PSYC 52.06 Typical and Atypical Neurodevelopment
Approximately one trillion synapses are formed each day during the first three years of life, many of which are pruned away by age five. What is happening in the brain during these formative years? The goal of this course is to provide insight into the neural basis of human cognition by examining the “tabula rasa” of the human brain and how it changes over the first few years of typical and atypical development. Throughout the course, we will wrestle with questions regarding which facets of our neural machinery and cognitive abilities are innate vs. acquired. We will discuss the development of specific cognitive capacities (e.g. learning to read, recognize faces, pay attention, communicate, socialize) from the perspective of individuals with typical developmental trajectories in each of these domains, as well as from the perspective of individuals with difficulties in each domain (e.g. dyslexia, prosopagnosia, ADHD, autism). This course will draw upon your prior knowledge of psychology, cognitive neuroscience, and neurobiology, and will explore classic and cutting-edge peer-reviewed scientific studies of developmental psychology, neurodevelopment, cognitive development.
Instructor
Robertson