Media representations of early human development

Protecting, feeding and loving the developing brain

Bibliographic Data

ID4592500
AuthorsCarla O’connor (0000-0001-8134-075X, University College London), Cliodhna O'Connor, H Joffe (0000-0003-3701-5014, University College London)
Year2013
Volume97
Pages297-306
Publication date2013-11-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueSocial Science & Medicine (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0277-9536 • E-ISSN: 1873-5347
PublisherElsevier BV (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1016/j.socscimed.2012.09.048
PMID23273760
OpenAlexW1973701875
LanguageEN
Citations received22
References cited40

The public profile of neurodevelopmental research has expanded in recent years. This paper applies social representations theory to explore how early brain development was represented in the UK print media in the first decade of the 21st century. A thematic analysis was performed on 505 newspaper articles published between 2000 and 2010 that discussed early brain development. Media coverage centred around concern with 'protecting' the prenatal brain (identifying threats to foetal neurodevelopment), 'feeding' the infant brain (indicating the patterns of nutrition that enhance brain development) and 'loving' the young child's brain (elucidating the developmental significance of emotionally nurturing family environments). The media focused almost exclusively on the role of parental action in promoting optimal neurodevelopment, rarely acknowledging wider structural, cultural or political means of supporting child development. The significance of parental care was intensified by deterministic interpretations of critical periods, which implied that inappropriate parental input would produce profound and enduring neurobiological impairments. Neurodevelopmental research was also used to promulgate normative judgements concerning the acceptability of certain gender roles and family contexts. The paper argues that media representations of neurodevelopment stress parental responsibility for shaping a child's future while relegating the contributions of genetic or wider societal factors, and examines the consequences of these representations for society and family life

Brain development · Child development · Developmental psychology · Media studies · Newspaper · Normative · Political science · Politics · Qualitative research · Social science · Sociology · Thematic analysis · Child and Animal Learning Development · Early Childhood Education and Development · Law · Neuroscience · Psychology · Social Representations and Identity

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