Nurturescience Versus Neuroscience

Two views of the same nurturescience: NINO view and NSP Columbia view

Nuturescience (NSP Columbia view)

Comparison of nurturescience and neuroscience

Nurturescience Neuroscience
Relevant time period Perinatal, conception to birth to 1 year
First 1000 minutes
1 month – 3 years (ECD)
First 1000 days
Critical periods (brief) Brain maturation, sensitive periods (long)
Autonomic objective Homeorhesis Homeostasis; Allostasis
Emotions regulatory mechanism Viscera / ANS / Limbic Limbic brain / neocortex
Fetus/neonate acutely aware of threat Infant and toddler develop threat awareness
Co-regulation, buffering of stress Self-regulation of stress (within self)
Emotional learning mechanism ANS primary influence on behavior CNS primary influence on behavior
Autonomic learning or conditioning CNS conditioning, operant
Fetal & neonatal connectome Prolonged infant brain maturation
Maternal peripartum neuroplasticity Maternal learning of competence
Open feedback loop (with others) Closed feed-back loop (within self)
Dyadic / family (plural) Individual (singular)
Theoretical roots Dynamic systems theory, ecology Reductionistic logic, isolationist
Biology, ethology, anthropology Sociology (Maslow, Dunbar)
Physiology, polyvagal theory Psychology
Epigenetics Genetics-Epigenetics
Epigenetic adaptation / maladaptation Toxic stress, allostatic load
Intervention target Boost parasympathetic, calming
ANS and emotional behavior
Counter sympathetic, excitability
CNS and cognition
KEY OUTCOMES EMOTIONAL CONNECTION
RESILIENCE
ATTACHMENT
COGNITION
KEY OBJECTIVES RELATIONAL HEALTH
Sociality
Interdependence
SELF-ACTUALIZATION (Maslow)
Individualistic
Independence