The developing brain and the environment – psych notes continued.

Environmental Isolation Model (Levitsky) studies rats and dogs

His goal was to demonstrate that malnutrition effects the basics of learning.  He tried to find

the learning mechanism.  Maybe temperature or sensitivity differences – if that removed depicted

no learning differences. 

     Animals early in life, eg. rats live in nest with mom and as gets older

ventures out with other rats.  – Rats didn’t leave nest as soon.  Mom retrieved them more, therefore, even in rats, mothers treat malnourished rats different. 

     Social factors therefore come into play and therefore more in humans.

Malnourished rats = to pick up info, when not conditioned or re-inforced

Incidental learning when not conditioned or re-inforced.  A lot of this may be lost.

Chavez et al

- supplementation study

-pregnant women and infants supplemented

-observational methodology

-Bayley scales of infant development

_____________Control (not supplemented)

                           Supplemented

(actually watched what people did in life – pros and cons to observation.

Bayley scales used widely – standard observation watched for certain  time and noticed what people were doing.

Diagrams will not be shown here:

Point is – can’t talk about nutrition alone.  There is also a big affect on high interaction with the environment.

Chile paper from malnutrition to worse.  Break unattended biases. 

Need principal applied to vision.  Critical period – perhaps synapses (eg)

Malnourished rat rummages around instead of staying with pup-human too.

  Bayley Scales of Infant Development .    

MDI   -  mental scale

PDI   -   motor scale

Period:  birth – approx 4 years

Several pages of what checked, child for, based at age___.    

Eg.  1 month of age responds to sound of bell   P/F other notes.  Quiet when picked up. Etc about 160 questions

10 threw ball

13 walk alone

17 attains toy with stick, mental development on baby (very simple, 1 versus others)

It tells you about the stages of development you are going to go.

What it tells us – Good – Why is it hard to ask?  Difficult? – why?

What are the problems in research?

How is it set up well?

What are they really saying in the conclusions?

Say exactly what happens.  Be specific eg. -70 didn’t finish.

Different sensitive periods.  41 1/2% Thinking and listening

Quite well done, given with what they have to work for.  What do they claim to have shown?  Who do they look like?

Know what the measures are eg. weight and height for age.

What are we trying to find out and how do we go about doing it?  What was the question?  Did they do it well?  What were the constraints they were under?

Lacking everything as a given more of control- Why do these….?

Do use the results of the paper for your point.  In the Incap study where they (3 or 4 questions about this material)…

Write from outlines – Do not re-write.

Question and answer the question.

Several minutes reading question and underline each question asked.  Asked.  ½ question is 50%

outline  - point form 1

                                  2

                                  3 or sub points study

Couple sentences for each point. 

What have you learned if you wanted to do this study?  What do you think?

    

 Next:  HIV and the developing brain