Neuro and Neurolinguistic Development (Locke) Flashcards Preview

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Flashcards in Neuro and Neurolinguistic Development (Locke) Deck (25)
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1
Q

How and when does the neural system form during pregnancy?

A

Begins as thickening of the ECTODERM.
Neural plate forms
Folds eventually touch (Day 22) - Neural Tube
Day 26: Tube is fully formed

2
Q

How does the brain develop prenatally?

A

Upper end of neural tube forms brain/cranial nerves
Gyri & sulci only appear ~ 7 months into gestation
Huge amount of neural development occurs in first year of life

3
Q

Timing of development - what can happen if there is a prenatal injury?

A

First 8 weeks = major congenital defects (defectively designed structure or system)
After the 8th week = failure of growth/development/refinement of the neural system

4
Q

Neural tube defects

A

Incomplete development of the neural tube

E.g. spina bifida - related to folic acid deficiency, genetics, maternal diabetes

5
Q
  1. Cell birth (Neurogenesis)
A

Populating the brain with neurons
Born with 100 billion neurons
Hippocampus is the only area to produce NEW neurons

6
Q
  1. Cell migration
A

Occurs prenatally

7
Q
  1. Cell differentiation
A

The location to which the cell migrates determines its function

8
Q
  1. Cell maturation
A

Dendrite and axon growth
More dendrites - highly connected to other cells (cognitive processes become more efficient)
Cell maturation correlates with cognitive and intellectual development, and is dependent on experience (stimulation)

9
Q
  1. Synaptogenesis
A

CELLS THAT WIRE TOGETHER FIRE TOGETHER
Mostly occurs after birth
Success is dependent on experience - synapses form from learning and practising and CONNECTIONS STRENGTHEN

10
Q
  1. Synaptic pruning
A

Building more efficient/refined neural pathways
Synapses that aren’t needed/activated are “pruned”
- therefore brain areas necessary for language must be activated through stimulation EARLY, or else they may be pruned.
Born with 1000 trillion synapses - by adolescence we have 500 trillion.

11
Q
  1. Myelogenesis
A

Myelinated cells transmit messages much faster
Occurs firstly at life-supporting regions of the brain (heart and respiratory centres)
Pre-frontal cortex is not myelinated until adolescence/early 20s

12
Q

Locke’s theory of neurolinguistic development

A
  • Considers the interaction between the child and their environment in shaping language development
  • Explains the neural mechanisms that support language development
13
Q

Locke’s Phase 1

A

VOCAL LEARNING

  • Listening and attending to vocal activity of others
  • Superficial characteristics of language (prosody)
  • Genetic bias toward language learning
  • Onset: prenatal
14
Q

Characteristics of Phase 1

A
  • Mimicking gesture, intonation, prosody
  • Turn-taking
  • Eye contact
15
Q

Brain areas involved in Phase 1

A

RIGHT HEMISPHERE functions are critical for this social/emotional side of language

16
Q

Locke’s Phase 2

A

UTTERANCE ACQUISITION

  • Onset: 5 months
  • “Starter Phrases”
  • Child stores (and eventually produces) utterances exactly as they hear them - picking up on emotional prosody/length
  • Utterances stored as WHOLE CHUNKS
17
Q

Characteristics of Phase 2

A
  • Increased use of words/phrases
  • Comprehension increases (indicating increased storage)
  • Correct grammar in these phrases although this doesn’t develop until much later
18
Q

Brain areas involved in Phase 2

A

RIGHT HEMISPHERE storage

- limited in efficiency of storage. Need to be analysed and sorted by the left hemisphere

19
Q

Locke’s Phase 3

A

ANALYSIS AND COMPUTATION

  • Onset: 18-20 months
  • Storage of enough starter phrases activates pathways to the left hemisphere. CRITICAL FACTOR = number of starter phrases in storage.
  • Learn and apply rules of language
20
Q

Characteristics of Phase 3

A
  • Rapid increase in expressive and receptive vocabulary
  • Overextension of grammatical rules - “went” becomes “goed”
  • Child generates/combines NEW utterances
  • LONGER utterances
21
Q

Brain areas involved in Phase 3

A

LEFT HEMISPHERE functions - much more efficient storage

22
Q

Locke’s Phase 4

A

SYNAPTIC PRUNING occurs

  • Increases speed
  • Decreases number of errors
  • Processes become more automatic - less cognitive resources are needed to attend to language
23
Q

Characteristics of Phase 4

A

More sophisticated linguistic structures are used e.g. embedded clauses

24
Q

Brain areas involved in Locke’s Phase 4

A

Both the left and right hemispheres - social/pragmatic skills are continually refined

25
Q

Critical Periods and Inactivation

A
  • Each phase enables succeeding phases
  • Inactivation has the same effects as damage
  • If too few starter phrases are stored, neural pathways won’t activate at the optimal moment (because the left hemisphere has nothing to grammatically analyse/store)
  • After this optimal moment, grammar capabilities decline.