Development of the child's brain and behavior (original) (raw)
Related papers
2010
of the original article: How do minds emerge from developing brains? According to “neural constructivism, ” the representational features of cortex are built from the dynamic interaction between neural growth mechanisms and environmentally derived neural activity. Contrary to popular selectionist models that emphasize regressive mechanisms, the neurobiological evidence suggests that this growth is a progressive increase in the representational properties of the cortex. The interaction between the environment and neural growth results in a flexible type of learning: “constructive learning ” minimizes the need for prespecification in accordance with recent neurobiological evidence that the developing cerebral cortex is largely free of domain-specific structure. Instead, the representational properties of the cortex are built by the nature of the problem domain confronting it. This uniquely powerful and general learning strategy undermines the central assumption of classical learnabili...
Where developmental psychology and neuroscience meet: A threatening or a felicitous encounter?
Infancia y Aprendizaje, 2010
Recently, a new field of developmental cognitive/socio-affective neuroscience has emerged at the crossroads of Developmental Psychology and Neuroscience, linked to new advances in neuroimaging and electrophysiological measures. This paper presents arguments and evidence from a variety of research areas to illustrate the potential strength of the neuroscience approach to the study of developmental phenomena. In particular, it is argued that adding neurological data to our theorisation of change may produce several beneficial effects: a) bringing new light to old topics; b) refining complex psychological constructs, and c) developing research areas that contemplate several levels of analysis, from genes to contextual influences. Finally, some reflections are presented on the challenges involved in adapting to new technologies and building new theoretical proposals. It is concluded that these challenges are worthwhile because they could potentially bring an end to the polarisation in our discipline between cognitive and sociocultural approaches by encompassing both within a more comprehensive view of developmental processes.
In their article, "Plasticity and the ageing mind: an exemplar of the bio-cultural orchestration of brain and behaviour", Baltes and Singer (2001) examined their previous research, both quantitative and qualitative, on the field of development and plasticity (Baltes & by compiling an overview of the current understanding of the process of plasticity in later human life, they attempted to present a summarized concept of such understanding by unifying recent findings from seemingly unrelated fields of humanistic, social, behavioral and medical sciences. Baltes and Singer (2001) suggested that, as illustrated by numerous studies, plasticity plays an important role not only in the development of minds of infants and young people, but its influence extends well into later phases of human life.
How a Child Builds Its Brain: Some Lessons from Animal Studies of Neural Plasticity
Preventive Medicine, 1998
is used correctively, e.g., using psychotherapy to help Although the potential vulnerability of children's heal the wounds of early experience. A central issue, brain development is generally recognized, relatively however, has been whether the remarkable neural plaslittle is known about the timing, resiliency, or mechaticity observed in childhood persists into maturity or nisms involved. While animal research should be apwhether some types of early trauma or deprivation are plied only cautiously to human policy, some findings irreversible in their effects on the brain. do have important clinical implications. This paper Although it has commonly been assumed that the briefly reviews animal studies demonstrating the efeffects of early experience must persist via enduring fects of experience on brain structure. Contemporary biological changes in the brain, the mechanisms of that theories emphasize the self-organizing potential of change have been largely unknown until recently. We brain structure, particularly regions that seem to have evolved for the purpose of storing information. We em-will argue here that experience alters brain structure phasize three major findings: (1) many regions of the to form persisting memories, not in a monolithic or rigid brain are responsive to experience, but they differ in fashion, but rather utilizing multiple, flexible brain systhe types of information stored and in their developtems that can encode different types of experience and mental timing. (2) One type of plasticity is typically often on different developmental schedules [1]. embedded in a developmental program, and it requires It is clear that much of brain development is directed appropriate timing and quality of the information by information from the genome, and some aspects of stored for the animal's development to be normal. (3) experience merely "trigger" developmental processes Another category of plasticity stores information that without storing any detailed information. Waddington's is idiosyncratic and unpredictable, but is often useful concept of embryonic "canalization" is applicable to for species such as humans that learn throughout their life span. We therefore expect that some aspects of hu-many of these developmental processes, as typically man brain development use the first type of plasticity they are relatively resistant to experience. The adaptive and that abnormal experience or deprivation may value of such canalized, genetically directed brain decause lasting harm to brain and behavior. However, velopment is obvious, as these types of processes will because the other type of plasticity lasts a lifetime, result in uniform, species-specific brain anatomy, proefforts such as psychotherapy or social interventions tected from the vagaries of the environment. may help heal a wounded brain. ᭧1998 American Health Foun-Clearly, however, not all information about brain dation and Academic Press structure can be stored in the genome. In some species,
A happy marriage between developmental psychology and neuroscience, yes but…with some problems
Infancia y Aprendizaje, 2010
In this response to the commentaries on the target article, "Where developmental psychology and neuroscience meet: A threatening or a felicitous encounter?" I address three nuclear topics. First, I make explicit some underlying assumptions that prevent us from reducing psychological to neurological phenomena. Second, I delve deeper into the relationships between neurological and psychological levels. In so doing, I describe some strengths and shortcomings of neuroimaging techniques in their attempt to analyse brain functioning. Finally, I add some evidence illustrating that Neuroscience can place the Nature/Nurture debate on more productive grounds.