Exploring neural correlates of behavioral and academic resilience among children in poverty

Ellwood-Lowe, Monica E; Irving, Carolyn; Bunge, Silvia A.

doi:10.1016/j.dcn.2022.101090

Cited by 6 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 81 publications

(109 reference statements)

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“…Importantly, though, such stress‐adapted skills are only brought forth in environmental contexts and conditions involving a lack of predictability, which contrast with highly controlled laboratory environments (Frankenhuis et al, 2016). This is consistent with recent findings that lab‐based measures of executive function are more strongly related to real‐world academic performance measures for children from higher SES backgrounds, yet these relationships are weaker for children of lower SES backgrounds (Ellwood‐Lowe, Irving, & Bunge, 2022). Thus, the decontextualized nature of these tasks may help to explain the presence of observed SES disparities, highlighting the importance of using context‐rich measures for maximum predictive validity and suggesting a deeper consideration of measures selection during experimental design (Doebel, 2020).…”

Section: Toward Adaptive Models Of Experience‐driven Neurocognitive D...supporting

confidence: 91%

Socioeconomic Status and Reading Development: Moving from “Deficit” to “Adaptation” in Neurobiological Models of Experience‐Dependent Learning

Taylor

Abdurokhmonova

Romeo

2023

Mind Brain and Education

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Childhood socioeconomic status (SES) is one of the strongest predictors of student reading outcomes, and these disparities have persisted for decades. Relatedly, two underlying skills that are required for successful reading—oral language and executive function (EF)—are also the two neurocognitive domains most affected by SES. In this review, we summarize current knowledge on how SES influences the neurobiology of language, EF, and their intersection, including the proximal factors that drive these relationships. We then consider the burgeoning evidence that SES systematically moderates certain brain–behavior relationships for language and EF, underscoring the importance of considering context in investigations of the neurobiological underpinnings of reading development. Finally, we discuss how disparities in reading may be conceptualized as neurobiological adaptations to adversity rather than deficit models. We conclude that by harnessing children's stress‐adapted relative strengths to support reading development, we may address opportunity gaps both ethically and efficaciously.

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Section: Toward Adaptive Models Of Experience‐driven Neurocognitive D...supporting

confidence: 91%

Socioeconomic Status and Reading Development: Moving from “Deficit” to “Adaptation” in Neurobiological Models of Experience‐Dependent Learning

Taylor

Abdurokhmonova

Romeo

2023

Mind Brain and Education

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“…Another, not mutually exclusive, possibility is that SES differences in brain development are evidence of children acquiring the same ultimate skills but in different, contextually-dependent ways. Interestingly, accumulating evidence supports the possibility that children might rely on different neurocognitive mechanisms to solve the same executive functioning tasks ( Ellwood-Lowe et al, 2021 , Ellwood-Lowe et al, 2022 , Finn et al, 2017 , Leonard et al, 2022 , Merz et al, 2019 , Sheridan et al, 2012 ). For example, one study found that children whose families had lower incomes activated an area of the prefrontal cortex more than their peers from higher-income families when performing a working memory task, and that activation of this region was positively linked to performance for children from lower-SES-backgrounds, but negatively linked to performance for children from higher-SES backgrounds ( Sheridan et al, 2012 ).…”

Section: Shifting the Narrative: The Value Of A Strength-based Approa...mentioning

confidence: 99%

The promise and pitfalls of a strength-based approach to child poverty and neurocognitive development: Implications for policy

DeJoseph,

Ellwood-Lowe,

Miller-Cotto

et al. 2024

Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience

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“…Another, not mutually exclusive, possibility is that SES differences in brain development are evidence of children acquiring the same ultimate skills but in different, contextuallydependent ways. Interestingly, accumulating evidence supports the possibility that children might rely on different neurocognitive mechanisms to solve the same executive functioning tasks (Ellwood-Lowe et al, 2021;Ellwood-Lowe, Irving, et al, 2022;Finn et al, 2017;Leonard et al, 2022;Merz et al, 2019;Sheridan et al, 2012). For example, one study found that children whose families had lower incomes activated an area of the prefrontal cortex more than their peers from higher-income families when performing a working memory task, and that activation of this region was positively linked to performance for children from lower-SES-backgrounds, but negatively linked to performance for children from higher-SES backgrounds (Sheridan et al, 2012).…”

Section: Tenet 2: Observed Neurocognitive Differences For Children Gr...mentioning

confidence: 99%

The promise and pitfalls of a strength-based approach to child poverty and neurocognitive development: Implications for policy

DeJoseph,

Ellwood-Lowe,

Silverman

et al. 2023

Preprint

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There has been significant progress in understanding the effects of childhood poverty on neurocognitive development. This progress has captured the attention of policymakers and promoted progressive policy reform. However, the prevailing emphasis on the harms associated with childhood poverty may have inadvertently perpetuated a deficit-based narrative, focused on the presumed shortcomings of children and families in poverty. This focus can have unintended consequences for policy (e.g., overlooking strengths) as well as public discourse (e.g., focusing on individual rather than systemic factors). Here, we join scientists across disciplines in arguing for a more well-rounded, “strength-based” approach, which incorporates the positive and/or adaptive developmental responses to experiences of social disadvantage. Specifically, we first show the value of this approach in understanding normative brain development across diverse human environments. We then highlight its application to policy, explore pitfalls and ethical considerations, and offer practical solutions to conducting strength-based research responsibly. Our paper offers a unique perspective from a new generation of early-career researchers engaged in the strength-based paradigm shift, several of whom themselves have grown up in conditions of poverty. Ultimately, we argue that a balanced strength-based scientific approach will be essential to building more effective policies.

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Exploring neural correlates of behavioral and academic resilience among children in poverty

Cited by 6 publications

References 81 publications

Socioeconomic Status and Reading Development: Moving from “Deficit” to “Adaptation” in Neurobiological Models of Experience‐Dependent Learning

Socioeconomic Status and Reading Development: Moving from “Deficit” to “Adaptation” in Neurobiological Models of Experience‐Dependent Learning

The promise and pitfalls of a strength-based approach to child poverty and neurocognitive development: Implications for policy

The promise and pitfalls of a strength-based approach to child poverty and neurocognitive development: Implications for policy

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