The Effects Of Socioeconomic Status On The Development Of Language Development

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Socioeconomic status (SES) is a major topic of interest within the study of language development in children. It has been indicated as one of the most widely studied constructs in the social sciences (Bradley & Corwyn, 2002). Even with the wide variety of studies involving SES, there has never been a complete consensus on what SES actually represents. Beyond the development of language, SES also affects the overall development of a child. These developmental differences then further lead to differences in language acquisition. When looking at SES, there are many factors to consider. The concept of capital seems to best embody the current meaning psychologists hold of SES, according to Bradley and Corwyn (2002). Capital is favored because of its inclusion of access to financial (material resources), human (nonmaterial resources such as education) and social capital (social connections). The current working definition of SES involves family income, education level, and occupations, which influence the theories and characteristics that children develop (Hill, 2006). The effects of socioeconomic status on children are shown through many factors that affect language development through the child’s overall growth, their cognitive development, as well as their stress management and the parenting styles that they are exposed to.
With a wide variety of studies and research, it has been shown that socioeconomic status can affect a child’s health even before they are born. This theory comes from a study by Hackman, Farah and Meaney (2010) in which researchers identified three classes of mechanism that SES effects on cognitive development. The first class that they recognized is the prenatal influences. If a low- SES mother does...

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...ysical exposure can contribute to the child’s education. Not only can it affect how they are taught, but the facility is important too. Just think about it: schools with higher SES have up-to-date conditions on the building and grounds. They would most likely have top of the line equipment to teach more efficiently and properly. In addition to just having the best equipment possible, the higher SES schools may pay more close attention to their classrooms. If a classroom is filled with fun, colorful, and inviting decorations, it will promote and encourage the child to learn in a more inventive way. If the classroom is not colorful, or does not have any decorations, it may not facilitate development or encourage the child to learn. The physical exposure is not the only aspect that can affect children 's health, but the psychosocial exposure plays a role too.

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