Family Income and Brain Development
A New York Times report reveals the effects of a child's I.Q. and family income.
Children develop most of their basic verbal, memory and abstract reasoning skills from ages of 6 to 10, and the effect of family income on these abilities may be smaller than previously thought, scientists are reporting. The findings, which appear online in The Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society, are from a large, continuing government study tracking changes in cognitive abilities and brain structure. The difference in I.Q. scores between low-income and high-income was about 10 points, when youngsters with learning disabilities were excluded; previous studies have found differences of 15 to 20 points. “The purpose is to provide a large, public database of healthy, normal brain development,” said the lead author, Dr. Deborah P. Waber, a pediatric researcher at Children’s Hospital Boston and Harvard University.
