Notions on Cognitive Development: Viewing

educational media with a critical eye

What is Cognitive Development?

It refers to orderly changes from birth to death in an individual’s…

Thinking Reasoning Decision making

Three key issues

What is the source of development?

• What we are born with…

Nature: heredity, genes, biological processes, maturation, etc.

• What we are born into…

Nurture: education, parenting, culture, social policies, etc.

What is the shape of development?

• Quantitative…A continuous process

characterized by a gradual increase in abilities.

• Qualitative…This is discontinuous in

nature and characterized by level periods and sudden growth in abilities.

How important is timing?

Critical periods…Refers to time periods by which a person NEEDS to learn how to do something (e.g., speak). After that period it might be too late to learn.Sensitive periods…Refers to time periods when a person is especially ready for certain kinds of experiences.

Beware of either/or

Today, most psychologists view human development as a set of interacting and co-acting contexts, from the inner biological structures and processes to the external factors.

General Principles of Development

• People develop at different rates.

• Development is relatively orderly.

• Development takes place gradually.

The Developing Brain: Neurons

An infant brain has billions

of neurons or specialized

nerve cells that accumulate

and transmit information (in

the form of electrical

activity) in the brain and

other parts of the nervous

system.

The Developing Brain: Synapse

The dendrites: receive messages.The axons: send out messages.The axons and dendrites do not actually touch. Information transmission across neurons takes place in the synapse (space between neurons). Neurons release chemicals that jump across the synapses.

The Developing Brain: Neurogenesis

As opposed to the prior belief that all the

neurons a person would ever have were present

at birth, but now we know that the production

of new neurons, neurogenesis, continues into

adulthood.

The developing brain: Overproduction and Pruning

At birth: Each of the child’s 100 to 200 billion neurons has about 2,500 synapses.

By age 2-3 years: Each neuron has around 15,000 synapses. They are oversupplied with neurons and synapses that they will need to adapt to their environments.

With time, only those neurons which are used will survive, and unused neurons will be “pruned.” Pruning is necessary for cognitive development.

Overproduction and Pruning: 2 types

Experience-expectant: Synapses are overproduced in certain parts of the brain during specific developmental periods, expecting to be stimulated. Unused neurons are gradually pruned.Experience-dependent: Synaptic connections are formed based on the individual’s experiences. New synapses are formed in response to neural activity in very localized areas of the brain when a person is unsuccessful in processing information. Again, more synapses are produced than will be kept after pruning.

The Cerebral Cortex

• The outer 1/8 inch thick covering of the brain is the cerebral cortex.

• Parts of the cortex mature at different rates.

• Different areas of the cortex (lobes) have different functions.

The Cerebral Cortex

• Motor cortex (motor movement): matures first

• Visual cortex (vision) and auditory cortex (hearing): mature second

• Frontal cortex and temporal lobe(higher-order thinking): matures last

To accomplish complex functions, the cortical areas must communicate and coordinate with each other.

The Cerebral Cortex: Lateralization

• Lateralization: The specialization of the two hemispheres of the brain. Each hemisphere controls the opposite side of the body.

• For most of us (right-handed people)…

• Left hemisphere: language processing

• Right hemisphere: spatial-visual information and emotions

• Less hemispheric specialization in left-handed people and females on an average.

The cerebral cortex: Plasticity

Brains of young children show more adaptability (plasticity) than those of adults. Damage to the brain in childhood may be overcome due to this. However, damage to the brain in adult years is less likely to be compensated through adaptation.

The cerebral cortex: Final word

The hemispheric specialization is more relative than absolute.

Nearly any task, particularly complex skills and abilities, requires simultaneous participation of many different areas of the brain in constant communication with each other.

How do we “approach” critical media literacy?

•Before watching the documentaries and applying what we have just reviewed to them, let’s take a look at some critical media viewing strategies that may help us to make the most sense of what we are about to watch!•Kellner and Share (2005): They cite the Center for Media Literacy’s “Five Core Concepts” for media literacy (adopted from Len Masterman (1989)) as methodologically helpful:

– Briefly, these involve (1) the utilization of semiotics to deconstruct or “demystify” seemingly benign media forms; (2) the utilization of semiotics to deconstruct language internal to media forms, or language that conforms to the logic of dominant cultural biases; (3) the fostering of active audiences and ideologically diverse interpretations of communally viewed media forms; (4) the multidisciplinary analysis of the actual (sexist, racist, classist, ageist, ableist, and homophobic) content of media forms; and (5) the tracing and analysis of media forms’ corporate sources (Kellner & Share, 2005, pp. 374-377; Martin, 1992).

•Please see the next slide for a helpful handout from the Center for Media Literacy (2014).

The Center for Media Literacy’sFive Key Questions and Core Concepts for Media Literacy

What might we critique?

•Any media form is worthy of critique: Television shows, commercials, songs, films… Can you think of any more?•Remember, no media form is too “benign” for critique. Why do you think this is so? (All media forms are constructed.)•For our lesson, we will focus on applying the Five Key Questions and Five Core Concepts of media literacy to the National Geographic documentary, “My Brilliant Brain” (2007).

Putting Theories to Work!•While watching the documentary, please…

– Try to answer in your journal the Five Key Questions, while also keeping in mind and applying both the Five Core Concepts and Ms. Paul’s overview of cognition:

1.Who created this message (or messages)?

2.What creative techniques are used to attract my attention?

3.How might different people understand this message (or messages) differently?

4.What values, lifestyles and points of view are represented in, or omitted from, this message (or messages)?

5.Why is this message (or are these messages) being sent?•Now, please proceed to the documentary!

My Brilliant Brain: Part 1

My brilliant brain: Part 2

• http://www.tudou.com/programs/view/dLrIFjOsUek

My brilliant brain: Part 3

http://www.tudou.com/programs/view/5tHv1lgeLfA/

Notes on Polgar and Yu• Susan Polgar: The initial plan (of her father) had been to train her in Math. However, she discovered chess accidentally and liked it. Therefore, motivation to engage in the activity was present from the very beginning of her training. We do not know if similar feats could have been achieved in something she did not enjoy. External factors that were in her favor: 1. Her father’s ability to coach her in chess is also an external circumstance that favored her growth in the game. 2. Their father’s decision to marry their mother was based on her willingness to cooperate with him as he set out to test his hypothesis. The parents made the experiment their life’s mission. Conclusion:

• Genius can be nurtured (in this case), but can it really be created in any field (something that a person may not be interested in)?

• Marc Yu: Without the extreme dedication of his mother, it would be impossible for him to continue his rigorous training in music. He is a prodigy beyond doubt; but his achievements are definitely a product of his mother’s efforts. Brains could be different from the start, but, the advantage that the child prodigies have might not persist without supportive environments. Again, he is motivated to play the piano from the beginning.

The Gladwell Video• Reading non-fiction carefully (Gladwell): Much of what Mr. Gladwell has to say about superstars is little more than common sense: that talent alone is not enough to ensure success, that opportunity, hard work, timing and luck play important roles as well. The problem is that he then tries to extrapolate these observations into broader hypotheses about success. These hypotheses not only rely heavily on suggestion and innuendo, but they also pivot deceptively around various anecdotes and studies that are selective in the extreme: the reader has no idea how representative such examples are, or how reliable — or dated — any particular study might be.

Objections?

• Snyder video does not highlight alternative explanations:– Maybe brain stimulation made participants

less cautious in reaching a decision…– Maybe it helped them recall a similar

problem seen a few minutes earlier…– Maybe it made them temporarily less

distractible (or even dulled their hearing)…– Maybe it boosted general alertness (not

surprisingly, people tend to do things faster and better when they are more awake).

Questions, Journal Project, and Quiz

• So even if brain stimulation could improve one’s particular ability…– What are the unwanted side effects and safety risks?– Would other cognitive abilities suffer and diminish?

• Please answer these two questions above in your journals.• Also in your journals, please…

– (1) Document another media form that “constructs” human intelligence. This can range from a different documentary to perhaps even a television commercial. If you cannot find another documentary, you may critique the Malcolm Gladwell interview instead.

– (2) And produce a critical review of your chosen media form - informed by both our lesson on cognition and critical media literacy methodology - within which you “deconstruct” its embedded messages by attempting to answer the following two-part question: (1) How does this media form “construct” human intelligence and (2) why?

• Please also do not forget to publish your review as a new entry on our course blog!

• Last, please attempt the associated Edmodo quiz (the link to which is posted on the course blog).