This review examines the effectiveness of positive parenting interventions aimed at improving sensitivity, responsiveness, and/or non-harsh discipline on children’s early cognitive skills, in four meta-analyses addressing general mental abilities, language, executive functioning, and pre-academics. The objectives are to assess the magnitude of intervention effectiveness and identify moderators of effectiveness. We include randomized controlled trials of interventions targeting positive parenting to improve cognition in children < 6 years. Studies that include children with neurodevelopmental and/or hearing disorders were excluded. MEDLINE, PsycINFO, ERIC, and ProQuest Dissertations & Theses (October 2021) and citation chaining identified relevant records. Five reviewers completed screening/assessments, extraction, and risk of bias. Pooled analysis in Comprehensive Meta-Analysis (Version 3) used random effects modeling, with moderation via Q-statistics and meta-regression. Positive parenting interventions led to significant improvements in mental abilities (g = 0.46, N = 5746; k = 33) and language (g = 0.25, N = 6428; k = 30). Effect sizes were smaller and nonsignificant for executive functioning (g = 0.07, N = 3628; k = 14) and pre-academics (g = 0.16, N = 2365; k = 7). Robust moderators emerged for language and cognition. For cognition, studies with higher risk of bias scores yielded larger intervention effects. For language, studies with younger children had larger effect sizes. Studies mitigated selection and detection bias, though greater transparency of reporting is needed. Interventions that promote parental sensitivity, responsiveness, and non-harsh discipline improve early mental abilities and language. Studies examining executive functioning and pre-academics are needed to examine moderators of intervention effectiveness.

Trial registration Systematic review PROSPERO registration. CRD42020222143

本综述通过针对一般心理能力、语言、执行功能和学前教育的四项荟萃分析，检验了旨在提高敏感性、反应能力和/或非严厉管教对儿童早期认知技能的积极育儿干预的有效性。目标是评估干预有效性的程度并确定有效性的调节因素。我们纳入了针对积极养育以改善 6 岁以下儿童认知的干预措施的随机对照试验。包括患有神经发育和/或听力障碍的儿童的研究被排除在外。MEDLINE、PsycINFO、ERIC 和 ProQuest Dissertations & Theses（2021 年 10 月）和引文链确定了相关记录。五位评论员完成了筛选/评估、提取和偏倚风险。Q-统计和元回归。积极的育儿干预导致心智能力（g  = 0.46，N  = 5746；k  = 33）和语言（g  = 0.25，N  = 6428；k  = 30）显着改善。执行功能（ g  = 0.07，N  = 3628；k  = 14）和学前教育（g  = 0.16，N  = 2365；k）的影响较小且不显着 = 7). 出现了语言和认知的强大调节器。对于认知，偏倚评分风险较高的研究产生了较大的干预效果。对于语言，对年幼儿童的研究具有更大的效果。尽管需要提高报告的透明度，但研究减轻了选择和检测偏差。促进父母敏感性、反应能力和非严厉管教的干预措施可以改善早期智力和语言。需要研究执行功能和学前教育来检查干预有效性的调节因素。

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