From adversity to advantage: uncertainty priming provides executive function advantage in the context of childhood adversity and uncertainty
Tools
Tools
Sigsworth, Benjamin Robert George 
ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0006-8855-5191, Katus, Tobias, Collins, Peter ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4831-2524 and Katus, Laura
(2026)
From adversity to advantage: uncertainty priming provides executive
function advantage in the context of childhood adversity and
uncertainty.
Adversity and Resilience Science, 7:10.
pp. 1-17.
ISSN 2662-2416 (Online)
(doi:10.1007/s42844-026-00202-w)
Preview |
PDF (Open Access Article)
52602 SIGSWORTH_From_Adversity_To_Advantage_Uncertainty_Priming_Provides_Executive_Function_(OA)_2026.pdf - Published Version Available under License Creative Commons Attribution. Download (3MB) | Preview |
Abstract
Adversity in childhood, which includes adverse life experiences such as abuse and neglect, but can also be more broadly understood to encompass household dysfunction and uncertainty, has been widely linked to poorer cognitive and mental health outcomes and is often interpreted within a deficit-model framework. However, emerging evidence suggests that certain forms of early adversity, particularly exposure to uncertainty, may also foster context-specific cognitive adaptations. Drawing on the specialisation–sensitisation framework, the present study examined whether exposure to childhood uncertainty and adverse life experiences is associated with enhanced executive function (EF) performance under uncertainty-primed conditions in adulthood. In a quasi-representative UK sample (N = 435), participants completed validated measures of childhood uncertainty and childhood adversity alongside EF tasks assessing cognitive flexibility, inhibitory control, and working memory, following random assignment to either uncertainty or control priming. Higher childhood uncertainty and adversity exposure were associated with significantly better cognitive flexibility and inhibitory control performance under uncertainty priming, with no significant disadvantage under control conditions. An examination of the timing of adversity showed that early childhood exposure was associated with lower adult EF performance, regardless of priming context. Exposure to adversity in middle childhood was associated with a performance advantage under uncertainty priming conditions. Regarding adversity type, peer and family adversity were associated with overall cognitive flexibility performance disadvantages, whereas neglect exposure was associated with a cognitive flexibility performance advantage under uncertainty priming conditions. These findings add nuance to the discussion of impairments following childhood adversity and highlight the potential for adaptive calibration of cognitive systems. This work supports the need for context-sensitive assessments and interventions that acknowledge both the risks and the functional adaptations associated with early life adversity.
Actions (login required)
 |
View Item |
Downloads
Downloads per month over past year