Developmental Psychology

• Biopsychology


  The branch of neuroscience concerned with the biology of behaviour
• Related terms


  • Biopsychology
  • Psychobiology
  • Behavioural biology
  • Behavioural neuroscience
• Biopsychology


  • Relation of neural activity to cognitive phenomena - mapping function (what the brain does) onto structure (its physical makeup)
  • Brain imaging – EEG, PET, MRI
  • Atypical brain functioning
• Developmental cognitive neuroscience


  Combination of biological techniques & psychological techniques
• The Nature/Nurture debate is relevant to brain development and cognition
• Information Processing Approach


  • People process information
  • Processing: mentally acting on information
  • Information - external (to ourselves) or internal (already in our minds)
  • Child is a limited capacity processor
  • Space/Energy/Time metaphor
  • Mental actions can be referred to as: operations/strategies/procedures etc.
  • Speed of processing
• Cognitive Modules


  • Specialised sub-units or tools used for specific cognitive functions
  • Conceptualises the mind as modular
• Innateness


  • Genetic blueprint
  • Epigenesis - two way interaction between genes & environment
  • Slower development than other mammals
  • More brain development outside womb
  • Larger cerebral cortex
  • Larger frontal lobes
• Prenatal brain development


  1. Neurons born (neural tube)

  2. Migrate

  3. Differentiate (final form)

  4. 6-18 weeks: neurons for cerebral cortex

  5. Active migration - inside out pattern

  6. Passive migration
• Myelination


  1. Formation of the insulating myelin sheath around some axons

  2. Begins prenatally & continues into early adulthood

  3. Formation of myelin speeds up and increases information processing
• Post-natal brain development


  1. Increase in size, complexity, & reach of dendritic tree of neurons

  2. Increase in no. of synapses & no. of neural connections

  3. Peak 1 yr - 50% more synapses in visual cortex than adult

  4. Peak 24 months - prefrontal cortex

  5. Decrease or pruning of connections
• Plasticity


  • Brain is "plastic" at birth
  • Brain damage - other areas possibly take over function
  • Brain growth - increasing specialisation
  • Tissues & cells more differentiated in structure & function
  • Restriction of fate
  • Adult brain is characterised by specialised cortical regions
  • As neurons become increasingly differentiated they become more specialised
• Modules


  • Localisation of perceptual, motor, & cognitive - approximately same region of cortex
  • Differentiation of cerebral cortex into different structural units (hardware) and different functional units (function) or modules
  • Cognitive modules - hypothetical constructs/functions of the brain
  • Broca's (production) & Wernicke's (comprehension) area
• Declarative memory


  • Episodic memory - memory for episodes
  • Semantic memory - memory for language/concepts/rules
• Non-declarative (Procedural) memory


  • Unconscious (e.g. riding a bike)
  • Different areas of brain used for different memories
• Explicit memory


  Hippocampus - storing explicit info to long-term memory
• Learning to follow rules

  1. Following arbitrary rules - reflection of consciousness & cognitive self control

  2. Dimensional card sorting task - colour game & shape game

  3. 3yr olds fail to sort by new criteria, but can tell you new rule

  4. Perseverative errors - children have learned a response & continue even when rules change

  5. Reflection of poor inhibitory control

  6. Cognitive complexity & control theory - ability to represent complex rule changes develops with age

  7. Increased control of cognition/behaviour

  8. Frontal lobes