PERCEPTION,
ATTENTION &
MOTOR
DEVELOPMENT
Summary
,PAM
Contents
Task 1 .................................................................................................................................................... 3
What are the different views and how do they relate to brain development? ....................... 3
What brain development is necessary to completely master a certain function?.................. 5
What is the influence of genetic as opposed to environmental factors on brain
development? .................................................................................................................................. 6
What are the differences in plasticity concerning the different viewpoints? ........................... 6
Neuroscientific evidence for each of the views ........................................................................... 7
How does neuroscientific evidence contribute to educational practice? .............................. 9
Task 2 .................................................................................................................................................. 11
How does the early development of eye movement proceed? (Johnson/Schiller) ............. 11
What is the relationship between neural development and eye movement systems? ........ 15
How can you explain the atypical looking behavior in people with autism, using existing
neurobiological theories? .............................................................................................................. 18
Task 3 .................................................................................................................................................. 25
What are the different forms of attention? ................................................................................. 25
What are the different attentional networks? How can you measure these attentional
networks experimentally? Which neurobiological networks underly these attentional
networks?......................................................................................................................................... 30
How do attention networks develop through childhood and how is this development
related to self-regulation and emotional regulation? ............................................................... 33
Task 4 .................................................................................................................................................. 35
What are the executive functions (EFs)? ..................................................................................... 35
How do different executive functions develop and what is the relation with PFC
development? ................................................................................................................................ 35
What types of executive function skills do the different tasks measure? ................................ 42
What is the influence of PKU on the development of executive control? .............................. 42
Can executive function problems be restored by training of EF’s? ......................................... 43
Task 5 .................................................................................................................................................. 46
What are the biological routes involved in perception action integration? .......................... 46
How are scale errors explained with respect to development of these neurological routes?
.......................................................................................................................................................... 47
Task 6 .................................................................................................................................................. 51
Which factors help infants to acquire stability of reaching and grasping? (Thelen) ............. 51
Why does reaching behavior remain in older infants? .............................................................. 54
What is the relation between motor development and action understanding? (Woodward)
.......................................................................................................................................................... 58
Task 7 .................................................................................................................................................. 62
1
,PAM
Among which of the three subtypes of ADHD does the DSM-5 differentiate, and how are
they diagnosed? ............................................................................................................................ 62
Which disorders do the two case studies depict? Explain their outlook and etiology
(potential causal factors) .............................................................................................................. 64
What are the cognitive and neurobiological deficits underlying the subtypes of ADHD
(ADHD-Combined or ADHD-HI vs ADHD-IN)? What is the role of the catecholamines
(dopamine and noradrenaline)? ................................................................................................. 72
Task 8 .................................................................................................................................................. 76
What are the symptoms of Tourette’s syndrome, how is it diagnosed? Which risk factors are
involved in the development?...................................................................................................... 76
What possible neurobiological deficits underlie Tourette’s syndrome?................................... 79
What are treatment options for Tourette’s syndrome? .............................................................. 81
Task 9 .................................................................................................................................................. 85
Which structural and functional changes in the brain happen during adolescence? ......... 85
What is the relation between structural and functional changes and cognitive
development in impulsive behavior and decision making? ..................................................... 86
Can information from imaging studies in adolescents be used in legal contexts? ............... 91
2
, PAM
Task 1
* What are the different views and how do they relate to brain development?
* What brain development is necessary to completely master a certain
function?
* What is the influence of genetic as opposed to environmental factors on brain
development?
* What are the differences in the assumptions concerning plasticity?
* Neuroscientific evidence for each of the views
* How does neuroscientific evidence contribute to educational practice?
What are the different views and how do they relate to brain development?
Maturational viewpoint
• States that newly emerging sensory, motor,
and cognitive functions are related to the
maturation of particular areas of the brain à
usually regions of the cerebral cortex
• According to this view, evidence concerning
the differential neuroanatomical
development of brain regions should then
predict the age when a particular region is
likely to become functional
o Anatomical maturity precedes
functional maturity
• Does not explain all aspects of human
functional brain development
o fMRI during behavioral transition shows
that multiple cortical and subcortical
areas change their response pattern,
rather than a few specific areas
becoming active
o There is a great variety of
neuroanatomical and neurochemical
measures that change at different
times in different regions of the brain, it
is therefore nearly always possible to
find a potential neural correlate of any
developmental behavioral change
• Assumes one-to-one mapping between brain and cortical regions and
particular cognitive functions à specific computations/behavior come
‘online’ after maturation of the corresponding cortical region
• Different cortical areas are assumed to have different maturational timetables
à new cognitive functions emerge at different ages
• Static assumption: when new structures come online, the existing (already
mature) regions continue to support the same functions they did at earlier
developmental stages à so brain regions don’t change function
3
ATTENTION &
MOTOR
DEVELOPMENT
Summary
,PAM
Contents
Task 1 .................................................................................................................................................... 3
What are the different views and how do they relate to brain development? ....................... 3
What brain development is necessary to completely master a certain function?.................. 5
What is the influence of genetic as opposed to environmental factors on brain
development? .................................................................................................................................. 6
What are the differences in plasticity concerning the different viewpoints? ........................... 6
Neuroscientific evidence for each of the views ........................................................................... 7
How does neuroscientific evidence contribute to educational practice? .............................. 9
Task 2 .................................................................................................................................................. 11
How does the early development of eye movement proceed? (Johnson/Schiller) ............. 11
What is the relationship between neural development and eye movement systems? ........ 15
How can you explain the atypical looking behavior in people with autism, using existing
neurobiological theories? .............................................................................................................. 18
Task 3 .................................................................................................................................................. 25
What are the different forms of attention? ................................................................................. 25
What are the different attentional networks? How can you measure these attentional
networks experimentally? Which neurobiological networks underly these attentional
networks?......................................................................................................................................... 30
How do attention networks develop through childhood and how is this development
related to self-regulation and emotional regulation? ............................................................... 33
Task 4 .................................................................................................................................................. 35
What are the executive functions (EFs)? ..................................................................................... 35
How do different executive functions develop and what is the relation with PFC
development? ................................................................................................................................ 35
What types of executive function skills do the different tasks measure? ................................ 42
What is the influence of PKU on the development of executive control? .............................. 42
Can executive function problems be restored by training of EF’s? ......................................... 43
Task 5 .................................................................................................................................................. 46
What are the biological routes involved in perception action integration? .......................... 46
How are scale errors explained with respect to development of these neurological routes?
.......................................................................................................................................................... 47
Task 6 .................................................................................................................................................. 51
Which factors help infants to acquire stability of reaching and grasping? (Thelen) ............. 51
Why does reaching behavior remain in older infants? .............................................................. 54
What is the relation between motor development and action understanding? (Woodward)
.......................................................................................................................................................... 58
Task 7 .................................................................................................................................................. 62
1
,PAM
Among which of the three subtypes of ADHD does the DSM-5 differentiate, and how are
they diagnosed? ............................................................................................................................ 62
Which disorders do the two case studies depict? Explain their outlook and etiology
(potential causal factors) .............................................................................................................. 64
What are the cognitive and neurobiological deficits underlying the subtypes of ADHD
(ADHD-Combined or ADHD-HI vs ADHD-IN)? What is the role of the catecholamines
(dopamine and noradrenaline)? ................................................................................................. 72
Task 8 .................................................................................................................................................. 76
What are the symptoms of Tourette’s syndrome, how is it diagnosed? Which risk factors are
involved in the development?...................................................................................................... 76
What possible neurobiological deficits underlie Tourette’s syndrome?................................... 79
What are treatment options for Tourette’s syndrome? .............................................................. 81
Task 9 .................................................................................................................................................. 85
Which structural and functional changes in the brain happen during adolescence? ......... 85
What is the relation between structural and functional changes and cognitive
development in impulsive behavior and decision making? ..................................................... 86
Can information from imaging studies in adolescents be used in legal contexts? ............... 91
2
, PAM
Task 1
* What are the different views and how do they relate to brain development?
* What brain development is necessary to completely master a certain
function?
* What is the influence of genetic as opposed to environmental factors on brain
development?
* What are the differences in the assumptions concerning plasticity?
* Neuroscientific evidence for each of the views
* How does neuroscientific evidence contribute to educational practice?
What are the different views and how do they relate to brain development?
Maturational viewpoint
• States that newly emerging sensory, motor,
and cognitive functions are related to the
maturation of particular areas of the brain à
usually regions of the cerebral cortex
• According to this view, evidence concerning
the differential neuroanatomical
development of brain regions should then
predict the age when a particular region is
likely to become functional
o Anatomical maturity precedes
functional maturity
• Does not explain all aspects of human
functional brain development
o fMRI during behavioral transition shows
that multiple cortical and subcortical
areas change their response pattern,
rather than a few specific areas
becoming active
o There is a great variety of
neuroanatomical and neurochemical
measures that change at different
times in different regions of the brain, it
is therefore nearly always possible to
find a potential neural correlate of any
developmental behavioral change
• Assumes one-to-one mapping between brain and cortical regions and
particular cognitive functions à specific computations/behavior come
‘online’ after maturation of the corresponding cortical region
• Different cortical areas are assumed to have different maturational timetables
à new cognitive functions emerge at different ages
• Static assumption: when new structures come online, the existing (already
mature) regions continue to support the same functions they did at earlier
developmental stages à so brain regions don’t change function
3
