Implications of the neuroscientific evidence on childhood poverty

Abstract

Over the past two decades, research on childhood poverty has begun to provide evidence that contributes to advancing the understanding of how early adversity associated with material and social deprivation impacts brain development. When such evidence is used in other disciplinary contexts, references are typically made to early brain development as a predictor of either adaptive behaviors and economic productivity during adult life (e.g., Black el al., 2017) or of the impossibility of such achievements due to the supposed immutability of the long-term negative impacts of childhood poverty on brain development (Nilsen, 2017). These types of statements, which have not only scientific but also policy implications, need to be analyzed adequately in light of the available evidence, as they could lead to misconceptions and overgeneralizations that have the potential to affect investment criteria, as well as the design, implementation, and evaluation of actions in the field of early childhood. Consequently, in addition to the need to review the available evidence we consider it important to create opportunities for critical reflection that contribute to understanding the implications of this evidence. This chapter addresses three aspects that we consider essential for these aims: (1) a brief review of the basic concepts of human development proposed by contemporary developmental science; (2) a synthesis of the neuroscientific evidence from poverty studies; and (3) a reflection on the implications of such evidence for the continuity of the construction of knowledge in the area, as well as for the design, implementation, and evaluation of interventions or policies.