Performance on the A-not-B Task of Argentinean Infants from Unsatisfied and Satisfied Basic Needs Homes

LIPINA, SEBASTIAN J.; MARTELLI, MARÍA I.; VUELTA, BEATRIZ L.; COLOMBO, JORGE A.

REVISTA INTERAMERICANA DE PSICOLOGíA

REVISTA INTERAMERICANA DE PSICOLOGIA, INC.

Año: 2005 vol. 39 p. 49 - 60

0034-9690

Studies based on animal and human models have shown structural and functional alterations in the Central Nervous System after exposure to early enriched, or deprived, environments. Poverty, as a complex phenomenon of environmental deprivation, was repeatedly associated with deleterious consequences for early cognitive functioning. This study compares the performance of 280 Argentinean infants (six- to 14-month-old) from Unsatisfied and Satisfied Basic Needs homes on the A-not-B task, as an early executive function predictor. In this task, infants watch as an object is hidden in one of two hiding places (left-right locations), and after a delay period they are allowed to search for that object. Results showed that infants from poor homes performed fewer consecutive correct responses, and made more perseverative and non-perseverative errors than non-poor infants (p<0.05). Findings suggest that poor home environments bring about a condition that affects the management of resources involved in A-not-B task resolution.