In fact, they state that: “it is common knowledge that alcohol consumption during pregnancy would cause cognitive impairment in children.” they are concerned that: “...Social cognitive learning recent works suggested that the risk of drinking during pregnancy may have been exaggerated.” thus, they determined it “critical to determine whether and up to which amount the consumption of alcohol will affect the cognitive development of children.”

social cognitive learning

Significantly, they cited two studies they wished to challenge. One, “society, don't blame mothers (2014), warned against relying on animal studies and encouraged “more responsible discussion” in limiting mothers' freedom.Social cognitive learning it noted that the surgeon general's advice against drinking when pregnant did not reduce U.S. Rates of fetal alcohol syndrome, even though many moderate drinkers halted drinking.Social cognitive learning it may be important to know that none of this article's seven authors were physicians, physicists or biochemists. Instead, they represented epidemiology, history, philosophy and anthropology.Social cognitive learning

The other article, from denmark (2012) in the journal “obstetrics and gynecology,” concluded that “no safe level of drinking during pregnancy has been established, (thus) the most conservative advice for women is not to drink alcohol during pregnancy.Social cognitive learning however, the present study suggests that small volumes consumed occasionally may not present serious concern.” note the use of “may not.”

All the scientists are discussing damage to brain development in the fetus.Social cognitive learning children exposed to alcohol prenatally are at risk of developing fetal alcohol spectrum disorder. For decades, this was called merely fetal alcohol syndrome and was observed primarily by distortion of facial features – smaller head, eye folds, small eye openings, thin and smooth upper lip.Social cognitive learning the wider designation recognizes the more important damage is to the brain, resulting in a range of behavioral problems including attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, learning difficulty, impaired impulse control, social interaction problems and difficulties in processing information.Social cognitive learning in other words, the spectrum is both broad and sometimes subtle, not easily picked up using statistical meta studies.

The 2019 AIP journal article was titled “quantitative assessment of cerebral connectivity deficiency and cognitive impairment in children with prenatal alcohol exposure.” it used “somatosensory evoked magnetoencephalographic measurements” to analyze the location and timing of brain defects.Social cognitive learning primarily, alcohol seems to damage the connections between the two sides of the brain. The authors note an association between dysfunctional thinking and such connectivity and also note that the defect is seen in autism, depression, and alzheimer's disease.Social cognitive learning

The authors conclude: “the common sense advice 'please do not drink alcohol during pregnancy!' still applies, but it is now validated and backed up by our work that shows that prenatal alcohol exposure can lead to both deficiency in cortical inter-hemispheric connectivity and cognitive impairment occurring from both occasional and consistent drinking. ...Social cognitive learning this work presents major evidence that children exposed to alcohol prenatally are at risk of suffering from impaired cognitive abilities and other secondary factors, providing the recommendation of no safe amount of alcohol consumption during pregnancy.”

social cognitive learning

Our judgment is: until new data proves otherwise, no amount of alcohol can be drunk safely during pregnancy. While we want to avoid scapegoating mothers, as suggested by the social-scientist authors of “society, don't blame mothers,” we note that they hedged by saying “although no one denies that healthy behaviour is important during pregnancy, all those involved should be at pains to explain that findings are too preliminary to provide recommendations for daily living.”

social cognitive learning

We urge keeping an open mind; after five years, the findings are far less preliminary. We now have more information and with visible measurements more precise than statistical anecdotes.Social cognitive learning mothers who worry about vaccinations – demonstrated not to be a cause of autism – have sound reasons to be concerned about alcohol. What these scientists propose is nine months without alcohol vs.Social cognitive learning a possible lifetime of regret. As poet john greenleaf whittier wrote: “of all sad words of tongue and pen, the saddest are these, 'it might have been.' ”