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Cited by 799Child Abuse and TraumaChild and Adolescent Psychosocial and Emotional DevelopmentResilience and Mental Health

Child development in the context of adversity: Experiential canalization of brain and behavior.

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Blair, Clancy, Raver, C. Cybele·2012·American Psychologist
DOI 10.1037/a0027493PMC PMC5264526
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Abstract

The authors examine the effects of poverty-related adversity on child development, drawing upon psychobiological principles of experiential canalization and the biological embedding of experience. They integrate findings from research on stress physiology, neurocognitive function, and self-regulation to consider adaptive processes in response to adversity as an aspect of children's development. Recent research on early caregiving is paired with research in prevention science to provide a reorientation of thinking about the ways in which psychosocial and economic adversity are related to continuity in human development.

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  • The impact of economic hardship on young children's school readiness is a major source of long-term social, economic, and educational inequality in the United States and the developed world.

    “the impact of economic hardship on young children’s school readiness represents a major source of long-term social, economic, and educational inequality in the United States and the developed world (Blair & Raver 2012).”

    From School Readiness and Self-Regulation: A Developmental Psychobiological Approach (2015) · cites this paper as Blair & Raver 2012

    The section on Poverty, Parenting, and the Psychobiology of Self-Regulation (page unavailable) says poverty adversely affects children’s development and describes income-related differences in vocabulary. The Classroom-Based Intervention section discusses poverty-related hazards and children’s long-term developmental trajectories. Our copy does not establish the more specific claim that economic hardship’s effect on school readiness is a major source of long-term social, economic, and educational inequality in the United States and developed world. (LLM, conf=0.82)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured

  • Environmental conditions and interpersonal interactions, whether positive or negative, become biologically embedded and shape or canalize brain and behavioral development.

    “environmental conditions and interpersonal interactions, both positive and negative, are embedded biologically, shaping or canalizing the development of brain and behavior”

    From School Readiness and Self-Regulation: A Developmental Psychobiological Approach (2015) · cites this paper as Blair & Raver 2012

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Cites

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Cited by

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Authors
Blair, C., & Raver, C. C.
Affiliations
New York University (US)
Corresponding author
Blair, Clancy
ORCID
Blair, Clancy
Venue
American Psychologist
Publisher
American Psychological Association (APA)
Published
2012-05
Volume
67
Issue
4
Pages
309-318
ISSN
  • 0003-066X (ISSN-L)
  • 1935-990X
DOI
10.1037/a0027493
PMC
PMC5264526
OpenAlex
W2162205647
Cited by
799
References
16
Citations by year
2026: 42 · 2025: 59 · 2024: 48 · 2023: 42 · 2022: 55 · 2021: 65 · 2020: 108 · 2019: 51 · 2018: 65 · 2017: 65 · 2016: 67 · 2015: 51 · 2014: 41 · 2013: 27 · 2012: 11
FWCI
43.61
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • American Psychologist (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
Funders
  • Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (R01 HD51502 and P01 HD39667, R01 HD046160)
  • Institute of Education Sciences (R305A100058)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Child Abuse and Trauma
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Child and Adolescent Psychosocial and Emotional Development
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Resilience and Mental Health
Keywords
child development, adversity, poverty, stress physiology, neurocognitive function, self-regulation, early caregiving, prevention science, psychosocial adversity, economic adversity
MeSH terms
Adaptation, Psychological, Brain, Child, Child Development, Humans, Infant, Models, Psychological, Poverty, Stress, Psychological

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