Association between poverty and children's working memory abilities in developing countries: a systematic review and...

Area of Science:

• Cognitive Psychology
• Developmental Psychology
• Public Health

Background:

• Working memory is crucial for children's cognitive skills, including counting and task completion.
• Socioeconomic status (SES) significantly impacts children's working memory capacity, alongside health factors.
• Evidence on SES effects on working memory in developing countries is limited and presents a complex picture.

Approach:

• A systematic review and meta-analysis were conducted to summarize recent evidence on SES determinants of children's working memory in developing countries.
• Searches were performed across major databases (Cochrane, ScienceDirect, Scopus, PubMed, ProQuest) using specific keywords related to socioeconomic status and working memory in children.
• Data from five studies involving 4,551 subjects across four developing countries were included for meta-analysis, calculating odds ratios and standardized mean differences.

Key Points:

• Poverty was significantly associated with lower working memory scores in children (OR: 3.12; 95% CI: 2.66, 3.65; p < 0.001).
• Low maternal education was also strongly linked to reduced working memory performance (OR: 3.26; 95% CI: 2.86, 3.71; p < 0.001).
• These findings highlight specific socioeconomic disadvantages affecting cognitive abilities.

Conclusions:

• Poverty and low maternal education are identified as significant risk factors that negatively impact children's working memory in developing countries.
• Addressing these socioeconomic disparities is essential for improving cognitive development and educational outcomes in these populations.
• Further research may explore targeted interventions to mitigate the effects of poverty and low education on children's working memory.