3.2.3 Normal Brain and Behavioral Development

Question 1

What are some of the stages of language development and when do they occur throughout early life?

Answer 1

Question 2

What are some examples of neural plasticity changes in behavior?

Answer 2

Early language exposure and language discrimination

Music & the hemisphere specialization shift

Depression & recall bias

Dopamine and smoking cessation

Question 3

Describe the 3 NT systems at play in the brain

Answer 3

Question 4

Which brain structures are activated in LTM?

Answer 4

Activate cortical and subcortical temporal lobe structures : medial thalamus, mammillary bodies of hypothalamus

Question 5

What are the attributes of focused attention?

Answer 5

Searching for specific information (e.g., “Reike Auditorium”)

Modality specific (e.g., auditory vs visual)

Can be affected by arousal

Question 6

What is occuring in the human brain at these times of development:

~50 days, ~100 days, ~7 months, 9 months?

Answer 6

50 days “Begins” to look human

100 days: Looks “distinctly human”

~7 months: Emergence of gyri & sulci

9 months: Gross appearance of adult human brain

Question 7

What % of brain volume is present at birth? By 5 yrs?

Answer 7

At birth: 10% of volume

5 yrs: 90% of volume

Question 8

Name this theory: Interaction of genetic, biological and environmental factors important for cognitive development

Answer 8

Transactional model

Question 9

What is the information-processing model? (As it relates to memory)

Answer 9

Question 10

What are the three regions of the limbic system and what do they control?

Answer 10

Amygdala: fear and anger; some interpretation of emotional experience

Hippocampus: long-term memory, place memory, explicit memory

Cingulate cortex: some contribution to memory, navigation in space; generalized area - contributes to cognition, emotion and movement

Question 11

What is sustained attention? Give examples of condition in which sustained attention is affected

Answer 11

Maintaining focus on specific information throughout a behavior;

CPT (continuous performance task) and ADHD

Question 12

What are the two principle components of long term memory? What anatomy is associated with these two principle components?

For extra bonus knowledge points (that may or may not equate to actual points on the exam), what are some types of memory associated with those principle components?

Answer 12

H-change in sensitivity

S-more attention

A-driving car - don’t think about it

P-tying your shoes

S-Facts, figures and knowledge

E-remembering an event

Question 13

What are some of the basic emotions?

Answer 13

Inferred from facial expression

Happiness

Interest

Surprise

Fear

Sadness

Anger

Disgust

Become more reliable, pronounced and sophisticated across neonatal development

Question 14

What areas of the CNS are involved in non-conscious, non-focal attention?

Answer 14

Question 15

What is the sensory memory of the auditory system?

Answer 15

Echoic memory

Question 16

What type of attention: Resisting distraction by non-target information?

Answer 16

Selective attention

Question 17

What is short term/working memory? Capacity? Duration? Principle components? Anatomy?

Answer 17

Question 18

What acts as the main system for social cognition, facial recognition, and affiliation (theory of mind)?

Answer 18

Limbic system

Question 19

What type of attention: Switching between sets of information (E.g., Trails B Test = 1-A, 2-B, 3-C)?

Answer 19

Alternating attention/mental flexability

Question 20

What anatomy is associated with short term memory?

Answer 20

Prefrontal cortex (PFC)

Question 21

What areas of the brain are involved in conscious, focal attention?

Answer 21

Question 22

At which day of development does the neural plate emerge? At which day of development does the neural groove begin to form the neural tube?

Answer 22

Day 21: Neural plate emerges

Day 21-23: Neural tube

Question 23

Term for reliance on another to determine emotional response

Answer 23

Social referencing

Question 24

By what time period are most neurons formed?

Answer 24

2nd trimester (over-produced then undergo apoptosis)

Question 25

What is sensory memory? Its capacity? Duration? Principle components? Anatomy?

Answer 25

Question 26

What NTs are involved in explicit memory?

Answer 26

Ach, serotonin, NE (noradrenaline)

Question 27

When is most of myelination and modification of anatomical structures in the brain complete?

Answer 27

7 yrs

Question 28

What is the sensory memory of the visual system?

Answer 28

Iconic memory

Question 29

The hippocampus is a key structure for what type of memory?

Answer 29

LTM

Question 30

Mental function that regulates the flow of information

Answer 30

Attention

Question 31

What explains the rapid development of language b/t 15 and 24 months?

Answer 31

Maturation of Brocha’s and Wernicke’s area

Question 32

What is the term for the capacity of the brain to change (connections) in response to activity and experience (e.g., behavior and experience)?

Answer 32

Brain plasticity

Question 33

What type of attention: Processing two sources of information simultaneously under multiple demands?

Answer 33

Divided attention

Question 34

What are the two main NTs implicated in attention?

Answer 34

NE and DA (dopamine/dopaminergic)

Question 35

What are some of the higher-order emotions that begin to play out at 18-24 months of age?

Answer 35

More cognitive in nature; involve sense of self

• Shame
• Embarrassment
• Guilt
• Envy
• Pride

Demonstrates cultural variation

Question 36

How does sustained attention span mature throughout development?

Answer 36

Question 37

What are the 7 processes involved in neuronal development?

Answer 37

Question 38

What are the four core psychological faculties?

Answer 38

Attention

Memory

Language

Emotion

Question 39

What NTs are involved with implicit memory?

Answer 39

DA