Reconceptualizing the deficit model of executive functioning among poor children

ERSHADI, M.; BAYLEY, S.; HERMIDA M.J.; RAWLINGS, B.; DIAMOND, A.

Baltimore

Mesa redonda; Society for Research in Child Development; 2019

SRCD (Society for Research in Child Development)

According to recent estimates, approximately 11% of the world?s population live below the poverty line, the majority of whom are children (World Bank, 2016). The impact of poverty on child development has been widely studied, but has focused on poverty?s adverse consequences including poorer health, cognitive and socio-emotional outcomes (Brooks-Gunn & Duncan, 1997). The most pronounced disparities for children of low socioeconomic status (LSES) are in language proficiency and executive functioning (EF), which include inhibition, focused attention, and working memory (Farah et al., 2006; Noble, 2017). Evidence from neuroscience and developmental psychology largely substantiate the detrimental impact of LSES on EF and thus point at a deficit model of what poor children ?can?t do.?However, several lines of evidence challenge this deficit model of EF among poor children, alternatively providing support for a strengths-based perspective. One study found that children with worse response inhibition have better task switching abilities than children who perseverate more (Blackwell et al., 2014). Additionally, researchers have found that Bolivian street children score better on measures of the Alternative Uses Task ? a common measure of creativity ? compared to their LSES counterparts (Dahlman et al., 2012). This roundtable conversation will therefore discuss research that challenges the traditional deficit model of EF among LSES children. The session will be moderated by Professor Adele Diamond and draw on international and interdisciplinary perspectives to understand the nuances of this area