Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 28, 2026

Operant Procedures for Assessing Behavioral Flexibility in Rats
08:30

Operant Procedures for Assessing Behavioral Flexibility in Rats

Published on: February 15, 2015

SES affects infant cognitive flexibility

Melissa W Clearfield1, Laura C Niman

  • 1Whitman College, USA. clearfmw@whitman.edu

Infant Behavior & Development
|October 25, 2011
PubMed

Insights

Socioeconomic status impacts infant cognitive flexibility development. Low-SES infants showed a delayed pattern in a perseverative reaching task compared to high-SES infants, suggesting potential long-term effects.

Area of Science:

  • Developmental Psychology
  • Cognitive Neuroscience

Background:

  • Cognitive flexibility is crucial for information processing and behavioral adaptation.
  • Poverty's effects on cognitive control are known in children but less understood in infants.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To longitudinally investigate the development of cognitive flexibility in low-income infants.
  • To compare cognitive flexibility development between low-socioeconomic status (SES) and high-SES infants.

Main Methods:

  • A longitudinal study involving 32 infants (15 low-SES, 17 high-SES) tested at 6, 9, and 12 months.
  • Cognitive flexibility assessed using a perseverative reaching task requiring location switching.

Main Results:

  • High-SES infants followed a typical trajectory: random at 6 months, perseverative at 9 months, correct at 12 months.
  • Low-SES infants exhibited a delayed pattern: correct at 6 months, random at 9 months, perseverative at 12 months.

Conclusions:

  • Infant cognitive flexibility development is influenced by socioeconomic status.
  • Delayed cognitive flexibility in low-SES infants may be linked to frontal cortex development.

More Related Videos

Assessment of Stress Effects on Cognitive Flexibility using an Operant Strategy Shifting Paradigm07:26

Assessment of Stress Effects on Cognitive Flexibility using an Operant Strategy Shifting Paradigm

Published on: May 4, 2020

Experience is Instrumental in Tuning a Link Between Language and Cognition: Evidence from 6- to 7- Month-Old Infants' Object Categorization05:35

Experience is Instrumental in Tuning a Link Between Language and Cognition: Evidence from 6- to 7- Month-Old Infants' Object Categorization

Published on: April 19, 2017

Related Concept Videos

Socioemotional Development during Infancy01:30

Socioemotional Development during Infancy

Socio-emotional development in infancy is primarily shaped by early emotional responses and social connections, with temperament playing a central role. Temperament refers to the consistent patterns in an individual's emotional and behavioral responses, observable even in infancy. By examining temperament, researchers can better understand an infant's unique ways of interacting with the world, influencing subsequent personality and socio-emotional growth.
Primary Temperament Types
Stella Chess...
Information Processing Approach01:30

Information Processing Approach

The information-processing theory of cognitive development centers on fundamental mental processes, including attention, memory, and problem-solving skills. Researchers in this field examine how cognitive abilities, such as working memory, evolve and influence children's overall development. Studies indicate that children with stronger working memory tend to excel in reading comprehension, math, and problem-solving compared to peers with less efficient memory skills. Low working memory is also...
The Nativist Approach01:21

The Nativist Approach

The nativist approach to infant cognitive development proposes that infants are born with inherent knowledge structures that allow them to interpret the world almost immediately. This perspective contrasts with earlier developmental theories, such as those proposed by Jean Piaget, which emphasized a more gradual acquisition of cognitive abilities through interaction with the environment. One key concept in this approach is object permanence — the understanding that objects continue to exist...
Piaget's Stage 1 of Cognitive Development01:14

Piaget's Stage 1 of Cognitive Development

The sensorimotor stage, the initial phase of Jean Piaget's theory of cognitive development, spans the first two years of a child's life. During this period, infants actively engage with their surroundings, building cognitive awareness through direct interaction with the world. This interaction is primarily based on sensory perception and motor actions, allowing infants to gradually understand basic physical properties and predict how objects interact within their environment.
Exploration...
Language and Cognition01:27

Language and Cognition

Language serves as a bridge between ideas and communication, influencing how individuals perceive and interact with the world. Psychologists have long debated whether language shapes thought or vice versa. This discussion gained grip with Edward Sapir and Benjamin Lee Whorf in the 1940s, who proposed that language determines thought, a concept known as linguistic determinism. They suggested that the vocabulary and structure of a language influence how its speakers think and perceive reality.
Environmental Influences on Intelligence01:29

Environmental Influences on Intelligence

Despite the strong genetic influence on traits like intelligence, environmental factors significantly shape outcomes. For example, while over 90% of height variation is due to genetic differences, environmental factors such as nutrition also have a notable impact. Similarly, for intelligence, changes in a child's surroundings can significantly alter their IQ. Research shows that enriched environments boost children's academic success and help them develop key cognitive skills. Children from...