In our book, we discuss the complex interaction between nature and nurture. One of the things we explain is that a negative environment has a bigger effect, while a positive environment has a bigger influence on nature. This new Finnish study is another example of this, as the study shows that cumulative adverse psychosocial factors… Read More The longterm effects of growing up in a negative environment
This study is maybe less practical, but this doesn’t make it less interesting, as it states that genetic correlation estimates typically assume that mating is random. But is that really the case? In the real world, partners tend to pair up because of many shared interests and social structures. From the press release: Through the… Read More Interesting: Mating patterns could actually help explain many supposedly biological relationships between traits
Singing for infants is something that is truly universal. This new study shows that engaging infants with a song provides a ready-made means for supporting social development and interaction: Singing to infants is observed in all human cultures. Beyond known roles in infant soothing and social bonding, this study shows that singing to infants elicits… Read More The power of music: singing to infants synchronizes caregiver-infant social engagement
I don’t like the idea of a ‘gap’ between people, as Hans Rösling explained that it suggests that there are two groups with nobody between them while the majority can be found between the two suggested groups. That’s why I prefer talking about unfair differences. And this study shows another example of how inequality can… Read More Another gap that starts earlier than you might think: extracurricular activities in kindergarten
This is the kind of study that at first makes you raise your eyebrows: neuroscientists found that brain signatures of reading difficulties in students from lower socioeconomic backgrounds are, on average, different from those of students from higher socioeconomic backgrounds who struggle with reading. On the other hand, we’ve known that poverty can shape the… Read More There seems to be a link between how you struggle with reading and socio-economic background
Everything we do changes the brain one way or the other, and we’ve seen again and again how poverty can have a huge effect on early brain development. But what about later in the development? A new tween brain connection study shows that socioeconomic factors, including at-home enrichment, are associated with widespread differences in children’s… Read More Can you ‘see’ socioeconomic factors in the tweens brain?
This study could lead to some debate in many households as it compares the self-esteem and social activities of teens with no or poor home Internet access to teens who are the heaviest users of screens as well as teens with parents who tightly control or limit their screen use. And the easy answer is:… Read More What is worst: disconnection or too much screentime?
No, my wife didn’t help me write this post. But maybe it would have been a good idea? A new meta-analysis wants to settle the score once and for all: Are women really better at finding and remembering words than men? The answer? “Women are better. The female advantage is consistent across time and life… Read More Are women really better at finding and remembering words than men?
For anybody who has learned about the system theory by Bronfenbrenner, this will not come as a surprise: Helping children become more ‘digitally resilient’ needs to be a collective effort if they are to learn how to “thrive online,” according to new research led by the University of East Anglia. From the press release: Digital… Read More Helping children become more ‘digitally resilient’ needs to be a collective effort
Executive function(s) is/are a hot topic for some time now, while there is still debate about what is and what isn’t included in the list of executive functions and if you can have a long-term effect. This new study looked at the correlation between EF on the one side and screen time and physical activity… Read More More physical activity, less screen time linked to better executive function in toddlers
From experience to meaning... 