Cognitive development in Adolescence Flashcards
What are the basic level cognitive functions and what brain structure are they associated with?
Attention, perception and memory - Limbic system
What are the high level cognitive functions and what brain structure are they associated with?
Logical reasoning and problem solving - PFC
What are cognitive functions linked to?
Cognitive functions, especially high functions, are linked to the prefrontal cortex
What is the maturation of the PFC linked to?
Maturation of cognitive functions
What are the three interrelated concepts with cognitive functions in adolescents?
1) Content of adolescent cognitive functions – ie what information is being used
2) Structure in which adolescents’ cognitive functions are organised - ie how it is related to other cognitive functions
3) Process by which adolescents perform basic and higher functions - ie how a problem is approached from beginning to solution
What is perception?
A cognitive ability that is present from early in life.
Does perception change with age?
Yes, it changes with age and we see changes in the flexibility of perception
How is flexibility of perception tested?
It is tested easily with ambiguous figures. (IE a figure that can be perceived in two or more ways)
Give an example of a research study that tests perception.
Gopnik and Rosati 2001, Van Krevelen 1959, Wimmer et al 2011
Found that when presented with ambiguous figures
- younger children (3-5 year olds) generally report seeing one figure
- Only when an adult makes the distinction between the two elements do younger children see a second figure
- Young adolescents 11-13 year olds can perceive them more flexibly
What is selective attention?
The ability to allocate attentional resources and focus on a specific object.
Does selective attention change?
Yes, the ability improves with age, especially in adolescence.
What is selective attention crucial for?
Problem solving where you may need to pay attention to relevant information and ignore irrelevant information
What is an example of a research study to do with selective attention?
Central incidental learning task
- A task using set cards containing two objects belonging to different categories, e.g an animal and a tool
- Participants asked to remember only one category (ie central) and not pay attention to the other one (incidental)
Later they are asked to recall items from both categories
Adolescents are more likely than younger children to remember more items from the central class than the incidental class - so better at selective attention
What is processing speed?
It is defined as the time it takes the brain to receive or output information, or the speed in which mental calculation can be carried out.
When does speed of processing develop?
Rapidly during childhood and continues to develop during adolescence
Describe processing speed in adolescents.
Older adolescents show faster speed of processing compared to younger ones.
What is the development of processing speed driven by?
Maturation of white matter in the brain - maelynation
What is matrix reasoning?
A type of reasoning measure
It is a subtest of the Weschler Abbreviated Scale of Intelligence
Modelled after a traditional test of ‘fluid’ or non-verbal reasoning; the Raven’s progressive Matrices - Raven 1938
Measures the ability to select the geometrical visual stimulus that accurately completes an array of stimuli arranged according to one or more progression rules
What is the block design reasoning measure?
Another subtest of WASI
Measures the ability to arrange a set of red-and-white blocks in such a way as to reproduce a two-dimensional visual pattern shown on a set of cards
What is concept formation?
Subtest of the Woodcock-Johnson tests of achievement
Participants must identify rules that make up geometric figures after being exposed to concepts
What is analysis synthesis?
Subtest of the Woodcock-Johnson tests of achievement
Measures the ability to analyse the structure of an incomplete logic puzzle and complete the missing parts
What is short term memory?
Memory that is only required for a short period of time
Sometimes referred to as temporal memory or working memory