Influence of family socioeconomic status on IQ, language, memory and executive functions of Brazilian children

Abstract

The aim of this study was to assess the effect of family socioeconomic status (SES) and parental education on non-verbal IQ and on the processing of oral and written language, working memory, verbal memory and executive functions in children from different age ranges. A total of 419 Brazilian children aged 6-12 years old, attending public and private schools from Porto Alegre, RS participated in the study. Structural equation analyzes revealed that in the general model (for all ages), the SES contributed to cognitive performance -IQ, verbal memory, working memory, oral and written language and executive functions (28, 19, 36, 28 and 25 %, respectively). SES had stronger effects on younger children (up to nine years old), in most cognitive tasks examined. Probably, after this age, a combination of factors such as schooling, living in other social environments, among others, may mitigate the effects of family socioeconomic status.

Associations of physical activity and gross motor skills with executive function in preschool children from low‐income South African settings

“…Although the well‐established socio‐economic gradient of executive functions (e.g. Hackman, Gallop, Evans, & Farah, ; Obradović, Portilla, & Ballard, ; Ursache & Noble, ) has also been found low and middle income countries (Brazil: Fernald, Weber, Galasso, & Ratsifandrihamanana, ; Madagascar: Piccolo, Arteche, Fonseca, Grassi‐Oliveira, & Salles, ), other evidence suggests that the influence of promotive‐ and risk‐factors may differ based on unique social‐cultural backgrounds (Gonen et al, ).…”

Socioeconomic diversities and infant development at 6 to 9 months in a poverty area of São Paulo, Brazil

“…[9][10][11] Parental education and occupation, family income, nutritional status and housing conditions, among other factors, may limit the provision of material and social resources for children, which in turn impacts their overall development. [12][13][14][15][16][17][18] As such, the influence of income on material resources that can provide intellectually stimulating activities such as toys and books may contribute to child development. 19 When family dysfunction occurs during sensitive stages of child development, the effects are even more pronounced.…”

Brazilian Primary and Secondary School Pupils´ Perception of Science and Scientists

“…It is mainly due to advances in science and technology and application of new knowledge to society towards sustainable development and the welfare of the common citizen (Meis and Leta, 1997). However, there is some concern related to worn off of natural resources, environmental pollution, child poverty and cognitive development and the negative results of science and the lack of role models of scientists to be followed by pupils (Piccolo et al, 2016). A better understanding of science education aims in primary and secondary schools may contribute to reduce the human technology conflict faced by pupils (Meis, 2002;Sjoberg, 2000Sjoberg, , 2002.…”