Imagine that. One set's worrying about where the next meal's coming from; the other's worrying about their next iPod. And experts had to do actual studies to figure out rich kids and poor kids think differently?
It was a small study - just twenty-six kids - out of UC Berkley, but the significance is its focus. Scientists did not look at how well kids were faring on tests, which could have as much to do with a lack of quality education as it does with actual brain function or smarts. Instead they took a group of kids from low-income backgrounds and another of kids from high-income families and measured activity in the brain's prefrontal cortex, the part linked to problem solving.
When they flashed images on the screen, a measurement of the activity in that area was measured on all of the nine- and ten-year-old kids. The kids from lower-income households showed markedly less activity than their rich counterparts. As I said, it's a small study, which means the data is relatively worthless. But it proves there's merit to look at the environmental affects on intelligence, not just on health.
Image/Source: BBC News
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