LEC 3 - Adaptive Systems - Neuro Cognitive Systems Flashcards
What is the consensus on guidelines for intervention after an adverse event?
consensus guidelines interventions
boost resilience → sense of safety, calming, sense of self- and collective efficacy, connectedness, hope, keep families together, allow for recovery time (often wait a month before intervening, but in the month you do need to restabilize the individual; open schools, keep families together, etc. just look at whether the protective factors work)
What is the Role of Adaptive Systems in resilience?
there is a really clear pattern of things that work/help regardless of what a child has experienced, how old they are, or what their gender is → these factors are likely to positively contribute to a child that experienced trauma
What are Adaptive Systems?
Adaptive systems are different levels at which
adaptation/development can happen. These systems can set forth certain resilience factors, which could thus make
children resilient.
What is the Short List of protective factors regarding adaptive systems?
(1) individual level and
biology (pink), (2) immediate environment (green), and (3)
wider ecology (white).
What is Attachement and Attachement Theory?
Attachment is an affectional bond between an individual and an attachment figure needed for safety, security and
protection. A secure attachment provides a base for exploration and learning. In later relationships individuals with a secure attachment pattern are thought to be more
comfortable with closeness. They also seek partners that are responsive to their needs.
Attachment theory entails that a strong emotional and physical bond to one primary caregiver in the first years of our life, is critical for our development. If the bonding is strong securely attached one feels more secure and safe to explore the world. Secure attachment creates greater trust and have more ease to connect with others, while insecurely attachment have distrust, lack social skills, and have problems forming relationships.
Adaptive System
- in developmental theory one of the most important is the attachment theory; in the last part of the first year of life, an infant forms a bonding relation with the primary caregiver (but also other caregivers, but to a lesser extent) this relationship serves as a blueprint for all the infants’ later social relationships, a signpost for safety, emotional security, learning. once the attachment system is organized in this kind of caregiver-child relationship, a threat perceived by either the parent or the child can then trigger attachment behavior; attachment behavior is when a child runs towards the parent for safety
- in the case of children who experience trauma or abuse, often have a disorganized attachment; they do not trust their caregiver, that trickles into the way that they engage in new relationships in the future as well. attachment theory is a way/process through which we think that parenting affects how you deal with other people (and your own children in later life)
- as children grow older they form attachment relationships with their teachers, friends (and in the case of their friends the balance of attachment becomes more equal)
- the parent can help regulate the responses of their children → later on the peers can help co-regulate each others emotions, this is why friendships are so important; you can help regulate your friend’s stress responses → co-regulation plays a really important role in the development of self-regulatory ability and the way in which people engage with others in later life
What is Intelligence and IQ?
Intelligence: Capabilities for thinking and problems solving needed for learning and adapting
IQ: Estimate of intelligence but does not capture all aspects of intelligenc
What is the role of intelligence in adaptive systems?
- individual differences in thinking and problem solving related to learning and adapting to the environment
- associate with competence in developmental tasks and most particularly with academic or work achievement
- just by teaching childrens, by building their cognitive abilities and capacity to plan, to learn, etc. through positive manifold, schools can help build resilience
- intelligence plays a lesser important role in regards to cognitive skills and capacity
- cognitive self-regulation is more important than intelligence itself
- cognitive development, executive functioning, can be aided by nutrition and health care, schools, safe neighborhoods, but it can also be undermined by stress and trauma
What is the role of self-regulation in adaptive systems?
- self-regulation skills, including self-management of attention, arousal, emotions, and actions
- capacity to keep adaptive control and take adaptive action to manage the self in relation to the environment would be associated with better outcomes
- attachment theory; self-regulation through caregivers
→ marshmallow studies: the longer children can wait, the better their outcomes (financial wealth, type of job) ability of self-control
What are executive functions?
- executive functions: working memory, inhibitory control, and cognitive flexibility
- executive function skills appear to be a key protective influence for high-risk children, enabling them to succeed in a context of severe adversity or poverty
- toxic stress or good quality parenting can impact executive function development
What is Mastery Motivation?
Force that helps children to attempt things independently in a focused and persistent manner
What is Self-efficacy?
Belief in your own ability to succeed
- self-efficacy is socially and cognitively constructed
- efficacy: the experienced feelings of satisfaction associated with perceived accomplishment
- self-efficacy arises from the experience of overcoming manageable challenges
faith, hope, and belief that life has meaning → a really important protective factor in young people
What are the type’s of MRI scans?
- Brain Structure
- Structural Connectivity
- Task based functional mri and functional connectivitiy.
How does the brain develop over a lifespan?
What is the Latent Vulnerabilty Model by McCrory and Viding?
The latent vulnerability model, introduced by Eamon J. McCrory and Essi Viding, reconceptualizes the link between childhood maltreatment and psychiatric disorders. This model suggests that early adverse experiences, such as neglect or abuse, lead to changes in neurocognitive systems. These changes are adaptations to the early environment but can become maladaptive later in life, increasing the risk of psychiatric disorders.
The latent vulnerability model
is a model that explains the outcome of a person who grew up with an adverse environment (e.g.
abuse or neglect).
This can lead to neurocognitive and biological systems to adapt in ways that might
have short-term functional advantages but increase future risk of poor psychiatric outcome (e.g. anxiety and depression).
In a normative environment it is more likely that a child will come out with a healthy brain. However, with an adverse environment it depends on the type and (developmental)
timing (: younger children are less likely to experience some traumatic events, a child also experiences certain sensitive
periods in brain development) of exposure if it will affect the brain negatively. However, healthy with a normative environment is different than a healthy with a adverse
environment (the same with not healthy). Child exposed to an adverse environment generally have a reduced volume and altered development of brain systems and have augmented and diminished
functioning.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xYBUY1kZpf8
What is the Transdiagnostic model of CA? McLaughlin
The Transdiagnostic model of childhood adversity from McLaughlin shows how bad experiences during childhood can lead to mental health problems later in life. It does this by highlighting two key areas affected by these experiences: how children process emotions and how well their brains function in areas of higher-level thinking.
The Bad Experiences
The model identifies two main types of bad experiences, called distal risk factors:
- Threat: This refers to experiences that involve actual harm or the threat of harm, like abuse or witnessing violence.
- Deprivation: This refers to the absence of important things that children need for healthy development, like love, care, and opportunities to learn. Examples include neglect, growing up in an institution, and poverty.
These experiences are “distal” because they don’t directly cause mental health problems. Instead, they work through other processes.
The Affected Areas
The model proposes that threat and deprivation can negatively impact two key areas:
-
Emotional Processing: This is how children understand and manage their emotions. It includes:
- Paying attention to and remembering emotional information: Children who experience threat might become overly focused on signs of danger.
- How strongly they react to emotions: They might become more easily upset or scared.
- How well they can calm themselves down: They might have difficulty managing strong emotions.
-
Executive Functioning: This refers to skills that help children control their thoughts and behaviour. These skills are important for learning, problem-solving, and making good decisions. It includes:
- Working memory: Holding information in mind.
- Inhibition: Stopping themselves from doing something they shouldn’t.
- Cognitive flexibility: Switching between different tasks or ideas.
The Pathways
The model suggests that threat and deprivation affect these areas in different ways:
- Threat primarily disrupts emotional processing. Children who experience threat might learn to see the world as dangerous, making them more reactive to negative emotions and less able to manage those emotions effectively.
- Deprivation primarily affects executive functioning. Children raised in deprived environments may not have enough opportunities to develop these essential brain skills, leading to problems with self-control and learning.
Making Sense of Different Outcomes
The model also recognises that not all children who have bad experiences develop mental health problems. Factors that can influence this include:
- Individual Differences: Some children are simply more sensitive to their environments than others.
- Timing: The age at which children experience adversity can make a difference. Some periods of development are more sensitive to certain experiences than others.
- Ongoing Context: What happens in children’s lives after they experience adversity can either make things better or worse. For example, having a supportive adult can make a big difference.
By highlighting these different factors, the model helps to explain why children who have similar experiences might have very different outcomes. It emphasises that understanding the complex interplay of risk and protective factors is crucial for preventing mental health problems in children who have faced adversity.
What is the connection between different parts of the brain, emotional regulation, and coping ability regarding stress?
Being resilient shows a stronger connectivity between different parts of the
brain, improved ability to regulate emotions, and an increased ability to cope
with stress. To measure resilience you can put psychological functioning (y-axis)
against the childhood adversity (x-axis) experienced.
