Early Cognitive DevelopmentHow does cognition develop in infancy?Preference for novel objectsPreferential looking technique: Infants look longer at novel stimuli than at familiar stimuliEEG while lookingUnderlying phenomena: Orienting reflex, Habituation and dishabituationThe brain is complex at birthAll normal children follow a fixed pattern of acquiring basic physical skillsPrenatal development of nervous system determined geneticallyBy birth, the human brain: is complex, has cortical layers, is partially myelinatedVisual perception in infancyVisual acuityPartly dependent on cortical developmentPoor at birthDevelops rapidly over first six monthsAdult level of acuity by end of first yearDepth perception tied to development of binocular disparityAbility to use disparity information develops between 3.5 and 6 monthsAuditory perception in infancyNewborns can hear and locate general source of sounds (e.g. turn in direction of rattle sound)Approach adult levels of hearing by six monthsInfants have some memory for soundsDistinguish mother’s voice from stranger’s voice“Cat in the Hat” study indicates there is memory for voices heard in wombLearning is constrained by brain development (?)Brain development is correlated with cognitive developmentGoals of early brain growthSpecific areas must mature and become functionalRegions must become synaptically connected to communicateBasic plan: Overgeneration of connections, followed by synaptic pruningReflexes are behavioral patterns present at birthGrasping reflex, Rooting reflexOver time, the patterns become more complex and the infant learns controlCritical period: Developmental stage during which a young animal can acquire specific skills or knowledgeKagan’s developmental milestonesFirst milestone at 2 monthsDecrease in reflexive actionDevelopment of recognition memoryCortical control of brainstem developsSecond milestone 7 - 10 monthsImproved retrieval memorySelf-initiated locomotionNew emotional responsesReflects additional brain maturationPiaget’s developmental theoryFour distinct stages of development, each characterized by a different way of thinkingSchemas: Mental patternsAssimilation: New experience is placed into an existing schemaAccommodation: Adaptation or expansion of a schema to handle new experiencesSensorimotor stageObject permanenceHidden objects continue to existAchieved in sensorimotor stagePreoperational stageBeginning of symbolic thinkingObjects not presentPretendingThey do not yet think “operationally”, i.e. imagining logical consequencesConcrete operational stageLearn to think about operationsDevelop conservation, based on understanding the concept of reversible operationsFormal operational stageDevelop abstract reasoningHypothetic-deductive reasoningAbility to form and test hypothesesDoes object knowledge develop in infancy or is it innate?Early knowledge of physicsNewborns can follow movement with their head and eyes4-month-olds use movement to help identify objectsOther early physical knowledgeOne object cannot pass through anotherObjects move on continuous trajectoriesContact is required for objects to move each otherIntuitive mathematicsChildren have a basic understanding of quantityPiaget thought children did not understand quantityLater research indicates that they do have a basic intuitive understanding of amountReasoning and problem-solvingImpossible event task (Baillargeon)Objects require support to remain elevated (by 3 months)The support must be from below (by 4.5 months)A certain amount of support is needed (by 6.5 months)Theory of mindAbility to explain and predict other people’s behavior in terms of their mental states (knowing, wanting, etc.)Key mechanism in TOM: Ability to infer people’s mental states by observing their behaviorSally & Ann studyTOM may be domain specificInnatist DogmaBasic approachesDemonstrate ability at early age, compare to what “could have been learned” based on experience aloneCorrelate cognitive and brain developmentProblemsUnderestimating complexity of learning mechanisms (cf. Artificial Intelligence)Evidence of causation?A more balanced viewpointPreparednessPredispositions of attention; expectation for types of associations w/o knowing their natureCan be reflected in gross brain anatomyActive learningBeyond reinforcement of accidental actionsSearch for structure in sensory inputExplorationDo children have good memory systems?Revee-Collier studiesInfants 2 to 18 months trained to move mobile with footTested for memory after varying periods of time2-week-olds can rememberLength of memory increases with ageLimits to early memorySource amnesia: Recall of fact or incident, but confusion about source of knowledgeCommon for children, even when tested immediately after eventConfabulation: Inaccurate recounting of experienced events; “Honest lying”The “Sam Stone” studyThe influence of brain development on memoryFrontal lobes are slower to mature than other brain regions (full maturity in early adulthood)Adults with frontal damage show memory problems similar to children’sTemperamental factorsChildren tend to be impulsive and not reflect on answersPsych 301, 9/8/3Early Cognitive DevelopmentHow does cognition develop in infancy?Preference for novel objectsPreferential looking technique: Infants look longer at novel stimuli than at familiar stimuliEEG while lookingUnderlying phenomena: Orienting reflex, Habituation and dishabituationThe brain is complex at birth All normal children follow a fixed pattern of acquiring basic physical skillsPrenatal development of nervous system determined geneticallyBy birth, the human brain: is complex, has cortical layers, is partially myelinatedVisual perception in infancyVisual acuityPartly dependent on cortical developmentPoor at birthDevelops rapidly over first six monthsAdult level of acuity by end of first yearDepth perception tied to development of binocular disparityAbility to use disparity information develops between 3.5 and 6 monthsAuditory perception in infancyNewborns can hear and locate general source of sounds (e.g. turn in direction of rattle sound)Approach adult levels of hearing by six monthsInfants have some memory for soundsDistinguish mother’s voice from stranger’s voice“Cat in the Hat” study indicates there is memory for voices heard in wombLearning is constrained by brain development (?)Brain development is correlated with cognitive developmentGoals of early brain growthSpecific areas
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