An Ecological Approach to Understanding the Developing Brain: Examples Linking Poverty, Parenting, Neighborhoods, and the Brain

Overview

Journal Am Psychol

Publisher American Psychological Association

Specialty Psychology

Date 2020 Dec 31

PMID 33382290

Citations 37

Authors

Luke W Hyde

Arianna M Gard

Rachel C Tomlinson

S Alexandra Burt

Colter Mitchell

Christopher S Monk

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

We describe an ecological approach to understanding the developing brain, with a focus on the effects of poverty-related adversity on brain function. We articulate how combining multilevel ecological models from developmental science and developmental psychopathology with human neuroscience can inform our approach to understanding the developmental neuroscience of risk and resilience. To illustrate this approach, we focus on associations between poverty and brain function, the roles parents and neighborhoods play in this context, and the potential impact of developmental timing. We also describe the major challenges and needed advances in these areas of research to better understand how and why poverty-related adversity may impact the developing brain, including the need for: a population neuroscience approach with greater attention to sampling and representation, genetically informed and causal designs, advances in assessing context and brain function, caution in interpretation of effects, and a focus on resilience. Work in this area has major implications for policy and prevention, which are discussed. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).

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