What is it about?
Does learning computer programming have collateral cognitive benefits? In this intervention study, we analyzed whether receiving programming lessons (in comparison with receiving art lessons) trains cognitive functions in preschoolers. Further, we analyzed whether results vary by SES. We found that programming trains cognitive control processes more than art, but the effect is small. However, for children in the lower socio-economic status schools, the effect was much higher. Our results suggest that teaching programming, besides its intrinsic value, can also be a way to train cognitive control in children from vulnerable backgrounds.
Featured Image
Photo by Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash
Why is it important?
This study controlled for computer use and socioeconomic status. Also, it has high ecological validity: it was carried out by regular teachers, in schools located in a Majority country. Although the results are modest, they are an important contribution to educational policy (that is currently including programming in preschool curricula worldwide) and to cognitive science, by addressing an important question: the secondary benefits of computational thinking.
Perspectives
This study has a small sample size, but it is well-controlled. Its ecological validity is an extra plus to applied science. Educators, policymakers, cognitive scientists and computer scientists might be interested in these results.
PhD Maria Julia Hermida
Universidad Nacional de Hurlingham
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Can Programming Improve Executive Functions in Preschoolers? A Pilot Study on Low‐ and Middle‐Socioeconomic Status Schools, Developmental Science, March 2026, Wiley,
DOI: 10.1111/desc.70161.
You can read the full text:
Resources
Contributors
The following have contributed to this page
