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You’re misconstruing the basis of the study. Cause is not interchangeable with parameter.

The focus and context of the study was poverty, not stress. One done on stress might provide some relative material, and be useful, but your assumption is a bit irresponsible.

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Poverty is an abstract concept. It's a number in a bank's database. That's like a study during the depression claiming that the stock market drives down intelligence. It's not very meaningful. What's the real cause of cognitive decline? Stress? Less sleep? I would bet one of those two.

> “We suggest that this is because poverty-related concerns consume mental resources, leaving less for other tasks.”

So I think they are saying "mental preoccupation" more than "stress" per se is the cause of the decline. At a certain point, however, mental preoccupation is the same as stress so it may be a distinction without a difference.

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