Does Early-Life Exposure to Stress Shape or Impair Cognition?

A predominant view in psychology is that early psychosocial adversity (e.g., abuse) impairs cognition, because children from stressful backgrounds (e.g., violent households) score lower on standard tests of intelligence, language, memory, inhibition, and other abilities. However, recent studies indi...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Current directions in psychological science : a journal of the American Psychological Society 2013-10, Vol.22 (5), p.407-412
Main Authors: Frankenhuis, Willem E., de Weerth, Carolina
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adult
Biological and medical sciences
Children
Cognition & reasoning
Environmental conditions
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Handicapped
Households
Human
Intelligence
Learning
Learning. Memory
Medical sciences
Memory
Peers
Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry
Psychology. Psychophysiology
Psychopathology. Psychiatry
Stimuli
Stress
Threat
Victimology
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Summary:A predominant view in psychology is that early psychosocial adversity (e.g., abuse) impairs cognition, because children from stressful backgrounds (e.g., violent households) score lower on standard tests of intelligence, language, memory, inhibition, and other abilities. However, recent studies indicate that these people may exhibit improved detection, learning, and memory on tasks involving stimuli that are ecologically relevant to them (e.g., dangers), compared with safely nurtured peers. These findings contradict the view that cognition of stressed people is generally impaired; they suggest, rather, that these people's minds are developmentally specialized toward local environmental conditions. Here, we review recent research supporting this hypothesis. In addition, we propose that novel studies should examine whether stressed children show not only improved detection but also improved memory and reasoning on tasks involving stimuli that are ecologically relevant to them. Finally, we discuss clinical implications of switching from conceptualizing stressed minds as "adapted" rather than "impaired."
ISSN:0963-7214
1467-8721
DOI:10.1177/0963721413484324