La primera infancia como fenómeno sociocultural: una aproximación integradora entre cognición, afecto y cambio social

This essay proposes a different way of understanding early childhood: not as a purely biological stage, but as a sociocultural construction in which cognition, affect, and social change are intertwined. From this perspective, child development is no longer seen as a universal and linear process, but rather as something that is constructed within specific historical, cultural, and relational contexts. In other words, childhood is shaped through interaction with the environment, which influences caregiving practices, the meanings attributed to it, and the opportunities for development, especially in Latin American contexts marked by inequality. Within this framework, cognition does not emerge in isolation but is constructed in relation to others through language, symbols, and shared experiences. Learning, therefore, is a deeply social process. Likewise, affect cannot be reduced to biology: although it has natural foundations, it is strongly influenced by relationships, culture, and the social conditions in which the child grows. Moreover, childhood is not only influenced by society but also reflects its transformations, such as changes in family structures, caregiving practices, and cultural environments. Overall, this approach allows us to understand childhood as a dynamic process in which thinking, feeling, and living are constructed in an interdependent way.