Environmental risk and young children’s cognitive and behavioral development

2006 ◽  
Vol 30 (1) ◽  
pp. 55-66 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alison Pike ◽  
Alessandra C. Iervolino ◽  
Thalia C. Eley ◽  
Thomas S. Price ◽  
Robert Plomin
Keyword(s):  
Home Environment ◽  
Environmental Risk ◽  
Cognitive Abilities ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Economic Status ◽  
Cognitive Outcomes ◽  
Risk Indicators ◽  
Twin Design ◽  
Medical Factors ◽  
Total Behavior

Using a longitudinal, large-scale sample of British twins, we addressed the prediction of both cognitive abilities and behavioral adjustment from eight domains of environmental risk: minority status, socio-economic status, maternal medical factors, twin medical factors, maternal depression, chaos within the home environment, and parental feelings towards their children and discipline. Participants included 5765 families with twins (49.1% male) born in 1994 and 1995. Aspects of environmental risk were assessed from birth until the children’s third birthdays; outcome measures were assessed at their fourth birthdays. Overall prediction of outcome (via multiple regression analysis) was moderate (R = .23 -.48). SES and chaos were the strongest predictors for the cognitive outcomes whereas for total behavior problems the more proximal parenting factors were also dominant. Future analyses will investigate these environmental risk indicators in the context of the genetically sensitive twin design.

Association of perinatal factors and school performance in primary school Chilean children

2013 ◽  
Vol 4 (3) ◽  
pp. 232-238 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. Villarroel ◽  
L. Karzulovic ◽  
J. Manzi ◽  
J. G. Eriksson ◽  
F. Mardones
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Function ◽  
School Performance ◽  
Cognitive Abilities ◽  
Test Scores ◽  
Economic Status ◽  
Cognitive Outcomes ◽  
Economic Factors ◽  
Prenatal Growth ◽  
And Mathematics ◽  
Socio Economic Factors

The associations between school performance and cognitive abilities with birth characteristics have mostly been studied without taking into consideration the effects of gestational age (GA). Our aim was to study the association between prenatal growth and cognitive function in term-born Chilean school children. A cohort of over 200,000 term-born fourth graders who took the regular national test for school performance was studied. Outcome parameters were language and mathematics test scores in relation to prenatal growth. A total of 256,040 subjects took the test and 220,940 were included in the final study sample. Prenatal growth was modestly, but significantly, associated with school performance. Adjusted β coefficients for 1 cm increase in birth length were 1.28 and 0.77 for mathematics and language, respectively; the corresponding values for 100 g increase in birth weight were 0.59 and 0.34, respectively. Increased GA was associated with lower test scores. Adjusted β coefficients for the birth measurements generally had a lower strength of association than those of socio-economic factors. However, the confounders most strongly associated with educational achievements were socio-economic factors, known to be associated with birth size. Lower socio-economic status is known to negatively influence both prenatal growth and cognitive function, supporting the overall importance of prenatal growth in relation to cognitive outcomes.

scholarly journals The Influence of Education and Home Environment on the Cognitive Outcomes of Preschool Children in Germany

2011 ◽  
Vol 2011 ◽  
pp. 1-10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicole Biedinger
Keyword(s):  
Home Environment ◽  
Cognitive Abilities ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Parental Education ◽  
Structural Equation Models ◽  
Preschool Education ◽  
Educational Background ◽  
Migrant Children ◽  
Cognitive Outcomes ◽  
Main Question

Educational inequality is a well-established topic among the scientific community in Western countries. Major individual differences emerge well before children arrive at school. Therefore the following analysis deals with the explanation of early differences in cognitive outcomes. However, there is not much research done in Germany. The main question is if the strong effect of the educational background and the home environment on their outcomes and on the improvement exists as well. To test this, data of the project “Preschool Education and Educational Careers among Migrant Children” was used. The results of structural equation models confirm that the home environment and the education of the parents are important for children's outcomes at the age of 3 to 4. In addition both factors also play a major role for the explanation of the improvement of the cognitive abilities. The results show that in Germany the home environment and parental education are important predictors of cognitive abilities. As a main result the study shows that it is very important to control for earlier abilities of the children and to encourage low educated parents to be active with their children, since in that way they can compensate for their lower educational background.

Electric Toothbrushes–For Whom are They Designed?

2002 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. 6-8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sebastian Ciancio
Keyword(s):  
Clinical Studies ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Economic Status ◽  
New Technology ◽  
Ease Of Use ◽  
Special Populations ◽  
Gingival Health

Powered toothbrushes were first introduced on a large scale in the early 1960s. However, because of a clear lack of superiority compared with manual brushes, and problems with mechanical breakdowns, their sales decreased significantly. However, recommendation for their use continued in special populations with dexterity and cognition problems. The 1990s ushered in an era of new technology, and studies began to suggest superiority of some powered brushes, particularly those using oscillating-rotating or counter-rotational actions. Some studies have shown interproximal cleansing abilities superior to those of manual brushes and yielding results similar to those achieved with the use of a manual brush and floss. Both controlled and open-labeled studies have suggested that electric brushes improve gingival health with patients who routinely used manual brushes prior to using these new powered brushes, and safety has been clearly established. In recommending powered toothbrushes, practitioners should familiarize themselves with the products available, with the clinical studies supporting their benefits compared with manual brushes, their safety and ease of use, and the patient's economic status.

Older people dying with dementia: a nationwide study

2012 ◽  
Vol 24 (10) ◽  
pp. 1581-1591 ◽  
Author(s):  
Koen Meeussen ◽  
Lieve Van den Block ◽  
Michael Echteld ◽  
Nicole Boffin ◽  
Johan Bilsen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Older People ◽  
End Of Life ◽  
Elderly People ◽  
Cognitive Abilities ◽  
End Of Life Care ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Care Home ◽  
Life Care ◽  
Early Palliative Care ◽  
People With Dementia

ABSTRACTBackground: Large-scale nationwide data describing the end-of-life characteristics of older people with dementia are lacking. This paper describes the dying process and end-of-life care provided to elderly people with mild or severe dementia in Belgium. It compares with elderly people dying without dementia.Methods: A nationwide retrospective mortality study was conducted, via representative network of general practitioners (GPs) in 2008 in Belgium, with weekly registration of all deaths (aged ≥ 65) using a standardized form. GPs reported on diagnosis and severity of dementia, aspects of end-of-life care and communication, and on the last week of life in terms of symptoms that caused distress as judged by the GP, and the patients’ physical and cognitive abilities.Results: Thirty-one percent of our sample (1,108 deaths) had dementia (43% mildly, 57% severely). Of those, 26% died suddenly, 59% in care home, and 74% received palliative treatment, versus 37%, 19%, and 55% in people without dementia. GP–patient conversations were less frequent among those with (45%) than those without (73%) dementia, and 11% of both groups had a proxy decision-maker. During the last week of life, physical and psychological distress was common in both groups. Of older people with dementia, 83% were incapable of decision-making and 83% were bedridden; both significantly higher percentages than found in the group without dementia (24% and 52%).Conclusions: Several areas of end-of-life care provision could be improved. Early communication and exploration of wishes and appointment of proxy decision-makers are important components of an early palliative care approach which appears to be initiated too infrequently.

Morphometry in schizophrenia revisited: height and its relationship to pre-morbid function

1998 ◽  
Vol 28 (3) ◽  
pp. 655-663 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. NOPOULOS ◽  
M. FLAUM ◽  
S. ARNDT ◽  
N. ANDREASEN
Keyword(s):  
Psychosocial Adjustment ◽  
Cognitive Abilities ◽  
Economic Status ◽  
The Body ◽  
Abnormal Development ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Childhood And Adolescence ◽  
Lower Quartile ◽  
And Function ◽  
The Brain

Background. Morphometry, the measurement of forms, is an ancient practice. In particular, schizophrenic somatology was popular early in this century, but has been essentially absent from the literature for over 30 years. More recently, evidence has grown to support the notion that aberrant neurodevelopment may play a role in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia. Is the body, like the brain, affected by abnormal development in these patients?Methods. To evaluate global deficit in development and its relationship to pre-morbid function, height was compared in a large group (N=226) of male schizophrenics and a group of healthy male controls (N=142) equivalent in parental socio-economic status. Patients in the lower quartile of height were compared to those in the upper quartile of height.Results. The patient group had a mean height of 177·1 cm, which was significantly shorter than the mean height of the control group of 179·4 (P<0·003). Those in the lower quartile had significantly poorer pre-morbid function as measured by: (1) psychosocial adjustment using the pre-morbid adjustment scales for childhood and adolescence/young adulthood, and (2) cognitive function using measures of school performance such as grades and need for special education. In addition, these measures of pre-morbid function correlated significantly with height when analysed using the entire sample.Conclusions. These findings provide further support to the idea that abnormal development may play a key role in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia. Furthermore, this is manifested as a global deficit in growth and function resulting in smaller stature, poorer social skills, and deficits in cognitive abilities.

scholarly journals Collaboration and Open Science Initiatives in Primate Research

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
ManyPrimates ◽  
Alba Motes Rodrigo ◽  
Charlotte Canteloup ◽  
Sonja J. Ebel ◽  
Christopher I Petkov ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Abilities ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Open Science ◽  
Small Sample ◽  
Primate Research ◽  
Research Model ◽  
Primate Cognition ◽  
History Of ◽  
Small Sample Sizes ◽  
Successful Collaboration

Traditionally, primate cognition research has been conducted by independent teams on small populations of a few species. Such limited variation and small sample sizes pose problems that prevent us from reconstructing the evolutionary history of primate cognition. In this chapter, we discuss how large-scale collaboration, a research model successfully implemented in other fields, makes it possible to obtain the large and diverse datasets needed to conduct robust comparative analysis of primate cognitive abilities. We discuss the advantages and challenges of large-scale collaborations and argue for the need for more open science practices in the field. We describe these collaborative projects in psychology and primatology and introduce ManyPrimates as the first, successful collaboration that has established an infrastructure for large-scale, inclusive research in primate cognition. Considering examples of large-scale collaborations both in primatology and psychology, we conclude that this type of research model is feasible and has the potential to address otherwise unattainable questions in primate cognition.

scholarly journals Tuning the mind: Exploring the connections between musical ability and executive functions

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. Robert Slevc
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Abilities ◽  
Economic Status ◽  
Musical Experience ◽  
Musical Ability ◽  
Switching Performance ◽  
Socio Economic Status ◽  
Auditory Tasks ◽  
The Mind ◽  
Auditory Processes ◽  
The Relationship

A growing body of research suggests that musical experience and ability are related to a variety of cognitive abilities, including executive functioning (EF). However, it is not yet clear if these relationships are limited to specific components of EF, limited to auditory tasks, or reflect very general cognitive advantages. This study investigated the existence and generality of the relationship between musical ability and EFs by evaluating the musical experience and ability of a large group of participants and investigating whether this predicts individual differences on three different components of EF – inhibition, updating, and switching – in both auditory and visual modalities. Musical ability predicted better performance on both auditory and visual updating tasks, even when controlling for a variety of potential confounds (age, handedness, bilingualism, and socio-economic status). However, musical ability was not clearly related to inhibitory control and was unrelated to switching performance. These data thus show that cognitive advantages associated with musical ability are not limited to auditory processes, but are limited to specific aspects of EF. This supports a process-specific (but modality-general) relationship between musical ability and non-musical aspects of cognition.

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