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Vannucci A, Fields A, Bloom PA, Camacho NL, Choy T, Durazi A, Hadis S, Harmon C, Heleniak C, VanTieghem M, Dozier M, Milham MP, Ghetti S, Tottenham N. Probing the content of affective semantic memory following caregiving-related early adversity. Dev Sci 2024; 27:e13518. [PMID: 38664866 DOI: 10.1111/desc.13518] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2023] [Revised: 03/18/2024] [Accepted: 04/02/2024] [Indexed: 10/19/2024]
Abstract
Cognitive science has demonstrated that we construct knowledge about the world by abstracting patterns from routinely encountered experiences and storing them as semantic memories. This preregistered study tested the hypothesis that caregiving-related early adversities (crEAs) shape affective semantic memories to reflect the content of those adverse interpersonal-affective experiences. We also tested the hypothesis that because affective semantic memories may continue to evolve in response to later-occurring positive experiences, child-perceived attachment security will inform their content. The sample comprised 160 children (ages 6-12 at Visit 1; 87F/73 M), 66% of whom experienced crEAs (n = 105). At Visit 1, crEA exposure prior to study enrollment was operationalized as parental-reports endorsing a history of crEAs (abuse/neglect, permanent/significant parent-child separation); while child-reports assessed concurrent attachment security. A false memory task was administered online ∼2.5 years later (Visit 2) to probe the content of affective semantic memories-specifically attachment schemas. Results showed that crEA exposure (vs. no exposure) was associated with a higher likelihood of falsely endorsing insecure (vs. secure) schema scenes. Attachment security moderated the association between crEA exposure and insecure schema-based false recognition. Findings suggest that interpersonal-affective semantic schemas include representations of parent-child interactions that may capture the quality of one's own attachment experiences and that these representations shape how children remember attachment-relevant narrative events. Findings are also consistent with the hypothesis that these affective semantic memories can be modified by later experiences. Moving forward, the approach taken in this study provides a means of operationalizing Bowlby's notion of internal working models within a cognitive neuroscience framework. RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS: Affective semantic memories representing insecure schema knowledge (child needs + needs-not-met) may be more salient, elaborated, and persistent among youths exposed to early caregiving adversity. All youths, irrespective of early caregiving adversity exposure, may possess affective semantic memories that represent knowledge of secure schemas (child needs + needs-met). Establishing secure relationships with parents following early-occurring caregiving adversity may attenuate the expression of insecure semantic memories, suggesting potential malleability. Affective semantic memories include schema representations of parent-child interactions that may capture the quality of one's own attachment experiences and shape how youths remember attachment-relevant events.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna Vannucci
- Department of Psychology, Columbia University, New York, New York, USA
| | - Andrea Fields
- Department of Psychology, Columbia University, New York, New York, USA
| | - Paul A Bloom
- Department of Psychology, Columbia University, New York, New York, USA
| | - Nicolas L Camacho
- Department of Psychology, Columbia University, New York, New York, USA
| | - Tricia Choy
- Department of Psychology, Columbia University, New York, New York, USA
| | - Amaesha Durazi
- Department of Psychology, Columbia University, New York, New York, USA
| | - Syntia Hadis
- Department of Psychology, Columbia University, New York, New York, USA
| | - Chelsea Harmon
- Department of Psychology, Columbia University, New York, New York, USA
| | | | | | - Mary Dozier
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware, USA
| | | | - Simona Ghetti
- Department of Psychology, University of California at Davis and Center for Mind and Brain, Davis, California, USA
| | - Nim Tottenham
- Department of Psychology, Columbia University, New York, New York, USA
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DeJoseph ML, Ellwood-Lowe ME, Miller-Cotto D, Silverman D, Shannon KA, Reyes G, Rakesh D, Frankenhuis WE. The promise and pitfalls of a strength-based approach to child poverty and neurocognitive development: Implications for policy. Dev Cogn Neurosci 2024; 66:101375. [PMID: 38608359 PMCID: PMC11019102 DOI: 10.1016/j.dcn.2024.101375] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2023] [Revised: 03/27/2024] [Accepted: 04/04/2024] [Indexed: 04/14/2024] Open
Abstract
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 educational and social policy, explore pitfalls and ethical considerations, and offer practical solutions to conducting strength-based research responsibly. Our paper re-ignites old and recent calls for a strength-based paradigm shift, with a focus on its application to developmental cognitive neuroscience. We also offer a unique perspective from a new generation of early-career researchers engaged in this work, 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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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - David Silverman
- Department of Psychology, Northwestern University, United States
| | | | - Gabriel Reyes
- Graduate School of Education, Stanford University, United States
| | - Divyangana Rakesh
- Neuroimaging Department, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London, UK
| | - Willem E Frankenhuis
- Evolutionary and Population Biology, Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics, University of Amsterdam, the Netherlands; Max Planck Institute for the Study of Crime, Security, and Law, Germany
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Rifkin-Graboi A, Tsotsi S, Syazwana N, Stephenson MC, Sim LW, Lee K. Variation in maternal sensitivity and the development of memory biases in preschoolers. Front Behav Neurosci 2023; 17:1093619. [PMID: 36873774 PMCID: PMC9978004 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2023.1093619] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2022] [Accepted: 01/11/2023] [Indexed: 02/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction Links between maternal sensitivity, hippocampal development, and memory abilities suggests early life insensitive care may shape structures and schemas influencing future decisions and stress management, biasing children to negative information. While it is possible that this pattern of neurodevelopment may have adaptive consequences, for example, preventing children from encountering untoward experience with future adversity, it may also leave some children at risk for the development of internalizing problems. Methods Here, in a Two Wave Study, we examine whether insensitive care predicts sub sequentially assessed memory biases for threatening (but not happy) stimuli in preschoolers (n = 49), and if such relations cut across different forms of relational memory, i.e., memory for relations between two "items," between an "item" and its spatial location, and an "item" and its temporal sequence. In a subset (n = 18) we also examine links between caregiving, memory, and hippocampal subregion volume. Results Results indicate no main or interactive influence of gender on relational memory. However, insensitive caregiving predicted the difference between Angry and Happy memory during the Item-Space condition (B = 2.451, se = 0.969, p = 0.014, 95% CI (0.572, 4.340)], as well as memory for Angry (but not Happy) items [B = -2.203, se = 0.551, p < 0.001, 95% CI (-3.264,-1.094)]. Memory for the difference between Angry and Happy stimuli in the Space condition associated with larger right hippocampal body volumes (Rho = 0.639, p = 0.004). No relations were observed with internalizing problems. Discussion Results are discussed with reference to developmental stage and in consideration of whether negative biases may serve as an intermediate factor linking early life insensitive care and later socioemotional problems including an increased incidence of internalizing disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anne Rifkin-Graboi
- Office of Educational Research, Centre for Research in Child Development, National Institute of Education, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Stella Tsotsi
- PROMENTA Research Centre, Department of Psychology, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - Nadhrah Syazwana
- Office of Educational Research, Centre for Research in Child Development, National Institute of Education, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Mary C Stephenson
- Centre for Translational MR Research, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Lit Wee Sim
- Office of Educational Research, Centre for Research in Child Development, National Institute of Education, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Kerry Lee
- Centre for Educational and Developmental Sciences, Department of Early Childhood Education, Faculty of Education and Human Development, Education University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
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Frankenhuis WE, Amir D. What is the expected human childhood? Insights from evolutionary anthropology. Dev Psychopathol 2022; 34:473-497. [PMID: 34924077 DOI: 10.1017/s0954579421001401] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Abstract
In psychological research, there are often assumptions about the conditions that children expect to encounter during their development. These assumptions shape prevailing ideas about the experiences that children are capable of adjusting to, and whether their responses are viewed as impairments or adaptations. Specifically, the expected childhood is often depicted as nurturing and safe, and characterized by high levels of caregiver investment. Here, we synthesize evidence from history, anthropology, and primatology to challenge this view. We integrate the findings of systematic reviews, meta-analyses, and cross-cultural investigations on three forms of threat (infanticide, violent conflict, and predation) and three forms of deprivation (social, cognitive, and nutritional) that children have faced throughout human evolution. Our results show that mean levels of threat and deprivation were higher than is typical in industrialized societies, and that our species has experienced much variation in the levels of these adversities across space and time. These conditions likely favored a high degree of phenotypic plasticity, or the ability to tailor development to different conditions. This body of evidence has implications for recognizing developmental adaptations to adversity, for cultural variation in responses to adverse experiences, and for definitions of adversity and deprivation as deviation from the expected human childhood.
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Affiliation(s)
- Willem E Frankenhuis
- Department of Psychology, Utrecht University, Utrecht, the Netherlands
- Max Planck Institute for the Study of Crime, Security and Law, Germany
| | - Dorsa Amir
- Department of Psychology, Boston College, Chestnut Hill, USA
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Berkeley, USA
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Young ES, Frankenhuis WE, DelPriore DJ, Ellis BJ. Hidden talents in context: Cognitive performance with abstract versus ecological stimuli among adversity-exposed youth. Child Dev 2022; 93:1493-1510. [PMID: 35404500 PMCID: PMC9543758 DOI: 10.1111/cdev.13766] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Adversity-exposed youth tend to score lower on cognitive tests. However, the hidden talents approach proposes some abilities are enhanced by adversity, especially under ecologically relevant conditions. Two versions of an attention-shifting and working memory updating task-one abstract, one ecological-were administered to 618 youth (Mage = 13.62, SDage = 0.81; 48.22% female; 64.56% White). Measures of environmental unpredictability, violence, and poverty were collected to test adversity × task version interactions. There were no interactions for attention shifting. For working memory updating, youth exposed to violence and poverty scored lower than their peers with abstract stimuli but almost just as well with ecological stimuli. These results are striking compared to contemporary developmental science, which often reports lowered performance among adversity-exposed youth.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ethan S Young
- Department of Psychology, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands.,Behavioural Science Institute, Radboud University, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Willem E Frankenhuis
- Department of Psychology, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands.,Behavioural Science Institute, Radboud University, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.,Max Planck Institute for the Study of Crime, Security and Law, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Danielle J DelPriore
- Division of Education, Human Development, and Social Sciences, Pennsylvania State University-Altoona, Altoona, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Bruce J Ellis
- Departments of Psychology and Anthropology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA
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Kalia V, Knauft K, Hayatbini N. Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) associated with reduced cognitive flexibility in both college and community samples. PLoS One 2021; 16:e0260822. [PMID: 34855895 PMCID: PMC8638954 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0260822] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/22/2021] [Accepted: 11/17/2021] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
The prefrontal cortex is sensitive to stress experiences and significantly impacted by early life adversity. Cognitive flexibility is an executive function that is associated with positive outcomes in adulthood and implicated in activity in the prefrontal cortex. The relationship between early life adversity and cognitive flexibility is underreported. Using the cumulative risk model, we conducted two studies to examine the association between early life adversity and cognitive flexibility in college students and adults (cumulative N = 510). Exposure to early life adversity was assessed using the adverse childhood experiences scale (ACEs). Cognitive flexibility was assessed using the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST). Additionally, as perceived chronic stress is associated with impaired prefrontal cortex function, we measured that as well. Higher number of ACEs was correlated with lower number of completed categories on the WCST in both college students and adults. Perceived chronic stress was not associated with cognitive flexibility, but did correlate positively with ACEs. Individuals with a higher number of ACEs were also more likely to report higher levels of perceived chronic stress. Hierarchical regression analyses indicated that exposure to adverse childhood experiences predicted lower scores on completed categories. Our findings provide further evidence that individuals with early life adversity exhibit reduced cognitive flexibility in adulthood.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vrinda Kalia
- Psychology Department, Miami University, Oxford, Ohio, United States of America
| | - Katherine Knauft
- Psychology Department, Miami University, Oxford, Ohio, United States of America
| | - Niki Hayatbini
- Psychology Department, Miami University, Oxford, Ohio, United States of America
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