Nutrition and Cognitive Science
Friday, December 3rd, 2010
Nutrition and Cognitive Science
Just like every other bodily function, the cognitive function can also benefit from appropriate nutrition. The question is what is the appropriate nutrition to enhance cognitive functions? That is one area of research focus at the Nestle Research Center in Lausanne, Switzerland.
The facility at Lausanne is reportedly the world’s biggest private facility for nutrition related fundamental research. According to the company, “Research areas include safety of products, processes and ingredients, sensory and nutritional quality, physiology and metabolism, food structure, food consumer interactions, nutrient uptake and the evolution of nutritional needs with age.”
Nestle has recently invited applications for the position of Research Scientist in Cognitive Science to join their Cognitive Sciences group, which “is committed to find nutritional solutions to improve cognitive function and mental health throughout life, from early childhood to old age.”
The research scientist will have to build and guide research lines in the area of cognitive enhancement through such functions as designing studies and preparing study protocols, interpreting and reporting findings, contribute to idea generations and write proposals, write internal scientific evaluations, publish scientific papers and work with external collaborators.
The company is looking for PhDs in cognitive neuroscience, experimental psychology, psychopharmacology etc.
Full details are available at Nature Jobs.
Tags: biotechnology, cognitive science, nutrition research
Posted in biotechnology, cognitive development, cognitive science | 1 Comment »
Babies and Robots to Learn about Behavior Development
Saturday, November 6th, 2010
Developmental psychologists at University of Miami and computer scientists from University of California at San Diego are engaged in an interesting research.
Firstly, they observed 13 mothers playing with their infants aged one to six months. The observation was for five minute periods every week for approximately 14 sessions per mother-infant. The sessions were videotaped for a subsequent interdisciplinary study.
Researchers found that babies and mothers find a pattern while playing, which becomes stable and predictable as the child grows. When the baby smiles, the mom smiles and when the baby stops mom also stops. Babies soon learn to expect people to respond to them in a particular manner. In time, babies also learn to respond to their moms. And social skills begin to develop.
The next phase is to program a baby robot (1.3 meters tall and modeled after a one-year old child) with basic social skills and the ability to learn more complicated interactions.
In essence, babies teach researchers how to program the robot, and while doing the programming, scientists get deeper insights into human behavior development. The robot seeks mechanically to closely simulate human motor system. The study thus helps both robotics and understanding of behavior development.
Read more details at Science Blog.
Tags: behavior development, cognitive science, robotics
Posted in behavior, cognitive development, cognitive science, learning | No Comments »
Teenagers and Alcohol
Wednesday, November 3rd, 2010
Alcohol use is seen as a rite of passage into adulthood by adolescents, and peer pressure might induce them to show off their capacity for drinking. The danger in heavy alcohol use during adolescence is that it can damage the frontal lobe, which is responsible for development of social skills and judgment. The question before adolescents is thus whether to succumb to peer pressure or let these critical skills develop; few might want to forego social skills that make them popular.
Adolescence is a period of significant development in the brain. A study into effects of alcohol and other drugs by adolescents indicate that heavy use of alcohol and marijuana can have seriously adverse impact on the development of their minds. Findings of the study is to be published in January 2011 as Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research.
“Heavy drinking may disrupt normal neurodevelopmental processes that hone and sharpen attention and executive function during adolescence in that alcohol may selectively target the frontal lobes,” said Robert J. Thoma, a Clinical Neuropsychologist and Associate Professor of Psychiatry at the University of New Mexico School of Medicine.
The research involved studying a number of adolescents who have been diagnosed with substance abuse/dependence, as well as a control group of 15 individuals plus a number of persons with no personal use but a family history of substance abuse.
Read the report at Science News
Tags: adolescent development, alcohol impact, brain development, cognitive science
Posted in cognitive development, cognitive impairment, cognitive science | No Comments »
Preparing Educators to Develop Whole Persons
Monday, October 25th, 2010
According to a report of National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) of the USA, little effort has been made to base school reform and educator preparation on the developmental sciences. There is a growing volume of evidence that developmental issues have a significant impact on students’ learning.
“A well-functioning school, or a good school culture and climate, can seamlessly reinforce and build on development that took place before school. A dysfunctional or ineffective school environment can interfere with the development of all students, but particularly among those who did not have a good pre-school experience,” said James P. Comer, M.D., M.P.H., Director of Yale Child Study Center School Development Program (SDP).
Many teachers and administrators do not know how to create a school climate or culture that will intentionally focus on development. Teacher education programs need to:
inlcude coursework in the developmental sciences including cognitive science
integrate academic study with opportunities to implement developmental best practices in schools and classrooms
Education policy makers have to consider child and adolescent development issues while designing standards and assessments of student and teacher performance. This is particularly important in developing the approach to turn around low-performing schools.
Read about the NCATE findings and recommendations at Corner School Development Program.
Tags: child and adolescent development, cognitive science, education
Posted in cognitive development, cognitive science, education | No Comments »
Cognitive Science and Society
Saturday, October 16th, 2010
Cognitive science is apparently hard to define with different defintions emphasizing cognition, information processing, mind and behavior, human intelligence and so on. Is this science being applied to solve the practical problems of our society?
Human personality is developed by both genetics and early experiences during childhood. If parents and teachers are adequately aware of the knowledge gained about early childhood development, it could enable them to control the experiences of children more purposefully. And such control could help develop the children into healthy adults able to function positively in society.
Of particular relevance is childhood education. Enriching the early experiences of children can have positive outcomes, according to findings of the science. How this finding is applied depends on the educational policy adopted by concerned policymakers. Equally important is the need to recognize those periods of childhood development when experiences have particularly strong impact and to ensure that children receive rich experiences during those periods.
Deliberate attention needs to be paid to the different dimensions of development – cognitive, emotional and social. Merely trying to cram information into an unreceptive mind or developing math or other skills will not produce the kind of adults that society needs.
Read views about neuro-education initiatives and other topics at the BrainBlogger.
Tags: child development, childhood experiences, cognitive science, education
Posted in cognitive development, cognitive science, education, learning | No Comments »
Learning and the Teenager Brain
Friday, October 8th, 2010
The development of adolescents can be compared to a voyage of discovery. They are discovering the limits of what are possible physically and culturally. For example, they learn what behavior is acceptable in their culture.
The development is a gradual process that does not occur all at once. The rate of development also differs from person to person. Parents can influence the process by careful observation of their children’s interests and abilities, and providing challenges that speed up the development.
If the challenges are too ambitious, the adolescent might feel stressed beyond healthy levels. If the challenges are too low, the adolescent will usually get bored. The only way to get it reasonably right is continuous observation of responses to your actions.
Human behavior is not all that predetermined. There is a significant element of personal choices and a wide range to choose from. The width of the range becomes obvious when we observe the wide disparity in people’s views and actions on such matters as politics and religion.
As the adolescent develops towards adulthood, he or she discovers his or her interests and capabilities. In addition to finding what is physically possible, they also learn what is culturally acceptable.
Read about the views of Dr Robert Sylvester, described as an educator of educators, on the above and related issues at joste2008.com.
Tags: adolescent development, cognitive development, cognitive science
Posted in behavior, cognitive development, cognitive science, culture, learning | No Comments »
Superstitions are Obstacles not only for Cognitive but also Economic and Cultural Development
Sunday, July 11th, 2010
When you see things as they are, you can usually find ways to achieve your goals, whether these are economic or some other. By developing a scientific approach, cause and effect relationships can be perceived more readily and this perception can be used to move towards one’s goals.
Not only an understanding of cause and effect relationships but the emotional balance to accept reality and act intelligently based on this reality is also necessary for effective achievements.
Superstitions, including ritualistic religious beliefs, prevent both these requirements. One tends to see things in a preconceived way instead of as they are. Emotional balance also might be affected because of strong biases in favor of one’s set of beliefs.
If the findings of cognitive science can be used by governments and other influencers of people’s views to change the superstitious mindset, it should theoretically be possible to create a better world where conflict is replaced by enlightened self-interest and cooperation. It would be a massive exercise, however.
The above thoughts entered this writer’s mind on going through the article titled “Scientific Mindsets and Worldviews for Peace and Development in Africa” at Azibo Press. The article suggests that African policy-makers, freedom thinkers and activists should adopt the ideals of the French Revolution and work to get rid of “paternalistic, autocratic and despotic kings and fear-mongering, deceitful and fraudulent merchant-priests.”
Read the article at Azibo Press.
Tags: cognitive development, cognitive science, mindset, scientific approach, superstitions
Posted in behavior, cognitive development, cognitive science, culture | No Comments »
What Makes for Good Learning and Development?
Friday, May 7th, 2010
Traditionally, psychology has studied children’s development by observing the behavior of children at different ages. Observations have led to conclusions about the ages at which a child acquires different skills and behavior patterns. However, mere observation cannot fully help in improving, for example, the learning abilities of children.
To develop techniques that can help children learn better we need to understand the cause and effect relationships in operation. It is this causal relationship that computational modeling can help understand. Computational models force researchers to explain exactly what they mean by specific terms.
Terms like learning and development, and the various other words used in studying it, must be specified in terms precise enough to incorporate them into computer models. And translating theories into computer models tend to highlight the interdependencies of different elements involved. A model also needs to be internally consistent and complete to some extent before it will function.
The increased specificity and need for consistency tend to reveal the cause and effect relationships involved and lead to insights that can lead to more precise research. And when you know causal factors that lead to specific results, you can design better ways to achieve desired results.
A Wiley article discusses the use of computational modeling in studying cognitive development.
Tags: cognitive development, cognitive science, computational modeling
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Life Before Birth: What we Know now
Tuesday, April 13th, 2010
Scientists have been interested about the experiences of the unborn baby. Naturally, it had been difficult to learn anything about this experience. They had to observe animal fetuses, premature babies in incubators and healthy newborns only hours old.
What the scientists have learned about the development of senses has not only enhanced our knowlege of the human body but also the chances of helping premature babies live a normal life.
Observation of animal fetuses have indicated that bodily senses become alive in a specific order that is similar in all vertebrates. The sense of touch develops first, followed by taste and smell, then hearing, and finally, after birth in some species, comes sight.
Humans have a long gestation period and their sense of sight comes alive before birth. However, they do not have much to see while they are still in the fetal stage. However, according to researchers, the human fetus can differentiate between dim and very dim. Observers have found that unborn infants turn their heads away if a bright light is directed at the mother’s stomach and also that there are spikes in the brain waves of premature babies in response to light.
Sensory stimulation through use is important for sensory development even during the fetal stage. Using the senses lead to strengthening of relevant neural connections. If there is no stimulation, the connections never develop.
And experiments show that the newborn has already become familiar with its mother’s voice, and responds to it positively.
Read (and see) more at boingboing
Tags: cognitive development of fetus, sensory development, unborn child
Posted in cognitive development, cognitive science | No Comments »
Do Arts Training Matter in School?
Friday, April 9th, 2010
Yes, says jensenlearning.com. Arts training changes the brain physically in ways that enhance academic and social performance of students, according to the writer. This might surprise people who believe that arts affect only one’s emotions.
Arts should be considered a stand-alone discipline on its own that can contribute to the goals we seek through teaching, viz. brain functioning in ways that are academically and socially useful. Arts training changes the brain in ways that other disciplines do not do.
As things stand now, teachers are likely to be overwhelmed with the variety of suggested teaching strategies. Choosing among the strategies becomes a hit or miss affair with no certainty of successful results. This situation, together with the pressure to produce better results, can lead to teacher burnout.
The author of the post advocates focusing on fewer things, on things that have demonstrated their effectiveness. Arts have proven their effectiveness in improving attentional and cognitive skills. Dana Foundation had funded a study to discover the effect of arts on the brain and the resultant findings showed that music enhances cognition, for example.
The brain is plastic, a constantly changing thing. And arts training changes in desirable ways. The article titled Musical training shapes structural brain development in The Journal of Neuroscience provides peer-reviewed evidence.
Read the post at jensenlearning.com
Tags: arts training, cognitive functioning, cognitive science, education, learning, social skills
Posted in cognitive development, cognitive science, education, learning | No Comments »
