The Wall Street Journal recently ran an extensive update report on “Baby’s First Year,” the $16 million study co-led by Teachers College neuroscientist Kimberly Noble that is seeking to determine whether poverty directly inhibits brain development in very young children. Noble, who is Associate Professor of Neuroscience & Education, and her co-workers are testing this idea by giving new mothers cash payments to see whether supplemented income fosters the growth of their babies’ brains and cognitive abilities.

“There clearly is some genetic basis to cognitive development,” Noble says in the story. “There’s also good evidence to suggest that experience plays a role in cognitive, intellectual development. We are manipulating that experience.”

The Journal notes that while “past studies have found correlations between income and brain growth…this project aims to show a causal link, in hopes its findings could affect social policy.”

In the story, Noble speculates about how, specifically, poverty negatively affect babies.

“When a mom is less worried about how she’s going to pay rent or keep the lights on, she’s more likely to be present with her children,” she says. “She’s more likely to be able to engage in warm and nurturing parenting.” Low-income families also face difficulties getting high-quality medical care and nutritious food, she notes. And, she says, the toxic stresses of poverty could inhibit brain development.

When a mom is less worried about how she’s going to pay rent or keep the lights on, she’s more likely to be present with her children. . . . She’s more likely to be able to engage in warm and nurturing parenting.

—Kim Noble

Conversely, Noble says, income supplements could enable mothers to afford more books and transportation to services and health care, or to stay home from work longer to bond with their babies.

The story reports that about 860 women have signed up so far, reporting an average yearly income of about $18,000 before the study.

In the story, scholars at both the Brookings Institute and the American Enterprise Institute speculate on the ultimate findings. Isabel Sawhill, a senior fellow at Brookings, says the study “will get huge attention when it comes out.”

Noble recently gave a TED Talk on the study that has received more than 1.1 million views.

Related Story:

Kim Noble's TED Talk Explores the Connection Between Income and Child Brain Development