Assessing the Developing Child Jane Holmes Bernstein Ph.D. Neuropsychology Program Department of Psychiatry Children’s Hospital Boston Children’s Hospital Boston Harvard Medical School

MIND, BRAIN and EDUCATION in 2011

Mary Cassatt, 1898 Collection Rau Zurich

4 points…

POINT #1 traditional models for understanding children’s behavior are inadequate to the current task

Traditionally, focused on measurement— of a child’s abilities

Measuring children’s abilities Psychometric paradigm Skill based Factor analysis of cognitive constructs underlying skills Emphasis on inter-child ranking…

In 2011…. Neuro Neuropsychology: biology Emphasis on biology

Biological organism behaving in environment

Emphasis on whole child as unit of analysis intra-child Analysis is intra-child

Clinical goal …increase success of organism’s behaving in environment [ecological validity defined in terms of organism acting in niche]

Assessment Evaluation data collection clinical analysis diagnosis Management education intervention [Rx & Tx]

POINT #2 Neuro = brain

What “drives” brains….?

INSERT CLASSROOM IMAGE

NOPE!! NOPE !!

What “drives” brains….?

Perpetuation of the species

What “drives” brains….? Food Fight Flight Friends

What “drives” brains….? Food Fight Flight Friends Preservation of self

What “drives” brains….? survival …. …. survival …. of the individual…. of the species….

“What drives brains?” Evolutionary context of ‘brain ’

What are brains for?

Thinking….

What are brains for? Doing! Motor action…….

POINT #3

How do brains work……

Digression… You are part of an intellectual tradition….

A bit of history…… For >500 years: For >500 years: The person has been at the center of how we think about ourselves The person has been at the center of how we think about ourselves

Fundamental assumption…. “..autonomous individual is center of knowledge and cognition..” (Dumont, 1965) “..the boundaries of the individual provide the proper framework within which psychological processes can be adequately analyzed..” (Wertsch et al., 1985)

Cognition: = set of processes that are internal and accessible only to the person to whom they belong

Fits with our experience of the world Fits with our experience of the world Important for our psychological health Important for our psychological health

Fine….. BUT….. BUT….. It’s wrong!!!!! And we have NEUROSCIENCE to thank…..

Why is this important? This long-held belief shapes learninglearners. how we understand learning and learners. psychologicaleducational research It shapes psychological and educational research…. education system It thus shapes our education system. …and,

More recent times…. Emphasis has shifted from child-as-learner Tochild-as-owner-of-the-learning-organ

Brain….

Brain… get built Doesn’t develop in a vacuum function

[BRAIN CONTEXT]

Can you have dyslexia if no-one ever asks you to read?

No ! Biological vulnerability versus Manifest symptom

Brain-Context interaction Physical Brain systems Neurochemical bath Physical world [space, light, sound..] Psychological Social Emotional Beliefs, goals, values

Context Tendency to think SPATIAL context But, not just spatial (here-and-now);

Context Not just spatial (here-and-now); but TEMPORAL is critical to the analysis but TEMPORAL context is critical to the analysis how-did-it-get-this-way? (history: how-did-it-get-this-way?)

Context Temporal Temporal context: evolution of THE brain evolution of THE brain construction of the current social setting construction of the current social setting developmental experience of THIS brain developmental experience of THIS brain

Levels in neuroscience Genes Gene expression Molecules [regulate brain development] Cells Chemical circuits Anatomical circuits Functional circuits Activity of mind/brain [normal and derailed feeling and thinking] Recall this…

Levels in neuroscience Genes Gene expression Gene expression Molecules [regulate brain development] Cells Chemical circuits Anatomical circuits Functional circuits Activity of mind/brain [normal and derailed feeling and thinking]

Levels in neuroscience Genes Gene expression Molecules [regulate brain development] Cells Cells Chemical circuits Anatomical circuits Functional circuits Activity of mind/brain [normal and derailed feeling and thinking]

PARADIGM [monkey] Recording of MT neurons Analysis noise correlations  simultaneous recording  identical visual stimulus Behavioral context  cooperative interactions & competitive interactions.

MT neurons receive inputs of central origin whose strength changes with the task structure Cohen & Newsome, Neuron 2008

Context…  MEANING to the organism.. at the time..

How do brains work…… Importance of the brain context [ brain context ] interaction Brain as both independent and dependent variable

POINT #4

Cardinal feature of child ? Developing…………

Theoretical Matrix….. BRAIN BRAIN: substrate for behavior CONTEXT CONTEXT: brains do not operate in isolation DEVELOPMENT DEVELOPMENT: dynamic change

Developmental models…. Change – and continuity………… (Obligatory) transactions with context Non-linear; successive re-organization

Why?

Implications for assessment ? For design/methodology For selection/collection of data For interpretation of observations For management/intervention planning

And also…… For research questions ? For theories of neurobehavioral development ? For research design/methodology ?

Remind you….. Research investigations : seek universals are variable- centered maximize internal validity

Remind you….. Research investigations Research investigations.. seek universals are variable- centered maximize internal validity Clinical investigations.. deal with individuals are person-centered maximize external validity

Remind you….. Research investigations Research investigations.. seek universals are variable- centered maximize internal validity Clinical investigations.. deal with individuals are person-centered maximize external validity How do you resolve this tension? How do you apply research-obtained knowledge to the individual case?