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Nature – Nurture & the Brain

Nature – Nurture & the Brain. Carolyn R. Fallahi, Ph. D. Principles of Development. Physical Growth: disproportionate growth Proximodistal principle Cephalocaudal principle Principle of Hierarchical Integration Principle of the independence of systems. Brain Development.

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Nature – Nurture & the Brain

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  1. Nature – Nurture & the Brain Carolyn R. Fallahi, Ph. D.

  2. Principles of Development • Physical Growth: disproportionate growth • Proximodistal principle • Cephalocaudal principle • Principle of Hierarchical Integration • Principle of the independence of systems

  3. Brain Development • Facts about the Brain • At birth – brain has all the brain cells or neurons it will ever have. • Regeneration issue. • The role of the environment. • Neural plasticity.

  4. The role of the environment • Dr. Marion Diamond at the U. of California – Berkley. 1960s. • How does the brain develop? • What about IQ? • PET scans – Positron Emission Tomography. • Applications of Brain Research. • The role of nutrition and the brain.

  5. Birth to Three – the Brain • 100 billion neurons • 1 trillion glial cells • What happens if there is deprivation or lack of stimulation?

  6. Genes and the Brain • 100,000 genes in human DNA • 50,000 dedicated to constructing and maintaining the nervous system • The role of experience? • Brandi Binder example.

  7. Neural Circuitry and Stress • What happens to children who are physically abused? • Emotional deprivation? • Is there critical periods for development?

  8. Brain Plasticity • B-10 • Age 18 • The potential for greatness is encoded in the genes; but whether the potential is realized involves how patterns are etched by experience in critical years.

  9. Politics of Biology • Addictive disorders • Sexual orientation • Criminality • Nature or nurture? • The role of genes. • Implications? • 1965 study imprisoned criminals • Schizophrenia • LeVay (1991) studies on homosexual males

  10. Genes and Behavior • Are we going to be like our parents? • Can’t I change my destiny? • The biology-behavior connection • Animal Studies • Animal models • Family / adoption studies • Which is stronger? Nature or nurture? • Venter: We simply do not have enough genes for this idea of biological determinism to be right. Our environments are critical.

  11. Genes and behavior • Gene expression is vulnerable to experience. • Good example…. Fear of snakes. • What about language? • Love? • Antisocial behavior?

  12. Genes and Behavior • Francis Galton • John Locke • Konrad Lorenz • Ivan Pavlov • Sigmund Freud • Noam Chomsky

  13. Language Development • Noam Chomsky • Nature of human language • How do children learn to speak? • Theories prior to 1950 • B. F. Skinner and Behaviorism • Chomsky’s argument

  14. Chomsky’s theory • The seed language is part of the human genome. • Expressed level – surface structure • Deep structure – rooted at the level of the seed language • How do we convert deep structure into the surface structure? • Language acquisition device (LAD)

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