Explicit and implicit issues in the developmental cognitive neuroscience of social inequality

Abstract

The appearance of developmental cognitive neuroscience (DCN) in the socioeconomic status (SES) research arena is hugely transformative, but challenging. We review challenges rooted in the implicit and explicit assumptions informing this newborn field. We provide balanced theoretical alternatives on how hypothesized psychological processes map onto the brain (e.g., problem of localization) and how experimental phenomena at multiple levels of analysis (e.g., behavior, cognition and the brain) could be related. We therefore examine unclear issues regarding the existing perspectives on poverty and their relationships with low SES, the evidence of low-SES adaptive functioning, historical precedents of the “alternate pathways” (neuroplasticity) interpretation of learning disabilities related to low-SES and the notion of deficit, issues of “normativity” and validity in findings of neurocognitive differences between children from different SES, and finally alternative interpretations of the complex relationship between IQ and SES. Particularly, we examine the extent to which the available laboratory results may be interpreted as showing that cognitive performance in low-SES children reflects cognitive and behavioral deficits as a result of growing up in specific environmental or cultural contexts, and how the experimental findings should be interpreted for the design of different types of interventions—particularly those related to educational practices—or translated to the public—especially the media. Although a cautionary tone permeates many studies, still, a potential deficit attribution—i.e., low-SES is associated with cognitive and behavioral developmental deficits—seems almost an inevitable implicit issue with ethical implications. Finally, we sketch the agenda for an ecological DCN, suggesting recommendations to advance the field, specifically, to minimize equivocal divulgation and maximize ethically responsible translation.

Selective Attention: a Comparative Study on Argentine Students from Different Socioeconomic Contexts

“…Also, variables such as teacher-student ratio, number of days the student has attended school during the year, the school's availability of didactic resources (Evans, 2004;D'Angiulli et al, 2012;Farah et al, 2006;Hackman & Farah, 2009;Manly et al, 2002;Matute et al, 2009;Najman et al, 2009;Noble et al, 2012, Tong et al, 2007 have an impact on the various activities carried out in the classroom and may affect the quality of education.…”

“…One of the factors that has been more studied is socio-economic status (SES), which is usually calculated by measuring parental education levels and occupational standing, although it encompasses much more than these two indices, including family income, parents' physical and mental health, the presence or not of both parents at home, nutrition, exposure to contaminants, differences in the characteristics of the schools the children attend, teachers' educational quality, teacher-student ratio, number of days the student has attended school during the year, availability of didactic resources at school, etc. (Evans, 2004;D'Angiulli, Lipina & Olesinska, 2012;Farah, et al, 2006;Hackman & Farah, 2009;Matute, et al, 2009;Najman et al, 2009;Noble et al, 2012, Tong, Baghurst, Vimpani & McMichael, 2007.…”

Implications of Socioeconomic Status on Academic Competence: A Perspective for Teachers

“…Social inequality generates significant stress that hinders mental adjustment (Alley et al, 2006;D'Angiulli, Lipina, & Olesinska, 2012;Evans & Kim, 2013), predisposes to learned helplessness (Abramson et al, 1978), hopelessness (Bolland, 2003), and lack of competence (D' Angiulli et al, 2012;Masten, Desjardins, McCormick, Kuo, & Long, 2010).…”

Latino Immigrant Students in Spain: Potential Poly-Victims and School Underachievers

“…4 below), less external support and more susceptibility to chronic stress (Beehler, Birman, & Campbell, 2012;Martin, Liem, Mok, & Xu, 2012). Considered a multidimensional phenomenon, social inequality endangers the individuals' physical and mental health (Alley et al, 2006;Chen, Cohen, & Miller, 2010;D'Angiulli, Lipina, & Olesinska, 2012;Evans & Kim, 2013), predisposing to learned helplessness (Abramson, Seligman, & Teasdale, 1978) and hopelessness (Bolland, 2003), increasing vulnerability and impeding the development of resilience (Chen, Cohen, & Miller, 2010;Werner & Smith, 1992). to effectively search, find, and keep jobs (Masten et al, 2010).…”