Archives of Current Research International

Early childhood is a critical period for the development of cognitive abilities that support language, learning, social interaction, problem solving, and adjustment to the surrounding environment. Understanding whether boys and girls differ in selected cognitive domains during the preschool years is important for planning early childhood education and intervention. The present study was conducted to assess the cognitive abilities of preschool children and to compare these abilities on the basis of gender. The study was carried out in Hisar district of Haryana State, India. From the selected district, Hisar-I block was selected randomly, and two villages, Harita and Mangali, were selected from the block using a cluster-based approach. A total of 60 preschool children, including 30 boys and 30 girls in the age group of 3–4 years, were selected randomly from the selected villages. The list of children was prepared from anganwadi records. An interview schedule was used to collect personal and socio-economic information. Cognitive abilities were assessed using Pandey’s Cognitive Development Test for Preschoolers developed by Hema Pandey in 1992. The findings showed that a majority of children were in the lower category for conceptual skills (61.70%), information (63.30%), memory (65.00%), and object vocabulary (61.70%). A higher proportion of children were in the high category for visual perception (83.30%), and a slight majority were in the high category for composite cognitive ability (56.70%). Independent samples t-test results indicated that boys had higher mean scores than girls in this sample for comprehension, t(58)=2.13, p=0.037; memory, t(58)=2.39, p=0.020; and object vocabulary, t(58)=2.51, p=0.015. No statistically significant gender differences were observed in conceptual skills, information, visual perception, or composite cognitive ability. The findings suggest that boys and girls showed comparable overall cognitive ability, although domain-specific differences were observed in comprehension, memory, and object vocabulary. Since the study was limited to a small sample from two villages and did not adjust for socio-economic or home-environmental factors, the results should be interpreted cautiously. The study highlights the need for early stimulation and supportive learning opportunities for preschool children, especially in rural early childhood care and education settings.