Maria Rosa Buxarrais and Ignasi de Borafull (Universidad Internacional de Cataluña) have presented in the 8th International Conference on Psychology and Education (CIPE2016), held in Alicante (Spain) from the 15th to the 17th of June, the paper entitled “Parentalidad, funciones ejecutivas y desarrollo moral”. The abstract is presented next.
Abstract
Neuroscience is investigating, among other fields, how the brain of preschool children develops. Our research analyzes the relationship between parenting and the development of the executive functions located in the prefrontal cortex (PFC) which is the basis for their future moral development. Advances in neurotechnology, such as magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), provide information on the deployment of the brain, its functions, and how early experiences, whether positive or adverse, may affect its development. Child abuse affects the brain under construction. Until recently, these effects were only described psychologically and behaviorally. Today research also includes the biological tests of neuroscience. In child abuse attention is drawn to the physical and sexual abuse, however, we are focusing on a psychological and negligent abuse -deprivation of affection, neglect of some care, etc.- aspect that is less considered due to its invisibility. Neglectful parenting becomes a harmful toxic stress for the brain development of the child throughout his life. We are at a strategic moment and research has shown that preventive action will be more efficient the earlier it starts the better. One level of prevention requires that the first caregivers -parents and nursery school- take proper action. Another level of prevention involves identifying these cases at the nursery school and in pediatric care. In the medium term, our goal is to study the factors of parental and preschool care that in this period determine the future health of children, their cognitive and moral development. To narrow the field of study we are going to measure the specific executive functions responsible for impulse control. Our goal is to assess -in a sample (N=200) of boys and girls from 4 to 6 years old- the correlation between psychological and negligent abuse and the executive functions responsible for the cognitive moral development.
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