Caregiving adversity during infancy and preschool cognitive function: adaptations to context?

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-12
Author(s):  
Anne Rifkin-Graboi ◽  
Shaun Kok-Yew Goh ◽  
Hui Jun Chong ◽  
Stella Tsotsi ◽  
Lit Wee Sim ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Performance ◽  
Inhibitory Control ◽  
Cognitive Flexibility ◽  
Early Life ◽  
Memory Performance ◽  
Maternal Sensitivity ◽  
Wald Test ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Pedagogical Strategies ◽  
Framework Approach

Abstract From a conditional adaptation vantage point, early life caregiving adversity likely enhances aspects of cognition needed to manage interpersonal threats. Yet, research examining early life care and offspring cognition predominantly relies upon experiments including affectively neutral stimuli, with findings generally interpreted as “early-life caregiving adversity is, de facto, ‘bad’ for cognitive performance.” Here, in a Southeast Asian sample, we examined observed maternal sensitivity in infancy and cognitive performance 3 years later as preschoolers took part in three tasks, each involving both a socioemotional (SE) and non-socioemotional (NSE) version: relational memory (n = 236), cognitive flexibility (n = 203), and inhibitory control (n = 255). Results indicate the relation between early life caregiving adversity and memory performance significantly differs (Wald test = 7.67, (1), P = 0.006) depending on the SE versus NSE context, with maternal sensitivity in infancy highly predictive of worse memory for SE stimuli, and amongst girls, also predictive of better memory when NSE stimuli are used. Results concerning inhibitory control, as well as cognitive flexibility in girls, also tentatively suggest the importance of considering the SE nature of stimuli when assessing relations between the caregiving environment and cognitive performance. As not all approaches to missing data yielded similar results, implications for statistical approaches are elaborated. We conclude by considering how an adaptation-to-context framework approach may aid in designing pedagogical strategies and well-being interventions that harness pre-existing cognitive strengths.

Early Adversity, Symptoms of Depression and Breastfeeding

2017 ◽  
Vol 41 (S1) ◽  
pp. S30-S30
Author(s):  
W. Jonas ◽  
A. Fleming ◽  
M. Steiner ◽  
M.J. Meaney ◽  
L. Atkinson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Early Life ◽  
Maternal Sensitivity ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Breastfeeding Duration ◽  
Gene Marker ◽  
Early Adversity ◽  
Social Emotional Development ◽  
Early Life Adversity ◽  
Competing Interest ◽  
Duration Of Breastfeeding

BackroundThere is considerable variation in the prevalence of breastfeeding, which allows for investigation of factors that influence the initiation and duration of breastfeeding and its association with well being of the mother infant dyad.AimsTo better understand factors that influence (1) maternal breastfeeding status and (2) the “effects” of breastfeeding on mothers and infants.MethodsParticipants (n = 170) derive from a longitudinal Canadian study “Maternal Adversity, Vulnerability and Neurodevelopment (MAVAN)”, a project designed to understand the pre- and postnatal influences on maternal health and child social-emotional development. Mothers provided data on breastfeeding status, early life adversity, oxytocin gene and oxytocin gene receptor polymorphisms, depression/anxiety, infant temperament and maternal sensitivity.ResultsEarly life adversity associated with a shorter breastfeeding duration and higher maternal depression levels. The relation between mothers’ early adversity and the duration of breastfeeding was mediated by mothers’ depression level, but only in women carrying one variant of the oxytocin rs2740210 gene marker (CC genotype). Mothers who breastfeed at 3 months acted more sensitively towards their infants when they were 6 months old and they in turn had infants who at 18 months showed reduced negative affectivity.ConclusionWomen who have been exposed to early adversity are “living with the past” and they are, to certain extent, protected or more vulnerable to depression, depending on their genotype. Breastfeeding associated with higher maternal sensitivity, which associated with decreased negative emotionality in the infant at 18 months. Our results help to clarify associations between early life experiences, breastfeeding, and the mother-infant relationship.Disclosure of interestThe authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.

scholarly journals Exploring the role of early-life circumstances, abilities and achievements on well-being at age 50 years: evidence from the 1958 British birth cohort study

BMJ Open ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. e031416 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brian Dodgeon ◽  
Praveetha Patalay ◽  
George B Ploubidis ◽  
Richard D Wiggins
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Social Class ◽  
Cognitive Performance ◽  
Early Life ◽  
Educational Achievement ◽  
Early Adulthood ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Vocational Qualifications ◽  
Positive Effect

ObjectivesWe aim to examine the relative contributions of pathways from middle childhood/adolescence to mid-life well-being, health and cognition, in the context of family socio-economic status (SES) at birth, educational achievement and early-adulthood SES. Our approach is largely exploratory, suspecting that the strongest mediators between childhood circumstances and mid-life physical and emotional well-being may be cognitive performance during school years, material and behavioural difficulties, and educational achievement. We also explore whether the effects of childhood circumstances on mid-life physical and emotional well-being differ between men and women.Setting/participantsData were from the National Child Development Study, a fully-representative British birth cohort sample of 17 415 people born in 1 week in 1958.Primary/secondary outcome measuresOur four primary mid-life outcome measures are: cognitive performance, physical and emotional well-being and quality of life. Our intermediate adult outcomes are early-adulthood social class and educational/vocational qualifications.ResultsUsing structural equation modelling, we explore numerous pathways through childhood and early adulthood which are significantly linked to our outcomes. We specifically examine the mediating effects of the following: cognitive ability at ages 7, 11 and 16 years; childhood psychological issues; family material difficulties at age 7 years: housing, unemployment, finance; educational/vocational qualifications and social class position at age 42 years.We find that social class at birth has a strong indirect effect on the age 50 outcomes via its influence on cognitive performance in childhood and adolescence, educational attainment and mid-life social class position, together with small direct effects on qualifications and social class position at age 42 years. Teenage cognitive performance has a strong positive effect on later physical health for women, while educational/vocational qualifications have a stronger positive effect on emotional well-being for men.ConclusionOur findings provide an understanding of the legacy of early life on multiple aspects of mid-life health, well-being, cognition and quality of life, showing stronger mediated links for men from childhood social class position to early adult social class position. The observed effect of qualifications supports those arguing that education is positively associated with subsequent cognitive functioning.

Testing whether implicit emotion regulation mediates the association between discrimination and symptoms of psychopathology in late childhood: An RDoC perspective

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-14
Author(s):  
T.G. Vargas ◽  
V.A. Mittal
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Emotion Regulation ◽  
Depressive Symptoms ◽  
Inhibitory Control ◽  
Memory Performance ◽  
Neurocognitive Functions ◽  
Units Of Analysis ◽  
Race Ethnicity ◽  
Implicit Emotion Regulation ◽  
Multiple Units

Abstract Discrimination has been associated with adverse mental health outcomes, though it is unclear how early in life this association becomes apparent. Implicit emotion regulation, developing during childhood, is a foundational skill tied to a range of outcomes. Implicit emotion regulation has yet to be tested as an associated process for mental illness symptoms that can often emerge during this sensitive developmental period. Youth aged 9–11 were recruited for the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) study. Associations between psychotic-like experiences, depressive symptoms, and total discrimination (due to race, ethnicity, nationality, weight, or sexual minority status) were tested, as well as associations with implicit emotion regulation measures (emotional updating working memory and inhibitory control). Analyses examined whether associations with symptoms were mediated by implicit emotion regulation. Discrimination related to decreased implicit emotion regulation performance, and increased endorsement of depressive symptoms and psychotic-like experiences. Emotional updating working memory performance partially mediated the association between discrimination and psychotic-like experiences, while emotional inhibitory control did not. Discrimination and implicit emotion regulation could serve as putative transdiagnostic markers of vulnerability. Results support the utility of using multiple units of analysis to improve understanding of complex emerging neurocognitive functions and developmentally sensitive periods.

scholarly journals Effects of Sport-Based Interventions on Children’s Executive Function: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (6) ◽  
pp. 755
Author(s):  
Falonn Contreras-Osorio ◽  
Christian Campos-Jara ◽  
Cristian Martínez-Salazar ◽  
Luis Chirosa-Ríos ◽  
Darío Martínez-García
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Working Memory ◽  
Executive Function ◽  
Inhibitory Control ◽  
Cognitive Flexibility ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Scientific Evidence ◽  
Healthy Children ◽  
Meta Analyses ◽  
The Impact

One of the most studied aspects of children’s cognitive development is that of the development of the executive function, and research has shown that physical activity has been demonstrated as a key factor in its enhancement. This meta-analysis aims to assess the impact of specific sports interventions on the executive function of children and teenagers. A systematic review was carried out on 1 November 2020 to search for published scientific evidence that analysed different sports programs that possibly affected executive function in students. Longitudinal studies, which assessed the effects of sports interventions on subjects between 6 and 18 years old, were identified through a systematic search of the four principal electronic databases: Web of Science, PubMed, Scopus, and EBSCO. A total of eight studies, with 424 subjects overall, met the inclusion criteria and were classified based on one or more of the following categories: working memory, inhibitory control, and cognitive flexibility. The random-effects model for meta-analyses was performed with RevMan version 5.3 to facilitate the analysis of the studies. Large effect sizes were found in all categories: working memory (ES −1.25; 95% CI −1.70; −0.79; p < 0.0001); inhibitory control (ES −1.30; 95% CI −1.98; −0.63; p < 0.00001); and cognitive flexibility (ES −1.52; 95% CI −2.20; −0.83; p < 0.00001). Our analysis concluded that healthy children and teenagers should be encouraged to practice sports in order to improve their executive function at every stage of their development.

scholarly journals Are you Watching Me? Interacting Effects of Fear of Negative Evaluation and Social Context on Cognitive Performance

2017 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 303-319 ◽  
Author(s):  
Erin L. Maresh ◽  
Bethany A. Teachman ◽  
James A. Coan
Keyword(s):  
Social Context ◽  
Social Anxiety ◽  
Cognitive Performance ◽  
Task Difficulty ◽  
Memory Performance ◽  
Reaction Times ◽  
Negative Evaluation ◽  
Fear Of Negative Evaluation ◽  
Socially Anxious ◽  
Improved Accuracy

Socially anxious individuals exhibit cognitive performance impairments; it is unclear whether this is due to trait differences in abilities or effects of the experimental context. This study sought to determine how social context, individual differences in fear of negative evaluation (FNE), and task difficulty interact to influence working memory performance as indicated by effectiveness (accuracy) and efficiency (reaction times). Participants (N = 61) performed the n-back task at 2-back and 3-back difficulty levels under three conditions: alone (“Anonymous”), in presence of a non-evaluative experimenter (“Presence”), and under explicit performance evaluation by the experimenter (“Threat”). Overall, participants showed improved accuracy during Threat, but only on 2-back trials. FNE was positively associated with longer reaction times during Threat on 3-back trials. FNE did not relate to accuracy, suggesting that threat-related impairments tied to social anxiety may alter efficiency rather than effectiveness. Thus, social anxiety may elicit cognitive performance impairments even in minimally evaluative environments.

scholarly journals Cognitive Ergonomics of Assembly Work from a Job Demands–Resources Perspective: Three Qualitative Case Studies

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (23) ◽  
pp. 12282
Author(s):  
Matilda Wollter Wollter Bergman ◽  
Cecilia Berlin ◽  
Maral Babapour Babapour Chafi ◽  
Ann-Christine Falck ◽  
Roland Örtengren
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Performance ◽  
Job Demands ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Work Conditions ◽  
Structured Interview ◽  
Empirical Literature ◽  
Manufacturing Companies ◽  
Assembly Work ◽  
Physical Loading ◽  
Holistic Understanding

In manufacturing companies, cognitive processing is required from assembly workers to perform correct and timely assembly of complex products, often with varied specifications and high quality demands. This paper explores assembly operators’ perceptions of cognitive/mental workload to provide a holistic understanding of the work conditions that affect cognitive demands and performance. While the physical loading aspects of assembly work are well known, most empirical literature dealing with cognitive/mental loading in manufacturing tends to examine a few particular aspects, rather than address the issue with a holistic system view. This semi-structured interview study, involving 50 industrial assembly operators from three Swedish companies, explores how assemblers perceive that their cognitive performance and well-being is influenced by a wide variety of factors within the context of mechanical product assembly. The interview transcripts were analysed using a priori coding, followed by bottom-up Thematic Analysis. The results indicate that a variety of systemic effects on assemblers’ cognitive performance can be classified as job demands or resources. Quite often, the absence of a resource mirrors a related demand, and “good assembly conditions”, as described by the interviewees, often re-frame demands as desirable challenges that foster motivation and positive feelings towards the work. The identified demands and resources stem from task design, timing, physical loading, intrinsic and extrinsic motivators, social teamwork and the product’s “interface” design. Despite organisational differences and conditions between the three companies that took part in the study, the results are largely consistent.

The Power of Perception: Beliefs About Memory Ability Uniquely Contribute to Memory Performance and Quality of Life in Adults Aging with Traumatic Brain Injury

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Umesh M. Venkatesan ◽  
Amanda Rabinowitz ◽  
Frank Hillary
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Older Adults ◽  
Traumatic Brain Injury ◽  
Psychological Distress ◽  
Brain Injury ◽  
Cognitive Performance ◽  
Memory Performance ◽  
Self Perceptions ◽  
Health Related

Objective. Personal beliefs about memory ability, which comprise memory self-efficacy (MSE), can influence memory performance in healthy older adults. Self-efficacy theory also predicts that MSE biases self-perceptions of functioning more globally, potentially impacting daily activity beyond cognitive performance. People with traumatic brain injury (PwTBI) frequently report debilitating memory problems long after acute recovery, but little is known about how MSE affects health outcomes in this population. We examined demographic and clinical correlates of MSE, as well as its relationship to memory test performance and health-related quality of life (QOL), in older adults with chronic moderate-to-severe TBI (msTBI). Method. One hundred fourteen adults, aged 50+ and at least one year post-msTBI, underwent neuropsychological testing to assess their memory functioning. Participants also self-reported levels of psychological distress, MSE (Cognitive Confidence subscale of the Metacognitions Questionnaire), and health-related QOL (Quality of Life after Brain Injury questionnaire). Results. Demographic and injury-related predictors showed weak correlations with MSE. Although the relationship between MSE and general psychological distress was robust, only the former significantly predicted memory performance. Bivariate analyses revealed significant relationships between MSE and five out of the six QOL domains assessed. Multivariate linear regression revealed a significant impact of MSE on overall QOL independent of demographic and clinical variables. Conclusions. Our findings support a unique role for MSE in both objective cognitive performance and subjective health of PwTBI. Increased focus on self-perceptions of ability and their impact on measured outcomes is an important step towards personalized rehabilitation for adults with chronic msTBI.

Tubular Daylighting Devices and People: A comparison of the human responses to Tubular Daylighting Devices and fluorescent lighting

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
James Sullivan
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Performance ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Performance Change ◽  
Performance Effects ◽  
Before And After ◽  
And Performance ◽  
The University ◽  
Fluorescent Lighting ◽  
Larger Sample ◽  
Before And After Study

<p>Tubular Daylighting Devices are used to bring daylight into deep-plan spaces, and meet sustainability goals. However, they are expensive, and justification for their use lies in hypothesised benefits they can provide in areas such as well-being and productivity. Yet, there is very little research into the effects of Tubular Daylighting Devices. The broader daylighting literature suggests that benefits to satisfaction, mood, and performance are possible — though research into the benefits of daylight is still not conclusive.  Therefore, a before and after study was carried out in a windowless computer room in the university to compare how the students responded under TDDs versus typical electric lighting. Their cognitive performance, change in mood, average sleepiness, and perceptions of the room and lighting were measured.  TDDs significantly increased ratings of room attractiveness and brightness, and had no more perceived glare than the electric lighting. Ratings of lighting quality were on a par with both typical electric lighting and good modern lighting. They were also just as effective on overcast days as sunny. No effects were found on performance or sleepiness, and mood results were inconclusive.  Overall, it is suggested that TDDs can be considered to be on a par with good modern lighting, and superior to typical existing lighting. Note, however, that it is possible that effects in rooms with windows could differ from those found here. Further research should use longer exposures and larger sample sizes if they wish to find performance effects.</p>

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