The Economist On Working Memory and Poverty
The Economist magazine, a couple of weeks ago, in an article headlined, “I am just a poor boy though my story’s seldom told” made reference to a study about the relationship between poverty and problems with working memory. You can see the complete text of the article on The Economist online.
Since I read the piece, there has been a fair amount of reaction on blogs and website registering some alarm that once again the poor are being singled out and blamed for their condition and pointing out many other factors that could affect memory. The notion behind some of this negative response (other than confusing memory with working memory) is that these kids with poor working memory are stuck with it.
I believe these people have missed the point. This blog has made the point numerous times that neuroplasticity is the most important discovery in neuroscience in the last century and anyone who reads this blog already knows that working memory can be improved with training. More importantly, if you improve working memory, you increase the opportunities for these children to lift themselves from the stressful environment of poverty.
Conversely, on the Globe and Mail’s website, Dr. Stephen Hwang, from the Centre for Research on Inner City Health at Toronto’s St. Michael’s Hospital, says the study demonstrates the biological consequences of poverty. “It shows the importance of addressing this issue early on,” he said. “How can we give children a better start to life? By reducing their stress we will improve their working memories.”
Looking beyond the simple findings of this study the fact that this condition can be changed has to be good news…