How Experience Interacts With Biological Development

The landscapes of lives II: How social actors navigate dynamic action landscapes

“…Much of this happens during development, when the brain along with the rest of the body actively adapt to and are informed by rearing conditions, both social and material. These processes and their consequences for later functioning and well‐being have been thoroughly explored (Kirmayer et al., 2020; Worthman et al., 2010). Most relevant to our present interest in practices, actors, and action landscapes is the substantial literature that documents effects of harshness of rearing conditions, including early adversity and trauma, on tuning social attention, emotion regulation, and social vigilance, along with the underlying systems of stress regulation and resource allocation (van der Kolk, 2014).…”

“…For example, poor sleep rooted in discrimination, impoverished living conditions, and neighborhood insecurity among American children and youth underlies disparities in cognitive and socio‐emotional development and well‐being (El‐Sheikh et al., 2022). Environments of rearing profoundly influence three core elements of resilience: affective‐cognitive repertoires; capacities for physical, cognitive, and behavioral plasticity; and social skills, sense of belonging and identity, and positionality (Worthman et al., 2010). Together, these shape the range of social homeostasis—the ground in which agency is rooted—and the embodiment of abilities to execute particular practices with more or less effort.…”