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Biological Sensitivity to Family Income: Differential Effects on Early Executive Functioning
Author(s) -
Obradović Jelena,
Portilla Ximena A.,
Ballard Parissa J.
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
child development
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.103
H-Index - 257
eISSN - 1467-8624
pISSN - 0009-3920
DOI - 10.1111/cdev.12475
Subject(s) - psychology , developmental psychology , family income , context (archaeology) , cognition , adaptive functioning , cognitive skill , association (psychology) , clinical psychology , neuroscience , paleontology , economics , psychotherapist , biology , economic growth
The study examined how the interplay between children's cortisol response and family income is related to executive function ( EF ) skills. The sample included one hundred and two 5‐ to 6‐year‐olds (64% minority). EF skills were measured using laboratory tasks and observer ratings. Physiological reactivity was assessed via cortisol response during a laboratory visit. A consistent, positive association between family income and EF skills emerged only for children who showed high cortisol response, a marker of biological sensitivity to context. In contrast, family income was not related to EF skills in children who displayed low cortisol response. Follow‐up analyses revealed a disordinal interaction, suggesting that differential susceptibility can be detected at the level of basic cognitive and self‐regulatory skills that support adaptive functioning.