Posted on 04/16/2015 5:12:57 AM PDT by reaganaut1
New research that shows poor children have smaller brains than affluent children has deepened the national debate about ways to narrow the achievement gap.
Neuroscientists who studied the brain scans of nearly 1,100 children and young adults nationwide from ages 3 to 20 found that the surface area of the cerebral cortex was linked to family income. They discovered that the brains of children in families that earned less than $25,000 a year had surface areas 6 percent smaller than those whose families earned $150,000 or more. The poor children also scored lower on average on a battery of cognitive tests.
...
In another study that has been accepted for publication in Psychological Science, a team led by neuroscientist John Gabrieli of MIT found differences in the brains cortical thickness between low-income and higher-income teenagers. The study linked that difference for the first time to standardized test scores: Fifty-seven percent of the poor children scored proficient in math and reading tests given annually in Massachusetts, compared with 91 percent of the higher-income students.
...
But James Thompson, a psychologist at University College London, has a third theory.
People who have less ability and marry people with less ability have children who, on balance, on average, have less ability, he said. Thompson noted that there is a genetic component to intelligence that Noble and Sowell failed to consider.
It makes my jaw drop that weve known for years intelligence is inheritable and scientists are beginning to track down exactly how it happens, Thompson said. The well-known genetic hypothesis has not even had a chance to enter the door in this discussion.
Charles Murray, a conservative political scientist who argues there is a relationship between intelligence and economic class in his book The Bell Curve, said genetics cannot be ignored.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
What about the Duke brothers in “Trading Places”, lol? Seems a lot of rich kids like Obama and Hillary and Warren, so brain size difference is not so much of an issue as compared to how it is actually used.
Imagine that. Stupid people have stupid kids!
I believe the truth is a larger brain leads to wealth/prosperity.
People with larger brains tend to be more successful. A larger brain is something you are born with (genetics), not something that the government can give you "Executive Action" or passing a series of utopian laws ("War on Poverty," "Affirmative Action," etc.)
Just as Liberals have only recently discovered that there are differences between men and women, they may someday discover that there are differences between the races.
How long before #brainprivilege becomes a thing?
It’s not hard. Affluent people value education, they expose their kids to reading at an earlier age.
Enter a culture where teens breed with multiple baby daddies and the children are essentially left to fend for themselves.
A brain that gets a workout develops to a greater degree than that of a feral kid.
Mandatory lobotomy program for brain tissue redistribution to follow.
Government operatives controlled by “The 1%” are sneaking in to the homes of poor people at night and harvesting brain matter from their children.
Either that or their harvesting it from them in the public schools.
It’s the only possible explanation...
back to phrenetics (or however it’s spelled) we go!
#checkyourbrainatthedoor
Oh, wait, the democrats are already using that one...
Maybe they’re born that way...like Gays.
In addition to your comment, add that carbonated drinks in baby bottles and potato chips for dinner don’t grow healthy cells either.
To show how idiotic the premise is here: just look no further than the Kennedy clan.
GUYS???? All woman actors.
The garbanzo brain people of Talos IV.
BOOOOOP.
I read another study on families---I think by Kay Hymowicz, but I could be mistaken on the author---that said that poorer mothers, even "good ones," will interact with a kid differently than more educated mothers (though not necessarily more affluent). For ex., a poorer mother who even reads to her kid will read the word "dog" and the kid will repeat "dog." And that is the end of it, where as more educated mothers will say, "And what sound does the dog make? And what sound does the cat make?" and start a whole learning conversation.
The stark difference between what poor babies and rich babies eat
Children of liberals forced to be vegans typically have brain defects as a result.
Sounds to me like they needed to “normalize” for some other factors.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.