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DEVELOPEMENTAL PSYCHOLOGY
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Lecture notes of 5 pages for the course NEUROPSYCHOLOGY at UNN (LECUTRE 23/23)
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Lecture 23 – developmental psychology“Developmental cognitive neuroscience is an evolving field that investigates the relations
between neural and cognitive development” (Munakata, Casey & Diamond, 2004; 123)
“Attempts to bridge genetics and cognition are rapidly coming to the forefront of cognitive
neuroscience” (Scerif & Karmiloff-Smith, 2005; 126)
“a basic understanding of …. processes is an essential part of understanding how disruptions
of development that result in changes in the “hardware” that occur as cells make and
become the adult brain can be related to changes in the function of the adult brain”
(Nowakowski & Hayes, 2002)
Rapid brain development during gestation;
- As the brain develops the onset of convolutions on the cortical
surface take up to seven months to start to show.
- These convolutions (creases) are because there is a limited
amount of space in the brain and so increases the neural area.
- All the main structures are developed in the foetus.
Comparison of the size of the human brain during development;
- This change in volume is due to the increase of;
- Neuron growth
- Connections/synapses increase
- Glial cells develop
- Myelination of axons
- Kjaer et al, 2017, suggests that new-born infants have
- 20.7 x 109 number of neurones (‘determined in mid-fetal life) and
equivalent to adults.
The Weight of the Human Brain during Development;
- Weights peaks around 20 years and then starts to decline.
- A ‘pruning’ process of tuning of neural networks and losing neural processes not
required by the individual
The Development of Neuron (synaptic interaction);
- Increases in neurones from newborn to 24 months.
Myelination;
- May continue into the late twenties (if not later)
- During the first year after birth basic sensory and motors
- After 1 year between cortical and subcortical regions (e.g. corpus callosum)
- However, there are individual differences.
Neuropsychological Methods and the Intact Brain;
- We can use methods of neuroimaging even in infants e.g. EEG
- This allows us to get very accurate results to achieve data of neuropsychology on
infants.
, The Atypical Brain;
- Neuropsychological disorders observed in children unlike adults
- Genetic disorders affect not only the brain but other physical developments
- Much different to adult and why psychological and physical ae outlined here
- This is shown within three disorders.
Down syndrome (DS);
- Prevalence approx. 1:800 the most common chromosomal cause of learning
difficulty
- Caused by a ‘trisomy’ on chromosome 21 (extra chromosome)
- This is higher risk when mother gives birth when older;
- Age 30 <1:1000 /Age 35 = 1:400/Age 42 = 1:60
- Genotype = The genetic constitution of an organism or cell
- Phenotype = The observable physical and/or biochemical characteristics of the
expression of a gene
- In the context of neurodevelopmental disorders, the association between the
presence of a certain mutation (genotype) and the resulting physical trait or
abnormality (phenotype).
Down syndrome phenotype;
Physical:
- distinctive features: flat facial profile, upward
- slanting eyes, small ears, enlarged tongue
- low muscle tone, loose joints
- slow postnatal growth
Medical:
- sucking and feeding problems
- regular constipation
- digestive issues
- congenital heart defects
- hearing and vision (in almost half affected by DS)
- respiratory problems
IQ:
- by adulthood IQ is generally in moderate to severely delayed range (e.g. IQ=25-55)
Speech, Language, Verbal STM:
- clear deficits below mental age expectations (e.g. articulation, phonology, imitation,
syntax)
Visuo-construction:
- a relative strength in terms of mental age
Hippocampal functions:
- clear problems in adulthood (e.g. LTM) and childhood (e.g. Pennington et a., 2003)
the Ravens task;
- used as non-verbal IQ measure
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