The indirect role of working memory in the association between perspective-taking skills and social problem-solving skills in preschool children: an age-sensitive moderated mediation in a Turkish sample

Abstract

Background Perspective taking, working memory and social problem solving are central to early childhood social and cognitive development, yet they have rarely been examined jointly within a single model. Aim The present study examined whether the association between three perspective-taking sub-dimensions (cognitive, perceptual, affective) and social problem solving in Turkish preschoolers was indirect, operating through working memory, and whether this indirect association varied with age. Method A sample of 457 Turkish preschoolers aged 48–72 months (50.3% girls) was recruited from independent preschools and kindergarten classrooms affiliated with primary schools in Bolu. Children completed the Perspective-Taking Test for Children and the Wally Social Problem-Solving Test, and mothers completed the working-memory subscale of the Self-Regulation Skills Scale. Three separate moderated mediation models, one for each perspective-taking sub-dimension, were estimated using PROCESS Model 59 with age group as the moderator of all three paths and 5,000 bootstrap resamples. Results Indices of moderated mediation were significant in all three models (cognitive 0.60, perceptual 0.52, affective 0.15) and indirect effects through working memory strengthened systematically with age. Conclusion Perspective taking was indirectly associated with social problem solving through working memory, and this indirect association was stronger in older preschoolers. Because the design is cross-sectional, these patterns are associational and require longitudinal confirmation. The findings are consistent with curricular approaches that address cognitive and social–emotional components together.