Category Archives: Clippings

* A landmark study

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(Originally posted 07/08/15.  Reblogged 10/10/24.)

Stress in low-income families can affect children’s learning

I am very excited about this.

This is, as far as I know, the first study to attempt to measure the degree of chaos in the home.

The researchers in an earlier-mentioned study (Related:  Poor children have smaller brains) speculated that “poor families tend to live more chaotic lives, and that stress could inhibit healthy brain development.”  The current study seems to indicate that it is directly so.

As of this writing, my hypothesis has become as follows:  the chaos of a growing child’s environment causes comparatively more resources to be devoted to the limbic system and less to the cerebral cortex, resulting in a body with reduced capacity to learn.

Related:  A MUST-READ CONCERNING JUSTICE AND POVERTY
Related: Chaos overwhelms the poor

* A MUST-READ CONCERNING JUSTICE AND POVERTY

Clippings, Dependency, Get on your feet, Justice, OUR BEST POSTS, Poverty, Squalor, ,

(Originally posted 10/05/13. Reblogged 07/25/24.)

The Marshmallow Study Revisited

For the past four decades, the “marshmallow test” has served as a classic experimental measure of children’s self-control: will a preschooler eat one of the fluffy white confections now or hold out for two later?

Now a new study demonstrates that being able to delay gratification is influenced as much by the environment as by innate ability. Children who experienced reliable interactions immediately before the marshmallow task waited on average four times longer—12 versus three minutes—than youngsters in similar but unreliable situations.

The article explores the issues in some depth.

* Are blacks more violent?

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Confronting the myth that “black culture” is responsible for violent crime in America

Friday, September 2, 2016

On the one hand, I am strongly tempted to include this one in my list of “biased headlines.”

On the other hand, whether or not I agree with him — At this writing, I’ve read most of the article but not all, and have not yet been able to determine whether or not I do. — German Lopez presents here a very thorough and balanced analysis.  This piece is to be regarded as a tremendous resource for any future discussions.

Reblogged 07/18/24.

* Prayer cannot be politically correct.

Clippings, The Way of Peace, , , , ,

Monday, September 5, 2016

There is a certain time in my daily prayer routine when I give attention to each of certain names that aren’t on any list.  This happens to include every single member of the church youth group whose name is known to me.  (It happens to include all those names.  It’s not by design.  Each one got on there individually.)

Only one of those individuals is the same color as me.

Continue reading * Prayer cannot be politically correct. →