Social skills are the basis of human interactions and functioning in society. Social competence (SC) is thought to evolve gradually during childhood and adolescence via the interplay of multiple factors. In particular, the early years of life are marked by the emergence of basic social abilities and constitute the foundation for successful social development. The biopsychosocial SOcio-Cognitive Integration of Abilities modeL (SOCIAL) posits that internal (child-based), external (environment), and cognitive factors are critical to SC in the context of normal brain maturation; but this has yet to be shown empirically and comprehensively. This study tested the SOCIAL model in a sample of typically developing preschool children. Parents of 103 children (M = 67.59 months, SD = 11.65) completed questionnaires and children underwent neuropsychological assessment of executive functioning (EF), communication skills and social cognition. Three-step hierarchical regression analyses (1) Internal factors, 2) External factors, 3) Cognitive factors) confirmed that each step of the regression model significantly predicted SC. In the final model, general cognitive and socio-cognitive factors significantly predicted SC above and beyond internal and external factors: children with lower temperamental negative affect and less parent-reported executive dysfunction, as well as better non-verbal communication and theory of mind had better SC. Our findings support the conceptual SOCIAL model, and highlight the importance of internal, external, and cognitive factors for SC in the preschool years. Identification of factors associated with early social development can inform both normative and clinical approaches to identifying intervention loci and optimizing SC in those at risk for maladaptive social functioning.

中文翻译：

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儿童早期的社会能力：社会模型的实证验证

社交技能是人类互动和在社会中运作的基础。社会能力（SC）被认为是通过多种因素的相互作用在儿童期和青春期逐渐演变的。特别是，生命的早期阶段以基本社会能力的出现为标志，构成了成功社会发展的基础。生物心理社会社会认知能力整合模型（SOCIAL）假设在正常大脑成熟的情况下，内部（基于儿童）、外部（环境）和认知因素对 SC 至关重要；但这还有待经验和全面的证明。本研究在典型的学龄前儿童样本中测试了社会模型。103个孩子的父母（M  = 67.59 个月，标准差 = 11.65) 完成问卷调查并对儿童进行执行功能 (EF)、沟通技巧和社会认知的神经心理学评估。三步分层回归分析（1）内部因素，2）外部因素，3）认知因素）证实回归模型的每一步都显着预测SC。在最终模型中，一般认知和社会认知因素显着预测 SC 超出内部和外部因素：具有较低气质负面影响和较少父母报告的执行功能障碍，以及更好的非语言交流和心理理论更好的SC。我们的研究结果支持概念社会模型，并强调内部、外部和认知因素对学龄前儿童 SC 的重要性。