Correlations Between Cognitive and Social Functioning of Schoolchildren: Study of Population Data Using methods of intellectual Analysis of heterogeneous Data

Abstract

Background. The comprehensive assessment of mentality in children on the population scale is necessary to develop measures for optimal shaping of the country’s future potential. However, the correlations between cognitive and socio-characterological parameters of the emerging personality makes it difficult to collect information and decreases the efficiency of traditional analysis methods on the population scale. The aim of the study is to estimate the correlations between cognitive activity social functioning of schoolchildren using artificial intelligence methods. Methods. The study included schoolchildren from 5th and 9th grades who studied in secondary schools in 8 major Russian cities. The survey used a battery of tests to assess cognitive performance and a questionnaire of extracurricular activities which was completed by parents. The analysis was performed using clustering and machine learning methods. Results. The battery of cognitive tests was used to examine 1983 children from 5th and 9th grades. Parents of 1,171 of them completed the extracurricular activity questionnaire. Two clusters of different levels of cognitive success of children and adolescents in both age groups were identified. The high level of cognitive activity was determined in cases associated with attending music school, non-sports hobbies in schoolchildren of both age groups in general; basketball, football, dancing, summer holidays in camps in 5th grade schoolchildren; and swimming, skiing, competitive sports (non-professional), tutoring sections, computer programming in 9th grade schoolchildren. Conclusion. The correlations between the level of cognitive activity and the individual typology of extracurricular activities (based on features of personality formation and social influence of the family) has been determined.