Closing the Science-Policy Gap

A Conversation with Pediatrician Jack P. Shonkoff

What the Science Tells Us About Development

Summarizing that voluminous review of the research is no easy task, but Shonkoff offers four core conclusions from the science of early development, which will help guide the work of the new Council.

First, human development is as much a function of “nurture” as it is of “nature,” with the physical and cultural environment playing a significant role in shaping the brain’s capacities to think and feel, to learn, and adapt to new situations. Substantial evidence shows clearly that the longstanding nature versus nurture debate is scientifically obsolete, and that each of us is the product of both a unique genetic endowment and the impacts of our personal life experiences. Indeed, a vast range of environmental influences profoundly shapes individual development beginning before birth and continuing long into adulthood.

In this regard, it can be helpful to think of a young child as a tender plant whose successful growth is affected by the seed from which it sprouted as well as a diverse mix of weather conditions like sunlight, rain, and temperature. In very similar ways, our own children’s healthy development depends on both genetics and the favorable conditions they encounter in their earliest years of life.

A second key conclusion of the science community is this: The essential features of the environment that influence children’s development are their relationships with the important people in their lives—their parents and other family members as well as child care providers, teachers, and coaches—within the places to which they are exposed—from playgrounds to libraries to schools to soccer leagues. Think of your own upbringing, Shonkoff says, and the important ways in which your life has been affected by members of your extended family, your school, and your neighborhood. Children learn respect for others, right from wrong, how to get along with peers, and so much more from a vast circle of relationships, each of which can influence their development for a lifetime. Nobody grows up alone and nobody parents alone. This is what the Council terms “the environment of relationships.”

“When their primary relationships provide love and stability, children thrive,” Shonkoff adds. “But when these relationships are unstable, neglectful, or disrupted by major life stresses like poverty, substance abuse or mental illness, the adverse consequences can be severe and long lasting.” The point can’t be overstated: Whether good or bad, a child’s earliest interactions and relationships affect the development of his or her evolving brain architecture in profound ways.

Third, the development of intelligence, language, emotions, and social skills is highly interrelated. Starting soon after birth, children “can feel the exhilaration of mastering a challenging task as well as the deep and lasting sadness that builds in response to trauma, loss, or early personal rejection,” he says. In something as simple as a game of “peek-aboo” or playing with blocks, a young child is exploring and interacting with people and things in ways that are vitally important to his or her social, intellectual, and emotional development. Young children also learn as the adults around them imitate or “mirror” their facial expressions, coos, and gestures. This interactive process is a kind of back-and-forth conversation between kids and their surroundings—where children are active participants and a good environment is one that responds in a supportive and individualized way. Today, more and more science shows us that successful development requires this kind of interaction—exploring on the part of the child with lots of positive feedback from the environment, which activates her or his internal “feedback loop” to support both effective learning and sound mental health.

And fourth, early childhood programs can have important positive impacts on young children with a wide range of developmental needs, but those that work are rarely simple, inexpensive, or easy to implement. “There are no magic bullets or quick fixes for addressing the complexities of human development,” Shonkoff says. But we do have very good evidence that well-designed interventions definitely can shift the odds toward more favorable outcomes for children in a range of areas—how they think, how they communicate, how they feel, and how they are able to interact with others. “When early childhood services are informed by scientific knowledge about human development, they return both short-term developmental dividends and long-term human capital gains,” he adds. Children need us to take care of them as individuals today, says Shonkoff, so they will be able to give back to all of society tomorrow.

How Our Scientific Knowledge Can Help Guide Wise Investments for Children

The science of early childhood development has real and important consequences for public policymaking, says Shonkoff. When asked for examples, he recites a detailed list of programs with ease. And barely missing a beat, he points out the numerous ways in which many policies and services that affect young children fail to reflect our knowledge base about kids’ basic needs. Shonkoff’s mission is to make sure the programs we offer all children are rooted in credible evidence that assures their success.

For information about commonly used terms in Council publications, see Definitions.