Family status, family constellation, and home environmental variables as predictors of cognitive performance of Mexican American children.

Examined the relative contributions of several family status variables (child and parental language, parental schooling attainment and location, and SES), a family constellation variable (family size), and the Henderson Environmental Learning Process Scale (HELPS) to the prediction of cognitive performance among 140 Mexican-American preschool children (aged 38–71 mo) from low-income backgrounds. Ss were administered the McCarthy Scales of Childrens' Abilities (MSCA). A factor analysis of the family status and constellation variables produced 3 factors. The General Cognitive Index (GCI) of the MSCA was predicted by multiple regression procedures. The 3 status/constellation factors and HELPS served as independent variables. As hypothesized, the best predictor of GCI was HELPS. A Language/Schooling factor made an additional significant contribution to the explained variance. The theoretical and practical implications of including proximal as well as distal background variables in future research on relations between family characteristics and intellectual performance are discussed. (43 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)