Relations between parent–child affect and synchrony and cognitive outcome at 5 years of age

This investigation involved the longitudinal assessment of 30 preterm and 39 full‐term infants from 2 to 5 years of age. Measures of cognitive outcome at 2 and 5 years of age and mother‐child dyadic synchrony and affect during free‐play interaction were obtained at 5 years of age. Correlational and regression analyses indicated that 5‐year cognitive outcome was predicted by 2‐year cognitive status, mother education, and 5‐year dyadic interaction. In addition, 5‐year maternal positive affect contributed independently to children's cognitive status at age 5, above and beyond the contributions of early cognitive status and maternal education. Also, affect and synchrony interacted in predicting lower cognitive abilities. Findings are discussed in relation to the importance of maternal affect and synchronous interactions in transactional explanations of development during early childhood.