Lifespan & The Brain (3) Flashcards
One of the founders of cognitive development
Piaget
2 theories of cognitive development
Domain general
Domain specific
Domain general theory of cognitive development*
- everything is linked to each other
- one line of development determines all other changes
- if something goes wrong in one area, it will impact on other areas of cognition too
Domain specific theory of cognition*
- different lines of cognitive development operate independently
- cognition is a MODULAR, HETEROGENOUS system
- if one module fails to fully develop, others can still operate successfully
Constructivism (Piaget)*
Form mental representations of the world based on experiences
Schemas (according to Piaget)
Building blocks of knowledge. A mental representation of the environment
2 main processes schemas develop from (Piaget)*
Assimilation
Accomodation
Assimilation (Piaget)
The process of translating and incorporating information using current schemas (info is similar - equilibrium)
Accommodation (Piaget)
The process of adapting current/ old knowledge structures in response to new experiences (info is challenging/ disequilibrium)
Stage theory
You cannot develop to a late stage without having developed through all the preceding stages first
4 stages in Piaget’s stage theory**
- Sensorimotor (0-2 years)
- Pre-operational ((2-7 years)
- Concrete operations (7-11/12 years)
- Formal operations (11/12 years+)
Key milestone for sensorimotor stage
Object permanence
How can the sensorimotor stage be researched? (Babies 0-2 may not be able to talk e.t.c.)
- habituation/looking time
- eye tracking
- search
Children in the pre-operational stage are…
Egocentric
Key milestone for concrete operational stage
Conservation
Maturation
Changes driven by genetic processes according to specific timetables (the nature side)
Critical periods
Time limited windows when specific experiences must occur to drive maximal development. Learning is ineffective outside these time windows
Sensitive periods
Time limited windows when specific experiences have their largest effects. Learning can still be effective outside these windows
Experienced-expectant*
Processes that utilise environmental information that is highly reliable for all members of the species (e.g. hearing a language)
Experience-dependent*
Processes that utilise environmental information that can vary across individuals (e.g. the language that was heard)
Plasticity
The capacity for modification
When does the brain reach approximately 90% adult volume
6 years
Myelination*
Coating the axon of each neuron with fatty coating to protect it and help it conduct signals more efficiently
Speeds up neural transmission
Increases in white matter
Inhibits critical periods by inhibiting axon growth
Gogtay et al
Maturation of low level sensory & motor cortices occurring prior to prefrontal and temporal cortices - which are involved in higher level cognition + regulation of behaviour
Brain development is..
- protracted (goes on for a long time)
- non linear
- sensitive to positive & negative env influences
How does myelination inhibit critical periods
By inhibiting axon growth
Ways of understanding brain maturation
Animal studies
EEG
Near infrared spectrography
MRI/fMRI
What helps develop inferential interference (identifying commonality) between childhood and adolescence
Maturation of the hippocampus
The better - the bigger the head of the hippocampus
Greater activation in which areas from 6 to adulthood
Hippocampus
Entorhinal cortex
Retrosplenial
Parahippocampal
Fusiform gyrus
