L19 - Growing up poor vs. rich: Possible Motivational Consequences Flashcards
Did you grow up in a “poor” family?
martha Farah’s indicators
- don’t own home
- move frequently
- single parent
- live with relatives
- public assistance
- food stamps
- charity clothes
- exposure to violence and drugs
unpredictable, dangerous, and highly stressful
Describe the recent research on poverty and children shown in class
poverty, stress, and brain impairment
- IQ differences
- “allostatic load”
- years living in poverty
- brain functioning
– working memory
– executive function
– language abilities
What are some key concepts of the Self-Determination theory?
two growth processes
- intrinsic motivation
- internalization
three necessary conditions
- connected (relatedness)
- competent
- autonomous
context can support vs. thwart the satisfaction of these needs
- under-parenting vs. over-parenting
What is scaffolding?
Scaffolding
- a temporary structure used to support a work crew
- a process in which teachers model how to solve a problem, and then step back, offering support as needed
Families and the development of expertise
parental involvement:
- 3 critical features
– child-centered
– achievement oriented
– responsibility training
Child language study by Hart and Risley (1995)
- age 4
– profession: 45 mill
– working class: 26 mill
– welfare: 13 mill
Picture books by age 5:
- professional families -> 1500 hours
- poverty families -> 20 hours
Would greater income make a difference?
longitudinal study of poor North Carolina community in which family income was raised by casino royalties
journal of american medical association 2003
8-year study of 1400 children
Is there a causal relationship between money and child expertise?
“This comes closer to pointing to a causal relationship than we can usually get. Moving families out of poverty led to a reduction in children’s behavioural symptoms”
Dr. E. Jane Costello, a psychiatric epidemiologist at Duke who wa sthe lead author
What is the mediating mechanism?
the deciding factor appeared to be the amount of time parents had to supervise their children
- parents who moved out of poverty reported having more time to spend with their children
“What this shows very nicely is that an economic shift can allow for more time and better parenting,” said Dr. Nancy Adler, professor of medical psychology at the UCSF
What are the motivational risks of growing up in a wealthy family?
over-parenting vs. underparenting
controlled motivation vs. no motivation
highly demanding and pressuring goals from which you feel alienated (vs. no meanignful goals that seem realistic)
Film Clip of Pre-School parents
type of involvement?
what will be the cumulative effects by age 15?
Is this what is required to prepare a child to be successful in a highly competitive world?
cultural differences
generational differences
Distinguishing different forms of involvement
(Grolnick 2002)
Ego-involvement: feelings of self-worth depend on certain levels of good performance
can be transferred to child’s attainments, especially when competition and responsibility are highlighted
“Your role is to ensure your child learns to write a poem. We will be testing her after to make sure that she performs well enough”
How do children of wealthy families turn out?
Luther (2003) article on “The Culture of Affluence: The Psycholohical Costs of Material Wealth”
- wealthy kids have never been viewed as an at-risk population
- poor children were seen as at-risk for behavioural problems and educational failure
Describe Luthar’s studies
large samples of teenagers from wealthy vs. middle class backgrounds
- depression
- anxiety
- substance abuse
pattern of substance abuse suggests self-medication
What are the mediating mechanisms in Luthar’s studies?
excessive parental pressure for achievement
- parents emphasize accomplishments versus character and well-being
isolation from parents
- absence of adult supervision
- degree of felt closeness with mom and dad
