PSYC889J – Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience



Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience

PSYC757, 3 credits

Fall 2018

Time: Mondays 9:30am-12pm

Location: BPS 1103

Website:

Instructor: Tracy Riggins

Email: riggins@umd.edu

Office hours: by appointment

Course Description and Goals: Developmental cognitive neuroscience is an evolving field that investigates the relations between neural and cognitive development. This seminar will provide an overview of the current research questions, methodologies, and findings from this field. Topics will include: principles of brain development (from a neurocognitive perspective), techniques used for the study of brain development in human infants and children (EEG/ERPs, MRI/fMRI, and NIRS), neurocognitive development (with an emphasis on the domains of attention, memory, language, executive function, and theory of mind) and developmental plasticity. The goal of the course is to enhance students understanding of the relation between the developing brain, cognition, and behavior.

Learning objectives [assessed through in-class discussions and presentations]:

• Extend breadth of knowledge of developmental cognitive neuroscience, including theoretical perspectives, research findings, methods, and applications

• Engender the ability to read and critique developmental cognitive neuroscience articles and presentations by researchers in the field

• Improve skill in orally presenting to an audience

• Foster critical thinking and creativity

Prerequisites: This course is open to graduate students in psychology, NACS, human development, linguistics, hearing and speech sciences, kinesiology, and related disciplines. Prior coursework in developmental or cognitive neuroscience is preferred but not required.

Readings: The following book is required for this course:

Johnson, M. H. & de Haan, M. (2015). Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience – Fourth Edition. Wiley Blackwell Publishing.

It can be purchased on Amazon for $52, other websites may have it for less. However, you will need the Fourth Edition. For the first few weeks of class, I will post pdfs of the required chapters. Pdf copies of the empirical articles will be available on the course website on Canvas.

Course Requirements:

Attendance

Be prepared and be engaged! Because this seminar will rely on the active analysis of course readings during class discussion, attendance and participation are essential both to learning something from the class and for the course grade. Students are expected to read the assigned material and arrive at class ready to engage in a scholarly discussion of the week’s topic. If you anticipate a conflict, it is your responsibility to notify me in writing (email is acceptable) by the end of schedule adjustment (September 6, 2018).

Readings & informal presentations (24%)

Readings will be made available via electronic reserve on Canvas (elms.umd.edu).

In general, 1 overview chapter and 3-5 empirical papers will be assigned each week. Students are to complete all the readings for the week before the class meeting and arrive at class ready to 1) informally present the empirical articles and 2) engage in a detailed discussion of each paper. Students will be asked to volunteer to describe (i.e., summarize) the empirical articles at each class. If there are no volunteers, a name will be drawn from a hat. Students should expect to give one informal presentation each week. (2 points per class for up to 12 classes; note there are 13 classes for which you can complete this task. Highest grades will be taken; in short, you can miss 1 without penalty).

Formal presentations & leading discussion (64%)

Each student will make a formal presentation and lead class discussion 3 times over the course of the semester. Students will work in pairs of 2 and will be asked to prepare a brief (10-15 slides) overview of the topic. This will be based on 1) the overview article, 2) additional reference readings recommended by the instructor, and 3) other readings selected by the presenting students. The goal is two-fold: 1) briefly summarize the topic and state of the field and 2) engage the group in discussion, which will continue throughout the class period. To facilitate the latter, leaders should construct a detailed agenda of issues for discussion. Each student in the presenting pair is expected to play an active role in this process. Presenting pairs are highly encouraged to meet with the instructor 1 to 2 weeks before their presentation to begin preparation. Separate grades will be given for each student’s contribution to the presentation and discussion. (21.333 points per presentation.)

Discussion questions (12%)

Students will submit discussion questions (minimum of 2 per class) via the Discussion Board on Blackboard that stem from the readings by NOON the SATURDAY before class. These questions should touch on aspects of one or more of the readings. Questions should be ones that could engage discussion rather than small technical details. Discussion leaders are encouraged to incorporate these questions into their presentations. (2 points per class for up to 12 classes; note there are 13 classes for which you can complete this task. Highest grades will be taken; in short, you can miss 1 without penalty). See: Notes on how to read and how to understand what you read below.

Grading

Final grades will be based on informal presentation of the readings (2% for each week, 24% total), formal presentations & discussion leading (21.333% each, 64% total), discussion questions (1% each, 12% total).

Course Evaluations

Online course evaluations via CourseEvalUM will be available around the last week of class at courseevalum.umd.edu. Please complete this anonymous evaluation. Your participation makes a real contribution to the academic program and provides critical information to faculty and administrators on how to improve teaching and learning at Maryland.

Policies

This course will follow guidelines set forth by the Graduate School. A summary can be found here: Policies most relevant for this course are described below.

Inclusive Learning Environment and Class Conduct

Students will be invited to share their thoughts in class and a diversity of opinions is welcome. Respectful communication is expected, even when expressing differing perspectives. Supporting one's statements with research findings is encouraged. In accordance with free speech statues, speech that contains threats of violence is prohibited.

Internet usage is for class assignments only. Cell phone use, including texting, is not permitted. Please silence your cell phones during class.

Excused absences

Please email me any anticipated absences, included religious observances, within the first two weeks of class. This is important so that we can arrange a plan in advance for you to cover that material independently.

A student who experiences a prolonged absence or an illness preventing attendance at a major Scheduled Grading Event is required to provide written documentation of the illness from the Health Center or an outside health care provider, verifying the dates of treatment and the time period during which the student was unable to meet academic responsibilities.

Academic Integrity

Academic integrity is a serious matter, and the Department of Psychology has a zero-tolerance policy towards academic dishonesty. The Student Honor Council requests that faculty members place the following passage in their course syllabi in order to inform students of the consequences of academic dishonesty:

"The University of Maryland, College Park has a nationally recognized Code of Academic Integrity, administered by the Student Honor Council. This Code sets standards for academic integrity at Maryland for all undergraduate and graduate students. As a student you are responsible for upholding these standards for this course. It is very important for you to be aware of the consequences of cheating, fabrication, facilitation, and plagiarism. For more information on the Code of Academic Integrity or the Student Honor Council, please visit ."

Students with disabilities or special needs

I will make every effort to accommodate students who are registered with the Disability Support Services (DSS) Office and who provide me with a University of Maryland DSS Accommodation form which has been updated for the Spring 2018 semester. This form must be presented to me no later than September 6, 2018. I am not able to accommodate students who are not registered with DSS or who do not provide me with documentation which has been reviewed by DSS.

Inclement weather and Campus Emergency Policy

We will hold class unless there is an official closure or delay announced by the University. Official closures and delays are announced on the campus website ( ) and snow phone line (301-405-SNOW) as well as local radio and TV stations. In the event that the campus is closed for an extended time due to emergency, students should check with the professor via email regarding how the course will be continued or completed. Please make sure that you have a current e-mail address listed with the University at all times. In the event that final exams are cancelled, final grades may be determined by work completed up until that point.

Copyright

Lectures and course matter are copyright protected. Written instructor consent must be obtained for reproduction and distribution of lecture notes and course material, whether or not for commercial use.

Names/Pronouns and Self Identifications

The University of Maryland recognizes the importance of a diverse student body, and we are committed to fostering equitable classroom environments. I invite you, if you wish, to tell us how you want to be referred to both in terms of your name and your pronouns (he/him, she/her, they/them, etc.). The pronouns someone indicates are not necessarily indicative of their gender identity. Visit trans.umd.edu to learn more. Additionally, how you identify in terms of your gender, race, class, sexuality, religion, and dis/ability, among all aspects of your identity, is your choice whether to disclose (e.g., should it come up in classroom conversation about our experiences and perspectives) and should be self-identified, not presumed or imposed. I will do my best to address and refer to all students accordingly, and I ask you to do the same for all of your fellow Terps.

Supplemental Materials (not required for the course):

Interesting/Informative Websites:

1) Neuroscience for Kids:

2) Cognitive Neuroscience Society:

3) 3-D Brain Anatomy From :

4) The Secret Life of the Brain for episodes on brain development:

5) The Digital Anatomist:

6) CDC Developmental Milestones:

Schedule

Changes in topics or reading assignments will be announced in class.

|Date |Topic |Presenter 1 |Presenter 2 |

|August 27 |Introduction |Tracy |n/a |

|September 3 |No class |n/a |n/a |

|September 10 |Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience |Tracy |n/a |

|September 17 |Methods |Tracy |  |

|September 24 |Brain development I: The basics |Tracy |Tamara  |

|October 1 |Brain development II: Plasticity, sensitive periods |Tracy | Morgan |

|October 8 |Brain development III: Interactive specialization, |Tracy | Kelsey |

| |experience and individual differences | | |

|October 15 |Vision, orienting and attention and Objects |Kelsey  |Morgan |

|October 22 |Social world 1 (Faces, Attachment) |Megan  |Kathryn |

|October 29 |No Class |  |  |

|November 5 |Memory |Morgan |Kelsey & Tamara |

|November 12 |Social world 2 (Theory of Mind) | Diana |Kathryn |

|November 19 |Language | Diana |Megan |

|November 26 |Executive function 1: Working memory, inhibitory |Lauren |Kathryn |

| |control, emotion regulation | | |

|December 3 |Executive function 2: Cognitive flexibility, decision |Lauren |Megan |

| |making, performance monitoring | | |

|December 10 |Implications for mental health, public health, |Tamara |Diana & Lauren |

| |education, & media; Conclusions | | |

Class email list

Lauren Keeley lkeeley@terpmail.umd.edu

Morgan Botdorf mbotdorf@terpmail.umd.edu

Megan Fitter mfitter@terpmail.umd.edu

Tamara Allard tallard@terpmail.umd.edu

Kathryn McNaughton kmcnaugh@terpmail.umd.edu

Diana Alkire diana@umd.edu

Kelsey Canada kcanada@umd.edu

Notes on how to read and how to understand what you read:

Questions to ask yourself when reading

1. What new concept or finding did you learn?

2. Was there any information that you did not fully understand?

3. What concept/finding did you find most interesting, whether or not it was new to you?

4. How can you relate the present readings to previous readings/concepts in this class or another class?

5. What part of the readings relates to your research/area of expertise or interest?

QALMRI method provides a means for critically evaluating experiments, as well as for

organizing your own experiment proposals. It helps you to find connections between theory

and data by making explicit the question being asked, the approach used to answer it, and the

implications of the answer.

See document on Canvas – Question, Alternatives, Logic, Methods, Results, Inferences

Detailed schedule and readings

August 27 – Introduction/Organization

No assigned readings

September 3 – No Class – Labor Day

September 10 –The field of developmental cognitive neuroscience

Background:

Johnson, M. H. & de Haan, M. (2015). The biology of change. Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience. (pp. 1-16). Wiley Blackwell Publishing.

Munakata, Y, Casey, B.J., & Diamond, A. (2004). Developmental cognitive neuroscience: progress and potential. TRENDS in Cognitive Sciences, 8(3), 122-128.

Empirical examples:

Diamond, A., & Amso, D. (2008). Contributions of neuroscience to our understanding of cognitive development. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 17(2), 136-140. (PKU, mirror neurons, touch)

Nelson, C. A., Moulson, M. C., & Richmond, J. (2006). How does neuroscience inform the study of cognitive development? Human Development, 49, 260–272. (faces, memory)

September 17 – Methods studying brain in developmental populations

Background:

Johnson, M. H. & de Haan, M. (2015). Methods and populations. Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience. (pp. 17-30). Wiley Blackwell Publishing.

Karmiloff-Smith, A., (2010) Neuroimaging of the developing brain: Taking “developing” seriously. Human Brain Mapping, 31(6). 934-941.

Specifics:

Thomas, K. M., & Tseng, A. (2008). Functional MRI methods in developmental cognitive neuroscience. In C. A. Nelson & M. Luciana (Eds.), Handbook of Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience 2nd edition, (pp. 311-323). Cambridge, MA: The MIT Press.

Barry-Anwar, R., Riggins, T., & Scott, L. S. (in press). Electrophysiology in developmental populations: Key methods and findings. The Oxford Handbook of Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience.

Additional methods – choose 1:

Aslin, R. N., Shukla, M., & Emberson, L.L. (2015). Hemodynamic correlates of cognition in human

infants. Annual Review of Psychology, 66, 349–379. doi: 10.1146/annurev-psych-010213-

115108

Paetau, R. (2002). Magentoencephalography in pediatric neuroimaging. Developmental Science, 5(3), 361-371.

Eckstein, M.K., Guerra-Carrillo, B., Singley, A.T.M., Bunge, S.A. (2016). Beyond eye gaze: What

else can eye tracking reveal about cognition and cognitive development? Developmental

Cognitive Neuroscience, doi: 10.1016/j.dcn.2016.11.001

Tamnes, C. K., & Roalf, D. R., Goddings, A-L., Lebel, C. (2017). Diffusion MRI of white matter microstructure development in childhood and adolescence: Methods, challenges and progress. Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience.

September 24 – Brain development I

Background:

Johnson, M. H. & de Haan, M. (2015). From gene to brain. Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience. (pp. 31-41). Wiley Blackwell Publishing.

Johnson, M. H. (2015). Building a brain. Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience. (pp. 42-80).

Wiley Blackwell Publishing. pages 43-68 & 71-82

Lewin, R. (1984). Why is development so illogical? Science, 224, 1327-1329.

Age groups:

Long, X., Benischek, A., Dewey, D., & Lebel, C. (2017). Age-related functional brain changes

in young children. NeuroImage 155, 322–330.

Gogtay, N., Giedd, J.N., Lusk, L., Hayashi, K.M., Greenstein, D., Vaituzis, A.C., … Thompson,

P.M. (2004). Dynamic mapping of human cortical development during childhood through early

adulthood. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America,

101(21), 8174–9. doi: 10.1073/pnas.0402680101

Casey, B. J., Jones, R.M., & Hare, T. A. (2008). The adolescent brain. Ann. N.Y. Acad. Sci. 1124, 111–126.

Compare: Pfeifer, J. H., & Allen, N. B. (2012). Arrested development? Reconsidering dual-systems models of brain function in adolescence and disorders. Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 16(6), 322-9.

October 1 – Brain development II - Plasticity, sensitive periods

Background:

Johnson, M. H. & de Haan, M. (2015). Building a brain. Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience. (pp. 42-80). Wiley Blackwell Publishing. pages 68-71

Cicchetti, D. (1996). Equifinality and multifinality in developmental psychopathology. Development and Psychopathology, 8, 597-600.

Kolb, B. & Gibb, R. (2014). Searching for the principles of brain plasticity and behavior. Cortex,

58, 251-260. doi: 10.1016/j.cortex.2013.11.012

Westermann, G., Mareschal, D., Johnson, M. H., Sirois, S., Spratling, M. A., & Thomas, M. S. C. (2007). Neuroconstructivism. Developmental Science, 10(1), 75-83.

Maurer, D., Mondloch, C.J., & Lewis, T.L. (2007). Sleeper effects. Developmental Science, 10(1), 40-47. doi: 10.1111/j.1467-7687.2007.00562

Fuhrmann, D., Knoll, L. J., & Blakemore, S-J. (2015). Adolescence as a sensitive period of brain development. Trends in Cognitive Science, 19, 558-566.

October 8 – Brain development III: Interactive specialization, experience and individual differences

Background:

Johnson, M. H. & de Haan, M. (2015). Interactive specialization. Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience. (pp. 221- 239). Wiley Blackwell Publishing.

Bick, J. & Nelson, C.A (2017). Early experience and brain development. WIREs Cognitive

Sciences, 8, e1387. doi: 10.1002/wcs.1387

Greenough, W. T., Black, J. E., & Wallace, C. S. (1987). Experience and brain development. Child Development, 58, 539-559.

Johnson, M. H., Jones, E., & Gliga T. (2015). Brain adaptation and alternative developmental trajectories. Development and Psychopathology, 27, 425–442. Read 425-431 only

Foulkes, L. & Blakemore, S-J. (2018). Studying individual differences in human adolescent brain. Nature Neuroscience, 21, 315-323.

Empirical examples – choose 1:

Luby J, Belden A, Botteron K, & et al. (2013). The effects of poverty on childhood brain development: The mediating effect of caregiving and stressful life events. JAMA Pediatrics, 167(12), 1135–1142. doi:10.1001/jamapediatrics.2013.3139

Whittle, S., Simmons, J. G., Dennison, M., Vijayakumar, N., Schwartz, O., Yap, M. B. H., … Allen, N. B. (2014). Positive parenting predicts the development of adolescent brain structure: A longitudinal study. Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience, 8, 7–17. doi:10.1016/j.dcn.2013.10.006

Noble, K.G., Houston, S.M., Brito, N.H., Bartsch, H., Kan, E., Kuperman, J.M., … Sowell, E.R. (2015). Family income, parental education and brain structure in children and adolescents. Nature Neuroscience, 18(5), 773-8. doi: 10.1038/nn.3983

Gee, D.G., Gabard-Durnam, L.J., Flannery, J., Goff, B., Humphreys, K.L., Telzer, E.H, … &

Tottenham, N. (2013). Early developmental emergence of human amygdala-prefrontal

connectivity after maternal deprivation. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences,

110(39), 15638-15643. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1307893110

October 15 – Vision, orienting, and attention and Objects

Background:

Johnson, M. H. & de Haan, M. (2015). Vision, orienting and attention. Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience. (pp. 83-109). Wiley Blackwell Publishing.

Johnson, M. H. & de Haan, M. (2015). Perceiving and acting in a world of objects. Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience. (pp. 110-120). Wiley Blackwell Publishing.

Empirical articles:

TBD

October 22 – Social World 1 (Faces, Attachment)

Background: TENTATIVE

Johnson, M. H. & de Haan, M. (2015). Perceiving and acting in the social world. Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience. (pp. 121-152). Blackwell Publishing. pgs 121-143 only

de Haan, M. & Gunnar, M. R. (2009). The brain in a social environment why study development? Handbook of Developmental Social Neuroscience. Eds. M. de Haan and M. R. Gunnar. Guilford Publications.

Maurer, D. & Werker, J.F. (2014). Perceptual narrowing during infancy: A comparison of language

and faces. Developmental Psychobiology, 56, 154-178. doi: 10.1002/dev.21177

Insel, T. R., & Young, L. J. (2001). The neurobiology of attachment. Nature Reviews Neuroscience,

2, 129-136. doi: 10.1038/35053579

de Haan, M., Humphreys, K. & Johnson, M.H. (2002). Developing a brain specialized for face perception: A converging methods approach. Developmental Psychobiology, 40, 200-212.

Empirical articles:

TBD

October 29 – No class

November 5 – Memory

Background:

Johnson, M. H. & de Haan, M. (2015). Learning and long-term memory. Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience. (pp. 153-165). Wiley Blackwell Publishing.

Ghetti, S., & Bunge, S. A. (2012). Neural changes underlying the development of episodic memory during middle childhood. Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience, 2(4), 381–395. doi:10.1016/j.dcn.2012.05.002

Empirical articles:

TBD

November 12 - Social World 2 (Theory of Mind, Autism)

Background:

Johnson, M. H. & de Haan, M. (2015). Perceiving and acting in the social world. Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience. (pp. 121-152). Blackwell Publishing. pgs 143-152 only

Mahy, C. E. J., Moses, L. J., & Pfeifer, J. H. (2014). How and where: Theory-of-mind in the brain. Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience, 9, 68-81.

Empirical articles:

TBD

November 19 - Language

Background:

Johnson, M. H. & de Haan, M. (2015). Language. Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience. (pp. 166-182). Wiley Blackwell Publishing.

Weiss-Croft, L., & Baldeweg T. (210). Maturation of language networks in children: A systematic review of 22 years of functional MRI NeuroImage

Empirical articles:

TBD

November 26 – Executive functioning 1 (inhibitory control, emotion regulation, working memory)

Background:

Johnson, M. H. & de Haan, M. (2015). PFC, working memory and decision making. Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience. (pp. 184-196). Wiley Blackwell Publishing. pgs 184-189

Munakata, Y., Snyder, H. R., & Chatham, C. H. (2012). Developing Cognitive Control:

Three Key Transitions. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 21 (2), 71–77. doi:

10.1177/0963721412436807

Empirical articles:

TBD

December 3 – Executive functioning 2 – (cognitive flexibility, decision making, performance monitoring)

Background:

Johnson, M. H. & de Haan, M. (2015). PFC, working memory and decision making. Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience. (pp. 184-196). Wiley Blackwell Publishing. pgs 189-196

Crone, E. A. & Van Der Molen, M. (2008). Neurocognitive development of performance monitoring and decision making. In C. A. Nelson & M. Luciana (Eds.), Handbook of Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience 2nd edition. (pp..883-895). Cambridge, MA: The MIT Press.

Empirical articles:

TBD

December 10 - Implications for mental health, public health, education and media; Conclusions

Background:

Johnson, M. H. & de Haan, M. (2015). Toward and integrated developmental cognitive neuroscience. Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience. (pp. 224-234). Blackwell Publishing.

Johnson, M. H. & de Haan, M. (2015). Educational neuroscience. Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience. (pp. 206-220). Blackwell Publishing.

D’Souza, H. & Karmiloff-Smith, A. (2017). Neurodevelopmental disorders. WIREs Cognitive

Sciences, 8, e1398. doi: 10.1002/wcs.1398

Galvan, A. (2014). Insights about adolescent behavior, plasticity, and policy from neuroscience

research. Neuron, 83(2), 262-5. doi: 10.1016/j.neuron.2014.06.027

Noble, K. G., & Farah, M. J. (2013). Neurocognitive consequences of socioeconomic disparities: the intersection of cognitive neuroscience and public health. Developmental Science, 16(5), 639–640. doi:10.1111/desc.12076

Neville, H., Stevens, C., Pakulak, E., & Bell, T. A. (2013). Commentary: Neurocognitive consequences of socioeconomic disparities. Developmental Science, 16(5), 708–712. doi:10.1111/desc.12081

Empirical articles:

Broad et al., (2017) Does one year of schooling improve children’s cognitive control and alter

associated brain activation?

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