Investigating core assumptions of the “American Dream”: Historical changes in how adolescents’ socioeconomic status, IQ, and GPA are related to key life outcomes in adulthood.

2019 ◽  
Vol 34 (8) ◽  
pp. 1055-1076 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrea Hasl ◽  
Julia Kretschmann ◽  
Dirk Richter ◽  
Manuel Voelkle ◽  
Martin Brunner
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Lotze ◽  
M. Domin ◽  
C. O. Schmidt ◽  
N. Hosten ◽  
H. J. Grabe ◽  
...  

Abstract Income and education are both elements of a person’s socioeconomic status, which is predictive of a broad range of life outcomes. The brain’s gray matter volume (GMV) is influenced by socioeconomic status and mediators related to an unhealthy life style. We here investigated two independent general population samples comprising 2838 participants (all investigated with the same MRI-scanner) with regard to the association of indicators of the socioeconomic status and gray matter volume. Voxel-based morphometry without prior hypotheses revealed that years of education were positively associated with GMV in the anterior cingulate cortex and net-equivalent income with gray matter volume in the hippocampus/amygdala region. Analyses of possible mediators (alcohol, cigarettes, body mass index (BMI), stress) revealed that the relationship between income and GMV in the hippocampus/amygdala region was partly mediated by self-reported stressors, and the association of years of education with GMV in the anterior cingulate cortex by BMI. These results corrected for whole brain effects (and therefore not restricted to certain brain areas) do now offer possibilities for more detailed hypotheses-driven approaches.


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Budhachandra Khundrakpam ◽  
Suparna Choudhury ◽  
Uku Vainik ◽  
Noor Al-Sharif ◽  
Neha Bhutani ◽  
...  

AbstractStudies have pointed to the role of the brain in mediating the effects of the social environment of the developing child on life outcomes. Since brain development involves nonlinear trajectories, these effects of the child’s social context will likely have age-related differential associations with the brain. However, there is still a dearth of integrative research investigating the interplay between neurodevelopmental trajectories, social milieu and life outcomes. We set out to fill this gap, focusing specifically on the role of socioeconomic status, SES (indexed by parental occupation) on brain and cognitive development by analyzing MRI scans from 757 typically-developing subjects (age = 3-21 years). We observed nonlinear interaction of age and SES on cortical thickness, specifically a significant positive association between SES and thickness around 9-13 years at several cortical regions. Using a moderated mediation model, we observed that cortical thickness mediated the link between SES and language abilities, and this mediation was moderated by ‘age’ in a quadratic pattern, indicating a pronounced SES-effect during early adolescence. Our results, drawn from cross-sectional data, provide a basis for further longitudinal studies to test whether early adolescence may be a sensitive time window for the impact of SES on brain and cognitive development.


Author(s):  
OLHA MALYNOVSKA ◽  
KATERYNA MALTSEVA

The present publication focuses on the relationship between parental socioeconomic status in individual’s childhood and his/her attitude formation in adulthood. Based on prior empirical work on the effects of early life SES on general life outcomes in adulthood, as well as data collected in a series of semistructured interviews (N = 10), for this study we have identified several objects of relationship that can be influenced by the socio-economic situation. Specifically, in the analysis of interviews we have short-listed a number of objects, attitudes towards which were shown to vary across different socioeconomic categories in childhood, e.g. money, housing, food, clothes, time, regulations, schooling, creativity, parents, future spouse, children, friends and strangers. These topics were further developed in the questionnaire to test the results that emerged from the analysis of interviews. The quantitative stage was conducted in the form of self-administered survey (N = 245). Based on the results of ANOVA and regression analysis, those individuals whose parents have had stable to relatively stable financial situation in the past showed little difference from each other, while the individuals with more modest background displayed more distinct attitudes toward time, money, regulations and clothes. Unstable financial situation in childhood in our sample also affected consumer’s behavior regarding clothes — the ‘extra’ money was invested into expensive wardrobe items. Furthermore, depending on their past financial situation, individuals in our sample varied in their attitudes toward money and time. The importance of money as such increased if individual’s financial situation became more favorable throughout the life course. Financial situation in childhood also affected one’s attitudes toward food.


2017 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 338-352 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mona Ayoub ◽  
Samuel D. Gosling ◽  
Jeff Potter ◽  
Michael Shanahan ◽  
Brent W. Roberts

Studies have shown that cognitive ability is correlated with parental socioeconomic status (pSES). However, little is known about the correlation between personality and pSES. To better understand this relation, we conducted a meta-analysis of the correlations between pSES and personality traits and temperament dimensions. The correlations were generally very small with the exception of the correlation between pSES and openness to experience. Our results were replicated in a large ( N = 2,183,377) data set of self-reported personality scores collected online. Using this data set, we also examined the interaction between pSES and personality on attained education and socioeconomic status. We found evidence for the resource substitution hypothesis, which proposes that personality compensates for background disadvantage.


2018 ◽  
Vol 16 (2) ◽  
pp. 6
Author(s):  
Jonathan Lathey

Robert Putnam observed that social class differences, now more than ever, determine the life outcomes of American children. Putnam reported evidence that the American Dream is in crisis for children born into lower-class families—these children have far fewer opportunities for success. This might suggest a loss of a survival narrative for these children.


2021 ◽  
Vol 118 (46) ◽  
pp. e2110891118
Author(s):  
Camille Terrier ◽  
Daniel L. Chen ◽  
Matthias Sutter

COVID-19 has had worse health, education, and labor market effects on groups with low socioeconomic status (SES) than on those with high SES. Little is known, however, about whether COVID-19 has also had differential effects on noncognitive skills that are important for life outcomes. Using panel data from before and during the pandemic, we show that COVID-19 affects one key noncognitive skill, that is, prosociality. While prosociality is already lower for low-SES students prior to the pandemic, we show that COVID-19 infections within families amplify the prosociality gap between French high school students of high and low SES by almost tripling its size in comparison to pre–COVID-19 levels.


2019 ◽  
Vol 62 (12) ◽  
pp. 4335-4350 ◽  
Author(s):  
Seth E. Tichenor ◽  
J. Scott Yaruss

Purpose This study explored group experiences and individual differences in the behaviors, thoughts, and feelings perceived by adults who stutter. Respondents' goals when speaking and prior participation in self-help/support groups were used to predict individual differences in reported behaviors, thoughts, and feelings. Method In this study, 502 adults who stutter completed a survey examining their behaviors, thoughts, and feelings in and around moments of stuttering. Data were analyzed to determine distributions of group and individual experiences. Results Speakers reported experiencing a wide range of both overt behaviors (e.g., repetitions) and covert behaviors (e.g., remaining silent, choosing not to speak). Having the goal of not stuttering when speaking was significantly associated with more covert behaviors and more negative cognitive and affective states, whereas a history of self-help/support group participation was significantly associated with a decreased probability of these behaviors and states. Conclusion Data from this survey suggest that participating in self-help/support groups and having a goal of communicating freely (as opposed to trying not to stutter) are associated with less negative life outcomes due to stuttering. Results further indicate that the behaviors, thoughts, and experiences most commonly reported by speakers may not be those that are most readily observed by listeners.


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