory is presented as a possible biological explanation to the
foundation of social cognition development in conjunction with social interaction (Dumas,
Kelso, Nadel, Müller, & Di Paolo, 2014). Within this theory, social cognition is attributed to a
compilation of neural, behavioral, and social scales all being viewed within the context of both
intra and inter-personal dynamics. This compilation of influences guides the formation of
neuronal pathways and cements the parallel development of both processes creating a
neurobiological disposition.
This newly created neurobiological disposition is a misnomer in the fact it does not
follow the typical definition of what a disposition is because it is adaptive in nature and
dependent on situational influences. This seemingly contradictory explanation can be described
as situated social cognition. Situated social cognition is a multidisciplinary concept that requires

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consideration of the individual within the context in regard to cognitive processes, as made by
the point in Introduction to the Special Issue: Situated Social Cognition, “…context and
individual cognitive functioning interpenetrate one another” (Jonas & Cesario, 2013, p. 120).
Children’s neurobiological processes are formed in such a manner than allows situational
adaptation, or rather, social cognition is a combination of biological and neurological process
that are both formed from environmental influences and as a means of navigating environmental
influences. Essentially, children’s social context both teaches them how to interact and how to
adapt to interaction.
The latter focus of the interplay between social cognition and societal influences
emphasizes the necessity of adaptation to environmental influences. While there is still a genetic
disposition in social cognition strategies, they are not static when perceived learned social roles
in interaction are accounted for later in life. Dispositional motivation is often disregarded in lieu
of situational motivation, as stated in Personal Need for Structure and Control Motivation:
Linking Social Cognition and Interpersonal Motivation, “Both classical and current works on
asymmetric dependence between individuals provide evidence that people in different
hierarchical social situations employ different strategies of social cognition” (Sollár &
Turzáková, 2014, p. 216). This further demonstrates not only the dependence of social and
environmental influences being the causal agent of situated social cognition, but also the
plasticity and adaptability of neuro processes involved in social cognition being dispositional in
nature.
As demonstrated thus far, social cognition cannot simply be attributed to nature or
nurture as a single responsible mechanism, but rather, a combination thereof. It is a combination
of influences affecting how social cognition develops, and as such, a multi-disciplinary and

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multi-theoretical approach is needed to truly understand this development. Essentially, social
cognition cannot be confined to one area of developmental research and/or theory, as explained
in Prospects for Direct Social Perception: a Multi-Theoretical Integration to Further the Science
of Social Cognition, “…with the growing body of evidence for the various proposed mechanisms
of social cognition and the different levels of explanation associated with each, it seems
increasingly likely that humans may have the capacity to employ each of these mechanisms
during the various types of engagement with the social environment (i.e., direct social
perception, theoretical inference, and simulation)” (Wiltshire, Lobato, McConnell, & Fiore,
2015, para. 68). The very nature of social cognition, as previously mentioned, is dispositionally
adaptive. This affords both practical applications and challenges regarding differential
instruction.
Children can vary wildly in their cognitive and social abilities in early development. This
can prove to be problematic for early childhood educators being as their main educational goal is
building academic foundations for students with varying baselines. A means for attending to
these differences is differential instruction. Differential instruction calls for thorough planning of
instruction for a diverse group of students, or as Gregory & Chapman (2001) describe it, “a
philosophy that enables teachers to plan strategically in order to reach the needs of the diverse
learners in classrooms today” (quoted in Parsons, Dodman, & Burrowbridge, 2013, p. 39).
Differential instruction is essential in most public schools, especially those with varying
socioeconomic levels. One of the neglected aspects of differential instruction parallels the
development of social cognition, and that it adaptability.
Educators must be adaptable, even within their differentiated instruction, to account for
differences in individual social abilities. According to Broadening the View of Differentiated

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Instruction: Differentiation Shouldn’t End with Planning but Should Continue as Teachers Adapt
Their Instruction During Lessons, “…teachers who effectively differentiate their instruction not
only carefully plan instruction to differentiate for the variety of learners in their classrooms but
also provide moment-by-moment adaptations to meet specific needs that become clear during
instruction — needs that were not or could not be anticipated” (Parsons et al, 2013, p. 40). This
is the key to successful differentiated instruction. Educators must approach instruction in the
same way social cognition develops in children: dispositionally adaptive. With this adaptive
approach, educators can accommodate more variability within their classroom that strategic
planning alone cannot. This includes remediation and if absolutely necessary, special education
placement. There is one challenge in particular outside of being unprepared for the essential
differentiated instruction, and that is negative societal influences.
Educators can plan accordingly and be adaptive as possible, but negative social
influences and contexts, or societal influences, can be overwhelming. Social cognition’s
development places a great deal of emphasis on these variables and they are uncontrollable from
an educational standpoint. A structured, supportive, adaptive educational environment can mean
little to nothing if the child’s societal influences are contradictory and/or negate the positive
benefits provided within the scope of the educational system. The only realistic option is to
continue providing a healthy environment for situated social cognition.
The process of learning is more than just what the educational system provides and
emphasizes. Learning takes place in every interaction, situation and context, especially within
the realm of early childhood development. Children shape their understanding and beliefs from
who and how they interact with the most in early ages. One of these critical elements is a child’s
ability to adapt to varying situations and contexts as a result of the development of social

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cognition. Social cognition is the result of the perpetual cycle between social influence and
cognitive development being codependent and understood through the gravity of social cognition
and social context in later societal function, social cognition’s dependence on societal influence
through current research, the requirement of a multi-disciplinary view of social cognition,
paralleling application of differential instruction to student needs, and the challenges that are
presented.

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References
Dumas, G., Kelso, J. S., Nadel, J., Müller, V., & Di Paolo, E. A. (2014). Tackling the social
cognition paradox through multi-scale approaches. Frontiers In Psychology, 51-4.
doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2014.00882.
Jonas, K. J., & Cesario, J. (2013). Introduction to the Special Issue: Situated Social Cognition.
Social Cognition, 31(2), 119-124. doi:10.1521/soco.2013.31.2.119
Parsons, S. A., Dodman, S. L., & Burrowbridge, S. C. (2013). Broadening the view of
differentiated instruction: differentiation shouldn't end with planning but should continue
as teachers adapt their instruction during lessons. Phi Delta Kappan, (1),
Siegler, R.S., and Alibali, M.W. (2005). Children’s thinking 4th ed. Upper Saddle River, NJ:
Prentice-Hall, Inc.
SOLLÁR, T., & TURZÁKOVÁ, J. (2014). PERSONAL NEED FOR STRUCTURE AND
CONTROL MOTIVATION: LINKING SOCIAL COGNITION AND
INTERPERSONAL MOTIVATION. Studia Psychologica, 56(3), 215-220.
Wiltshire, T. J., Lobato, E. C., McConnell, D. S., & Fiore, S. M. (2015). Prospects for direct
social perception: a multi-theoretical integration to further the science of social cognition.
Frontiers In Human Neuroscience, 81. doi:10.3389/fnhum.2014.01007.