Strengths and weakness of neuroscientific investigations of childhood poverty: Future directions

The neuroscientific study of child poverty is a topic that has only recently emerged. In comparison with previous reviews (e.g., Hackman and Farah, 2009; Lipina and Colombo, 2009; Hackman et al., 2010; Raizada and Kishiyama, 2010; Lipina and Posner, 2012), our perspective synthesizes findings, and summarizes both conceptual and methodological contributions, as well as challenges that face current neuroscientific approaches to the study of childhood poverty. The aim of this effort is to identify target areas of study that could potentially help build a basic and applied research agenda for the coming years.Fil: Lipina, Sebastián Javier. Centro de Educación Médica e Investigaciones Clínicas “Norberto Quirno”; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Segretin, María Soledad. Centro de Educación Médica e Investigaciones Clínicas “Norberto Quirno”; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentin

Implications of the neuroscientific evidence on childhood poverty

Over the past two decades, research on childhood poverty has begun to provide evidence that contributes to advancing the understanding of how early adversity associated with material and social deprivation impacts brain development. When such evidence is used in other disciplinary contexts, references are typically made to early brain development as a predictor of either adaptive behaviors and economic productivity during adult life (e.g., Black el al., 2017) or of the impossibility of such achievements due to the supposed immutability of the long-term negative impacts of childhood poverty on brain development (Nilsen, 2017). These types of statements, which have not only scientific but also policy implications, need to be analyzed adequately in light of the available evidence, as they could lead to misconceptions and overgeneralizations that have the potential to affect investment criteria, as well as the design, implementation, and evaluation of actions in the field of early childhood. Consequently, in addition to the need to review the available evidence we consider it important to create opportunities for critical reflection that contribute to understanding the implications of this evidence. This chapter addresses three aspects that we consider essential for these aims: (1) a brief review of the basic concepts of human development proposed by contemporary developmental science; (2) a synthesis of the neuroscientific evidence from poverty studies; and (3) a reflection on the implications of such evidence for the continuity of the construction of knowledge in the area, as well as for the design, implementation, and evaluation of interventions or policies.Fil: Lipina, Sebastián Javier. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Parque Centenario. CEMIC-CONICET. Centro de Educaciones Médicas e Investigaciones Clínicas "Norberto Quirno". CEMIC-CONICET; ArgentinaFil: Segretin, María Soledad. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Parque Centenario. CEMIC-CONICET. Centro de Educaciones Médicas e Investigaciones Clínicas "Norberto Quirno". CEMIC-CONICET; Argentin

Recognizing the child in child poverty

In the past few decades, a particular need for a child-centered perspective has emerged, based on evidence that children are more susceptible to environmental and social risks, and that they have different needs than adults do. This article examines issues affecting children in existing measurements and presents conceptual considerations for future work toward defining and measuring child poverty. Current definitions and measures of poverty are generally circumscribed to levels of income, satisfaction of basic needs, and issues of basic human rights; in a few cases, some well-being measures include child health, nutrition, and education. These limitations likely impede the chances that researchers will be able to capture and understand the effects of other important aspects of this phenomenon. Measures need to address the diversity of issues and dimensions that current child developmental frameworks define as the most important. A broader approach to definition and measurement that includes these developmental issues would not only affect the way we understand poverty but also inform the design of future research, social programs, and policies.Fil: Lipina, Sebastián Javier. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Parque Centenario. CEMIC-CONICET. Centro de Educaciones Médicas e Investigaciones Clínicas "Norberto Quirno". CEMIC-CONICET; ArgentinaFil: Simonds, Jennifer. Westminster College; Estados UnidosFil: Segretin, María Soledad. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Parque Centenario. CEMIC-CONICET. Centro de Educaciones Médicas e Investigaciones Clínicas "Norberto Quirno". CEMIC-CONICET; Argentin

Abordajes conceptuales y metodológicos en el estudio de la autorregulación: una revisión en las ciencias del desarrollo

The present work intends to thoroughly identify theoretical and practical applications of self-regulation (SR) in contemporary developmental research, by reviewing conceptual and operational definitions of SR, in addition to the methods and instruments used to assess it in empirical studies. 468 scientific articles with cumulative evidence from the last two decades of research were included (142 reviews and 326 original research articles). Using a mixed-methods approach based on grounded theory methodology, the main theoretical and methodological aspects involved in the definition and operationalization of SR were reviewed. Results point towards a growing consensus in the conceptual definition of SR, which emphasizes the interrelation of emotional and cognitive control, goal-oriented activity, physiological and interpersonal processes. Empirical research often considers to diverse biologic, behavioral and social features in the operationalization of the concept, making use of report scales, performance tasks and, to a lesser extent, physiological and observational measurements.El presente trabajo se propone identificar y ahondar exhaustivamente en la aplicación contemporánea del concepto de la autorregulación (SR), incluyendo los métodos que se utilizan para evaluarlo en el campo de la psicología y la neurociencia cognitiva del desarrollo. Para ello, se revisaron 468 artículos científicos que acumulan evidencia de las últimas décadas de investigación en el área. Los resultados apuntan hacia un creciente consenso en las definiciones conceptuales, en torno a la interrelación multidimensional de procesos de regulación emocional, regulación cognitiva, actividad orientada a fines, esfuerzo conciente, procesos interpersonales y fisiológicos. Los abordajes operacionales presentan la consideración de diversos fenómenos de índole biológica, comportamental y social, haciendo uso de herramientas para evaluar la SR en distintos contextos del desarrollo y a lo largo del ciclo vital. Entre los instrumentos más frecuentemente utilizados se encuentran medidas de reporte, pruebas de desempeño y, en menor medida, medidas fisiológicas y observaciones estructuradas

Methodogical and conceptual consideration for the analysis of school perfomance predicitons, based on home and school context indexes

El presente trabajo propone caracterizar el desempeño escolar de poblaciones de alumnos de nivel primario y secundario por medio del análisis de determinantes sociales y el contexto escolar; e identificar predictores de tal desempeño que contribuyan al diseño de estrategias de intervención. Para realizar los análisis de regresión (identificación de predictores contextuales del desempeño), se diseñaron dos índices de riesgo a partir de variables individuales obtenidas de censos educativos nacionales (Argentina). La selección de variables se efectuó en base a la perspectiva de las necesidades de desarrollo infantil. Los modelos de regresión implementados permitieron identificar perfiles de predicción caracterizados por el aumento del desempeño en matemática y lengua en la medida en que las condiciones de vida y del contexto escolar contempladas mejoraban. La metodología de análisis aplicada permitió identificar la existencia de una situación de inequidad educativa, en la que las áreas identificadas para potenciales intervenciones sugieren contemplar: (a) universalización de acciones protectoras del desarrollo infantil; (b) mejora de la disponibilidad y la calidad de los recursos y prácticas educativas en diferentes contextos (hogar, escuela); (c) capacitación de maestros; y (d) mejora de los sistemas de comunicación entre los distintos actores de las comunidades educativa

El rol mediador de la pobreza en la asociación entre factores ambientales y el desempeño cognitivo de preescolares

La asociación entre los factores ambientales y el desempeño cognitivo durante la infancia podría estar mediada por la pertenencia a hogares pobres (i.e., hogares con necesidades básicas insatisfechas o satisfechas). Este estudio exploró tal mediación en preescolares de diferentes contextos socioeconómicos. Para tal fin, se administraron tareas que demandaron atención ejecutiva, memoria de trabajo, control inhibitorio, planificación y razonamiento fluido a 250 niños/as de 4 y 5 años. Los resultados sugirieron que la pobreza medió los efectos de la composición familiar, la salud infantil, los factores de riesgo para la salud, cantidad de niños/as y adultos en el hogar, la edad materna y las actividades de alfabetización sobre la atención ejecutiva, el razonamiento fluido y el control inhibitorio. Estos resultados contribuyen a la comprensión de la relación entre los factores ambientales y el desarrollo cognitivo a través de la identificación de la pobreza como variable mediadora.The association between environmental factors and cognitive performance during childhood could be mediated by poverty (i.e., households with Unsatisfied or Satisfied Basic Needs). This study explored such mediating roles in preschoolers from different socioeconomic backgrounds. Tasks to assess executive attention, working memory, inhibitory control, planning, and fluid reasoning were administered to 250 children aged 4 and 5 years. The results suggested that poverty mediated the effects of family composition, child health, health risk factors, children and adults at home, maternal age, and literacy activities on the performance of executive attention, fluid reasoning, and inhibitory control. These results contribute to our understanding of the relationship between environmental factors and cognitive development through the identification of the mediating role of poverty.Fil: Fracchia, Carolina Soledad. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Parque Centenario. CEMIC-CONICET. Centro de Educaciones Médicas e Investigaciones Clínicas "Norberto Quirno". CEMIC-CONICET; ArgentinaFil: Segretin, María Soledad. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Parque Centenario. CEMIC-CONICET. Centro de Educaciones Médicas e Investigaciones Clínicas "Norberto Quirno". CEMIC-CONICET; ArgentinaFil: Hermida, Maria Julia. Universidad Nacional de Hurlingham; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Prats, Lucía María. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Parque Centenario. CEMIC-CONICET. Centro de Educaciones Médicas e Investigaciones Clínicas "Norberto Quirno". CEMIC-CONICET; ArgentinaFil: Lipina, Sebastián Javier. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Parque Centenario. CEMIC-CONICET. Centro de Educaciones Médicas e Investigaciones Clínicas "Norberto Quirno". CEMIC-CONICET; Argentin

Impact of an Individualized Cognitive Training Intervention in Preschoolers from Poor Homes

Over the last few decades, different interventions were shown to be effective in changing cognitive performance in preschoolers from poor homes undertaking tasks with executive demands. However, this evidence also showed that not all children included in the intervention groups equally increased their performance levels, which could be related to individual and contextual variability. The present study aimed to explore the impact of a computerized cognitive training intervention with lab-based tasks in preschoolers from Unsatisfied Basic Needs (UBN) homes under the consideration of their baseline performance. In the context of a randomized controlled trial design, different interventions were administered to children according to their baseline performance in a variety of cognitive tasks (i.e., executive attention, inhibitory control, working memory, and planning demands). The results showed different patterns of impact on performance depending on the experimental group, supporting the importance of considering individual and contextual differences in the design of interventions aimed at optimizing executive functions in poverty-impacted sample populations in early stages of development.Fil: Giovannetti, Federico. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Parque Centenario. CEMIC-CONICET. Centro de Educaciones Médicas e Investigaciones Clínicas "Norberto Quirno". CEMIC-CONICET; ArgentinaFil: Pietto, Marcos Luis. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Parque Centenario. CEMIC-CONICET. Centro de Educaciones Médicas e Investigaciones Clínicas "Norberto Quirno". CEMIC-CONICET; ArgentinaFil: Segretin, María Soledad. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Parque Centenario. CEMIC-CONICET. Centro de Educaciones Médicas e Investigaciones Clínicas "Norberto Quirno". CEMIC-CONICET; ArgentinaFil: Lipina, Sebastián Javier. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Parque Centenario. CEMIC-CONICET. Centro de Educaciones Médicas e Investigaciones Clínicas "Norberto Quirno". CEMIC-CONICET; Argentin

Associações entre temperamento regulação do cortisol em pré-escolares de lares pobres

El presente trabajo propone analizar las asociaciones entre el temperamento y la regulación del cortisol en una muestra de 46 niños y niñas de 5 años de edad, de hogares pobres; así como el rol modulador del sexo y las condiciones socio-ambientales de los hogares, en tales asociaciones. Los resultados sugieren una mayor proporción de descenso del cortisol matutino durante la noche para las niñas con niveles más bajos de afectividad negativa, los niños con niveles más altos de esfuerzo de control, así como para las niñas y los niños de hogares con mejores condiciones socio-ambientales y con niveles más altos de esfuerzo de control. Asimismo, se identificaron asociaciones específicas entre los valores de regulación del cortisol y un conjunto de 12 ítems del cuestionario de temperamento, en su mayoría correspondientes a la dimensión afectividad negativa. Estos resultados aportan evidencia al estudio de las diferencias individuales del desarrollo autorregulatorio en la niñez, considerando diferentes niveles de organización.The present work proposes to analyze the associations between temperament and cortisol regulation in a sample of 46 boys and girls of 5years-old, from poor homes; as well as the modulating role of sex and the socio-environmental conditions of households in such associations. The results suggest a higher proportion of morning cortisol decline during the night for girls with lower levels of negative affectivity, boys with higher levels of effortful control, as well as for children from homes with better socio-environmental conditions, and with higher levels of effortful control. Likewise, specific associations were identified between cortisol regulation and a set of 12 items of the temperament questionnaire, most of them corresponding to the negative affectivity dimension. These results provide evidence for the study of self-regulatory development in childhood, considering different levels of organization.Este artigo propõe analisar as associações entre temperamento e regulação do cortisol em uma amostra de 46 meninos e meninas de 5 anos de idade de famílias pobres; bem como o papel modulador do sexo e as condições socioambientais das famílias, nessas associações. Os resultados sugerem uma proporção maior de declínio matinal do cortisol durante a noite para meninas com níveis mais baixos de afetividade negativa, meninos com níveis mais altos de esforço de controle, assim como meninas e meninos em domicílios com melhores condições socioeconómicas - ambientais e com níveis mais altos de esforço de controle. Da mesma forma, foram identificadas associações específicas entre os valores de regulação do cortisol e um conjunto de 12 itens do questionário de temperamento, correspondendo principalmente à dimensão afetiva negativa. Esses resultados evidenciam o estudo das diferenças individuais do desenvolvimento autorregulador na infância, considerando diferentes níveis de organização.Fil: Segretin, María Soledad. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Parque Centenario. CEMIC-CONICET. Centro de Educaciones Médicas e Investigaciones Clínicas "Norberto Quirno". CEMIC-CONICET; ArgentinaFil: Prats, Lucía María. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Parque Centenario. CEMIC-CONICET. Centro de Educaciones Médicas e Investigaciones Clínicas "Norberto Quirno". CEMIC-CONICET; ArgentinaFil: Lipina, Sebastián Javier. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Parque Centenario. CEMIC-CONICET. Centro de Educaciones Médicas e Investigaciones Clínicas "Norberto Quirno". CEMIC-CONICET; Argentin

Attributions on the causes of general and child poverty in Argentina

El estudio acerca de las causas de la pobreza ha sido influenciado por la teoría de la atribución, lo que permitió identificar los juicios predominantes que las personas establecen sobre tales causas. Los estudios locales sobre las atribuciones causales de la pobreza son escasos y no se ha identificado ninguno referido a las causas de la pobreza infantil, a pesar de las altas tasas de su incidencia en el país. Así, el presente estudio propone evaluar las atribuciones causales de la pobreza general e infantil por parte de adultos de Argentina, empleando dos cuestionarios (uno sobre las causas de la pobreza en general y el otro sobre la pobreza infantil en particular) implementados de manera virtual. La muestra incluyó a 1 659 participantes (17 a 90 años), quienes debieron indicar la importancia de cada ítem como causa de la pobreza en una escala tipo Likert de cinco puntos. En cuanto al cuestionario sobre las causas de la pobreza general, el análisis exploratorio permitió identificar una estructura de tres factores similar a la identificada en otros estudios: individualista, estructurales y fatalistas, la cual no fue verificada en el análisis confirmatorio. Con respecto al cuestionario sobre las causas de la pobreza infantil, se identificó y se confirmó un modelo de dos factores (que podrían estar relacionados con atribuciones estructurales y familiares) que representa una nueva evidencia en el campo. Los resultados sugieren diferencias en las atribuciones de las causas de pobreza general e infantil, cuyos posibles mecanismos (e. g., modulación por parte de factores individuales, contextuales y culturales) deberían explorarse en estudios futuros.In the last decades, different studies have addressed the perspectives of people regarding the causes of poverty, as they could play a fundamental role in the development of individual and social attitudes, beliefs and expectations towards people living in such a condition, and in the strategies implemented to solve related problems and issues. In addition, many of those studies have investigated the causes of poverty using the theoretical model proposed by Feagin (1972), which suggests three broad explanations: (1) individualistic (i. e., causal attribution is placed on the poor themselves); (2) structural (i. e., poverty is due to external social and economic factors); and (3) fatalistic (i. e., poverty is attributed to factors such as bad luck). Most of those studies have been carried out considering the causes of poverty in general, which means that there is very little research aimed at studying specifically the causes of child poverty. Given the high incidence of poverty in Argentina the knowledge about such perspectives is of interest for multiple basic and applied purposes. In this sense, the present study proposed to evaluate the attributions of the causes of poverty in general and child poverty in particular, by adults from Argentina, through two virtual questionnaires (one asking for the causes of poverty in general, and the other for the causes of child poverty). The sample included responses from 1 659 citizens of Argentina from 17 to 90 years old (M = 45.72, SD = 16.94). The questionnaires included 32 items aimed at evaluating the attribution of causes of general poverty, and 30 items related to child poverty. Participants were asked to indicate the importance of each item as a cause of poverty on a five-point Likert-type scale (1 = does not matter; 5 = extremely important). Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were implemented (separately from the general and child questionnaires) and retained items with factor loadings at .40 or above. In addition, for the general questionnaire, a second approach was implemented to analyze if the factorial structure supported by different studies in the literature was confirmed in this sample. For such a purpose, confirmatory factor analyses were implemented. Regarding the questionnaire for the causes of general poverty, the exploratory analysis allowed identifying a three-factor structure (as in the case of other studies) (RMSEA = .071; CFI = .94; TLI = .93), which was not verified in the confirmatory analysis (RMSEA = .103; CFI = .88; TLI = .86). On the other hand, the results of the second approach suggest the confirmation of the two-factor model proposed in the literature (RMSEA = .083; CFI = .96; TLI = .95). This pattern of results suggests sensitivity to the inclusion of new items. In this sense, in future studies it would be important to invest efforts in determining new items from consultations with experts and other social actors. Regarding the questionnaire for the causes of poverty in children, two-factor model was identified and confirmed (RMSEA = .074; CFI = .94; TLI = .93), which is a new piece of evidence in the field, suggesting variability in the attribution of causes of poverty according to the considered age group, and whose potential mechanisms in comparison with the studies on adult poverty should be explored in future research (e. g., individual, contextual and cultural factors). Finally, this study confirms that having valid and reliable instruments to explore the causal attributions of general and child poverty would be important to advance in the understanding of poverty as a complex and multidimensional phenomenon.Fil: Segretin, María Soledad. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Parque Centenario. CEMIC-CONICET. Centro de Educaciones Médicas e Investigaciones Clínicas "Norberto Quirno". CEMIC-CONICET; ArgentinaFil: Reyna, Cecilia. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Instituto de Investigaciones Psicológicas. - Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba. Instituto de Investigaciones Psicológicas; ArgentinaFil: Lipina, Sebastián Javier. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Parque Centenario. CEMIC-CONICET. Centro de Educaciones Médicas e Investigaciones Clínicas "Norberto Quirno". CEMIC-CONICET; Argentin

Role of Emotional Appraisal in Episodic Memory in a Sample of Argentinean Preschoolers

Emotional processing and episodic memory are closely related throughout childhood development. With respect to emotional episodic memory, available evidence shows that the consolidation of information is accompanied by an arousal that generates longer duration and persistence of the memory representations. In the case of early stages of development (i.e., first 5 years), it is less clear how these associations emerge and are modulated by individual and environmental factors. In this study, 116 4- to 5-years old Argentinean children from different socio-environmental contexts (i.e., favorable or unfavorable living conditions at home), performed a task of visual emotional memory in which they observed a set of 15 images with variable emotional valences (negative, neutral, and positive). The child’s task was to appraise each image using one of the following three possible valences: (a) drawings of faces with smiles (positive valence), (b) drawings of faces with tears and round mouth with edges down (negative valence), or (c) drawings of faces with horizontal mouth (neutral valence). Five years-old children exhibited greater accuracy appraisal. Individual differences in emotional accuracy appraisal allowed us to observe different performances in free recall of negative visual images. Accuracy appraisal did not vary between children with respect to gender, living conditions at home, or language ability. Seven to ten days after the emotional appraisal children were asked to tell the experimenter all the images they remembered (variables of interest: free recall of negative, positive, or neutral images). Results showed individual (age) differences. Specifically, 5-years-old children evoked more images than 4-years-old children. These findings contribute to the understanding of emotional memory in early developmental stages and raise the need to include emotional appraisal in the assessment of episodic memory.Fil: Ruetti, Eliana Martha. Centro de Educación Médica e Investigaciones Clínicas "Norberto Quirno"; Argentina. Universidad de Buenos Aires; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Segretin, María Soledad. Centro de Educación Médica e Investigaciones Clínicas "Norberto Quirno"; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Ramírez, Verónica Adriana. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Centro de Educación Médica e Investigaciones Clínicas "Norberto Quirno"; Argentina. Universidad de Buenos Aires; ArgentinaFil: Lipina, Sebastián Javier. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Centro de Educación Médica e Investigaciones Clínicas "Norberto Quirno"; Argentin