Growing up poor affects adults' sense of control, impulsiveness when faced with economic uncertainty

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2014-08/apa-gup081914.php

PUBLIC RELEASE DATE: 20-Aug-2014

Contact: Lisa Bowen
American Psychological Association
Growing up poor affects adults' sense of control, impulsiveness when faced with economic uncertainty
Different perceptions of control affects ability to delay gratification, study shows

WASHINGTON - Growing up poor can influence people's sense of control and in turn may lead them to more impulsive decision-making and quickly give up on challenging tasks in uncertain situations, according to new research published by the American Psychological Association.

"Two people with different childhood backgrounds are likely to respond to uncertainty in different ways, even if as adults they have a similar socioeconomic status (SES). We found that adults who grew up poor were more inclined to consider difficult and uncertain living conditions as beyond their control, while those from affluent backgrounds found them to be within their control. This leads to different reactions to the same situation," said lead author Chiraag Mittal, MS, a doctoral student at the University of Minnesota.

Differing perceptions of control affected whether people were able to postpone a reward, with people from poorer backgrounds behaving more impulsively in uncertain situations than those from wealthy families, the research found. In addition, after recalling personal financial hardship and then asked to solve a difficult puzzle, those who grew up poor gave up much sooner than those who grew up wealthy, even if they had similar incomes as adults.

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