Developmental Psychology

Poverty and Development

Poverty is the conditional state, where people's basic needs for food, shelter and clothing are not met, and it is closely linked to Socio-economic Status (SES), which is the wealth level of an individual/group.

Cognitive researchers have found that poverty is one of the main risk factors in a child's cognitive development. As a result of living in poverty, there are many possible factors which can affect cognitive development, such as:

• Stress over meeting basic needs 

• Malnutrition

• Substance abuse

• Exposure to environmental toxins

• Trauma caused by insecurity in their community and a lack of safety

• Lack of educational opportunities

• Discrimination

• Less stimulation in their environment

Roles of Peers and Play in Cognitive Development

Developmental researchers have found that peers and play are important factors in both the social and cognitive development of children. When children are accepted by their peers and engage in interactive play, this may lead to healthy development.  When children are rejected, this may have a significant effect on their school performance, but also on their ability to form relationships.  

An important variable in a child's development is their sociometric status - that is, the extent to which children are accepted versus rejected by their peers. There are five categories of sociometric status: popular, rejected, neglected, controversial and average children.

Sociometric status is evaluated by asking children to nominate the peers whom they most like and dislike. Teachers, parents, and researchers also can provide their observations. The categories are defined as follows:

• Popular children receive many positive and few negative nominations. They are also referred to as "accepted" children.

• Rejected children receive many negative and few positive nominations. They are also referred to as rejected and withdrawn.

• Neglected children receive few positive and few negative nominations.

• Controversial children receive both positive and negative nominations. They are well-liked by some children but actively disliked by others.  They are also referred to as "rejected aggressive."

• Average children receive an average number of positive and negative nominations. Most children fit into this category.

Rejected children, especially rejected-aggressive children, are at high risk for negative outcomes such as delinquency, hyperactivity, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, conduct problems, and substance abuse. In addition, they are at higher risk than the other groups for feelings of loneliness, depression, and obsessive-compulsive disorder.

Trauma and Development

Trauma is the lasting emotional response that is often a result of living through distressing events. Some of these events can be referred to as Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACES), which can be physical abuse, sexual abuse, exposure to domestic violence, and a substance-abusing parent. Research suggests that the effects of ACES depend on the child’s age and gender, as well as the duration of the experience. As a result of ACES, there are two types of effects:

• Psychological and neurodevelopmental effects

• Effects on a child's psychosocial development. 

Psychologists believe that children can recover from very adverse conditions if they are removed from such situations and given proper care and attention.

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