Cognitive Development Q2: Discuss how social & environmental variables may affect cognitive development.

Approach Intro  Background- social and environmental variables  Social: SES- family income and education, parental nurturance  Positive environmental variables: stimulation, enrichment, nutrition  Negative environmental variables: pollution, malnutrition. stress  Thesis: Social and environmental variables may affect cognitive development. Body  Social- SES  Environmental- enrichment and nurturing Conclusion

Social Variables SES- linked to parenting & enrichment  One of the main risk factors in children’s cognitive development  Tied to poor nutrition, stressful home environment, exposure to crime, lack of access to quality education  Application: need for prenatal care and school lunch programs  National Center for Children in Poverty (2002)  1/3 rd of children from low-income communities who enter kindergarten are behind their peers  By their 4 th year, 50% are don’t meet standard reading proficiency  Moscovici (1993)- lay claim to the higher wisdom of common sense  Children who are loved and well cared for will given healthy food and opportunities  Isolating one variable (parenting, poverty) and attributing it to cognitive development lacks some degree of validity  Bhoomika (2008)- effect of malnutrition on cognitive performance in 20 Indian children (but older children showed less impairment)  Parental participation was twice as predictive of academic success as socioeconomic status  Reading at home enhances success (Tizard, 1982)

SES continued  Wertheimer (2003) Children from poor families are  less likely to be labeled as academically gifted  Less likely to participate in extra-curricular activities  more likely to repeat grades  More likely to suffer from learning disabilities  Generally less likely to attend university  Schoon (2002)- British study found increased risk of poor academic performance in poor families

Environmental Variables-enrichment and nurturing  Animal research-enrichment environments increases dendritic branching and stress interferes with normal brain development  Rosenzweig, Bennet and Diamond, 1972  Liu, 2000-prolonged maternal separation affected stress regulation and memory (hippocampus)  Farah, 2008  Aim: To investigate the relationship between environmental stimulation and parental nurturance on cognitive development  Longitudinal study of 110 AA MS children  Positive correlation between environmental stimulation and language development and between parental nurturance and memory  Abecedarian Project (Pungello, 2006)  111 infants enrolled from  Half received enrichment; other half as a control  Demonstrated beneficial effects of health care, nutrition and education

Evaluation  Strengths  Evidence  Application  Government funding of early childhood education and nutrition programs  Limitations- no clear cause and effect  Link between socio-economic status and individual development is still not fully understood  Seems to be a cumulative effect  Privileged children have more educational opportunities  access to role models and greater expectations  Poverty does not determine one’s success in life  Werner & Smith (1992)- longitudinal study of high-risk children: 1/3 rd had adjusted well to adult life