Effects of Sanskrit Schooling on Cognitive and Social Processes

Abstract

The article discusses effects of Sanskrit schooling, a traditional system of education in India, which has continued for several thousand years. Sanskrit schooling continues to be in operation in India, but has been pushed out to the margins after the introduction of formal Western-type schooling by the British. A set of studies demonstrating the influence of traditional Sanskrit and formal Western forms of schooling on children’s cognitive and social processes is discussed. These specifically include studies of learning and memory, psychological differentiation, spatial language and encoding, dead reckoning, meta-cognition, social identity and prejudice, intergroup relationships and daily activities, practices and values. The article also discusses potential areas for cross-cultural collaborative research relating to psychological development of children.