How do we develop social cognition? Sociogenesis and ontogenetic selectionof social thought

Sociogenetic models of human development invoke processes such as intersubj ectivity, experiential canalization and ontogenetic selection to explain bo th interindividual differences and personal changes in children's represent ations of social reality. Current studies stressing information processing focus upon procedural aspects of social thought, whereas constructivists em phasize age graded shifts in conceptual abilities. In contrast, socio-const ructivists analyze the bi-directional influence between specific interperso nal relations and the evolution of children's cognitive skills. A major the oretical challenge for this field of study involves linking children's soci ocognitive capacities to social adaptation in everyday settings. Theoretica l and methodological implications of the sociogenetic model for understandi ng inter-personal and intra-personal diversity in social thought are discus sed.