Performance on the A-not-B Task of Argentinean Infants from Unsatisfied and Satisfied Basic Needs Homes

Studies based on animal and human models have shown structural and functional alterations in the Central Nervous System after exposure to early enriched, or deprived, environments. Poverty, as a complex phenomenon of environmental deprivation, was repeatedly associated with deleterious consequences for early cognitive functioning. This study compares the performance of 280 Argentinean infants (six- to 14-month-old) from Unsatisfied and Satisfied Basic Needs homes on the A-not-B task, as an early executive function predictor. In this task, infants watch as an object is hidden in one of two hiding places (left-right locations), and after a delay period they are allowed to search for that object. Results showed that infants from poor homes performed fewer consecutive correct responses, and made more perseverative and non-perseverative errors than non-poor infants ( p<0.05). Findings suggest that poor home environments bring about a condition that affects the management of resources involved in A-not-B task resolution.