...Option 1 To what extent can cognitive development be understood in terms of specialisation of function in specific structures of the brain? INTRODUCTION In relation to what extent cognitive development can be understood in terms of specialisation of specific structures of the brain, this assignment will observe and use developmental cognitive neuropsychology which explains and seeks to understand a functional relationship between the human brain and its function. In this assignment I will produce two contrasting theories within regards to the functional specialisation, I will accomplish this with study and analysis while debating which brain functions contest and develop by exploring specific key concepts of brain development such as contesting influences that the environment may have upon a maturing brain. Throughout this essay not only will I be discussing concepts of brain development but I will also briefly present the function of language and that it is reliant upon specific structures “Cortical” and whether a pre-specified “particular region” of the brain may have a role in supporting cognitive functions and finally in-turn by using evidence based research within relation to the pre-frontal cortex I will conclude this assignment. In order to explain specialisation of function development of the brain, I will now associate functional specialisation and structural differentiation. There are particular cognitive functions and specific cortical areas in a typical...
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...resulted from conflicting views between proponents of the physiological (nature) and sociological (nurture) explanations. Throughout history, research has swayed popularity back and forth between the theories. Yet, theorists have broken down the line separating nature and nurture. As of today, people utilize both explanations to explore human behavior. Way before our time, early philosophers endeavored to understand the human behavior. As early as 350 BC, such philosophers as Plato and Aristotle tried to understand behavior. The question of nature or nurture as the primary drive can be traced to these times. Plato believed behavior and knowledge was due to innate factors. Author Fiona Cowie states, "The claim that the character of our mental furniture is to a large extent internally rather than environmentally determined found its first substantive defense in the works of Plato..." Plato theorized that all knowledge is present at birth. Plato also believed that the environment played a part in human processes, but he thought it had an unique role. He believed the environment did not teach people anything new, but its purpose was to remind people...
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...Theories Of First Language Acquisition English Language Essay Imagine a blank template, a white sheet of paper, thats how human being starts off. From a crying baby in a cradle, to babbling, to simple single words, slowly progressing into two-words, then finally a complete sentence, ever wonder how one acquires the ability to produce the language? Linguists throughout the ages have tried to find out how does one ACQUIRE a language, is it a deep structure as claimed by Kimball? Or is it an innate ability, a build-in human capacity propagated by Chomsky? Various theories have arose since language studies came to fore, and the ability to acquire language has interested various parties since the dawn of man. From the dunes of Egypt, Psammeticus, the Pharaoh during the 7 th century BC, believed language was inborn and that children isolated from birth from any linguistic influence would develop the language they had been born with. Fast forward to the 15th century,King James of Scotland performed a similar experiment; the children were reported to have spoken good Hebrew. Akbar, a 16th century Mogul emperor of India, desired to learn whether language was innate or acquired through exposure to the speech of adults. He believed that language was learned by people listening to each other and therefore a child could not develop language alone. So he ordered a house built for two infants and stationed a mute nurse to care for them. The children did not acquire speech, which seemed to...
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...By LAWRENCE WRIGHT John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Read the Review TWO LIVES-- ONE PERSONALITY? A pair of identical twin girls were surrendered to an adoption agency in New York City in the late 1960s. The twins, who are known in psychological literature as Amy and Beth, might have gone through life in obscurity had they not come to the attention of Dr. Peter Neubauer, a prominent psychiatrist at New York University's Psychoanalytic Institute and a director of the Freud Archives. Neubauer believed at the time that twins posed such a burden to parents, and to themselves in the form of certain developmental hazards, that adopted twins were better off being raised separately, with no knowledge of their twinship. Neubauer also recognized the exceptional research possibilities such a separation offered. Studies of twins reared apart are one of the most powerful tools that scholars have to analyze the relative contributions of heredity and environment to the makeup of individual human natures. Identical twins are rare, however, and twins who have been separated and brought up in different families are particularly unusual. Neubauer was aware of a mere handful of studies examining twins reared apart, and in most cases the twins being studied had been separated for only part of their childhoods and were reunited at some point long before the study began. Here was an opportunity to look at twins from the moment they were separated, and to trace them through childhood, observing at each...
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...Introduction The phrase “nature versus nurture” was first used in its modern interpretation by the British psychologist, Francis Galton (Princeton, 2012). He began his studies concerning heredity in 1865, being moderately influenced by Charles Darwin’s publication “Origin of Species”, Galton was in favor of the idea that success was caused by superior inherited qualities, he hypothesized that human mental and personality traits were fundamentally inherited as they are in other animals (Indiana, 2012). The purpose of this paper is to establish which qualities relating to personality and development are proven to be at least partly inherited, and whether some other aspects of human personality and development are caused by environmental factors. The first section of the paper will be a brief overview of the research methodology of this field, the second section will contain a discussion of research relating to heritable factors and how they influence development, the third a look at how environmental interaction might influence personality and finally some criticism towards this field of study. Main Body The research of genetics and heredity is often difficult due to the vast amount of variables in the development of human beings, to keep variables to a minimum the most popular method of research in this field the study of twins. Twin studies involve comparing data produced by monozygotic (Identical) twins , these are twins who come from the same...
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...sense experience - The strengths and weaknesses of the view that claims about what exists must ultimately be grounded in and justified by sense experience. This is an analysis of the "empiricist" view: both Hume and Locke are empiricists as they argue that all knowledge depends on experience. Note that the first item asks us to evaluate empiricism as an explanation of the origin of ideas, and the second asks us to evaluate the claim that knowledge must be justified with reference to experience. Locke on the origin of Ideas AO1 Position and its implications: The mind is a tabula rasa or "blank slate" at birth, empty of all ideas and knowledge; it is gradually filled through experience AO1 Detail, Illustration: An Essay Concerning Human Understanding II.1 Locke's definition of "idea" = "the object of thinking" He gives examples: "such as are those expressed by the words whiteness, hardness, sweetness, thinking, motion, man, elephant, army, drunkenness, and others" We might say concepts rather than ideas, the basic mental building blocks of propositions or declarative sentences Ideas are acquired through two processes, sensation or reflection; each is a type of perception, the first of external objects, the second an inward perception of mental processes. Sensation The senses "convey" perceptions into the mind, or rather "they convey into the mind what produces there those perceptions". These are the ideas of "sensible qualities"...
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...intelligence, aspects of personality such as temperament (aggression for example), criminality and morality, are ultimately determined by the information encoded in DNA. They espouse that "we are who we are" because of our genes solely; that biodiversity in man is ultimately precipitated by phenotypic variations, caused by purely genetic differences, amongst individuals, therefore ostensibly offering little or no gravity to non-genetic factors. Non-genetic factors, generically labelled as the environment, encompass not only the physical, chemical and biological criterion, but also the numerous social and psychological ones that shape our lives as we grow and mature. Can we seriously take the influence of the environment, an intangible but nonetheless powerful force we experience every single day, out of the equation? Are we really who we are simply because our genes deem it so? What happens when you examine twins who have the same genes but were raised in different environments? Nature versus Nurture For years, the nature versus nurture debate has had people struggling to explain what makes them who they are. Studies performed on identical twins, which have been separated at birth, have come the closest to ending this debate. However, the topic of discussion is still left without a clear victor. The debate is between two different beliefs regarding what makes a person “who they are” mentally and...
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...Community Rights and Geographical Indications Introduction The Concept of Community. The first step in considering the meaning of community is to understand that, fundamentally, it is a fluid concept. What one person calls a community may not match another person’s definition. A person may be a member of a community by choice, as with voluntary associations, or by virtue of their innate personal characteristics, such as age, gender, race, or ethnicity. As a result, individuals may belong to multiple communities at any one time. When initiating community engagement efforts, one must be aware of these complex associations in deciding which individuals to work within the targeted community. A community is a group of two or more people who have been able to accept and transcend their differences regardless of the diversity of their backgrounds (social, spiritual, educational, ethnic, economic, political, etc.) This enables them to communicate effectively and openly and to work together toward goals identified as being for their common good. The word community can refer to a specific group of people or it can describe a quality of relationship based on certain values and principles. A community is a group of all leaders who share equal responsibility for and commitment to maintaining its spirit. Community is reflective, contemplative and introspective. Communities may be viewed as systems composed of individual members and sectors that have a variety of distinct characteristics...
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...heories about how young children acquire and develop language Young children become amazingly proficient communicators during the first three years of life. As the Birth to Three Matters framework points out, they use 'the hundred languages of children' - body language (including facial expressions and dance); sign language (their own and family inventions as well as an officially recognised sign language); painting, drawing and mark-making; and oral expression. They have been acutely active listeners since their days in the womb, where they learned to recognise the speech patterns, tunes and tones of the languages used in their home contexts. Language theory research informs us that young children's language development is influenced by many factors, including having sensitive adults and older children around them who will listen and attend to their expressions and who will use and model appropriate language themselves. This has been called 'Motherese' by researchers led by Cathy Snow. Children's babbling during their first year includes the sounds of every world language and 'crib talk' demonstrates their intense interest in the sounds they hear around them. Although children with a hearing loss will stop babbling, if they grow up in a home with parents who can sign, they will follow the same patterns of development using their first language - signing - and will sign their first word at around the same age that hearing children speak theirs. Between two and three years...
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...name: Ms John What is this unit about? This unit enables learners to gain understanding of the different life stages and how people grow and develop. It requires learners to reflect on the importance of a variety of factors and major life events on the development of individuals, and to consider the nature-nurture debate. This unit will also allow learners to gain an insight into the aging process and to understand both positive and negative perspectives of ageing. Learning outcomes: * Understand human growth and development through the life stages. * Understand how life factors and events may influence the development of the individual. * Understand physical changes and psychological perspectives in relation to ageing. P1: Describe the physical, intellectual, emotional and social development through the life stages. The main life stages of human development are: * Conception * Pregnancy and birth. * Infancy * Childhood * Adolescence * Adulthood * Later adulthood. The holistic development of an individual involves them developing physically, intellectually, emotionally and socially. All humans go through the following things: * Growth: an increase in some measured quantity, such as height or weight. * Development: complex changes including an increase in skills, abilities and capabilities. * Maturation: when development is assumed to be due to a genetically programmed sequence...
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...study of language. The word was first used in the middle of the 19th century to emphasize the difference between a newer approach to the study of language that was then developing and the more traditional approach of philology. The differences were and are largely matters of attitude, emphasis, and purpose. The philologist is concerned primarily with the historical development of languages as it is manifest in written texts and in the context of the associated literature and culture. The linguist, though he may be interested in written texts and in the development of languages through time, tends to give priority to spoken languages and to the problems of analyzing them as they operate at a given point in time. The field of linguistics may be divided in terms of three dichotomies: synchronic versus diachronic, theoretical versus applied, microlinguistics versus macrolinguistics. A synchronic description of a language describes the language as it is at a given time; a diachronic description is concerned with the historical development of the language and the structural changes that have taken place in it. The goal of theoretical linguistics is the construction of a general theory of the structure of language or of a general theoretical framework for the description of languages; the aim of applied linguistics is the application of the findings and techniques of the scientific study of language to practical tasks, especially to the elaboration of improved methods of language teaching...
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...such as “late modernity”, “globalisation” and “the knowledge society”. It is part of this development that human competence is becoming an increasingly decisive resource and parameter of competition. Additionally, the competence that is needed cannot be established and acquired through education in the more traditional sense – because there is a constant need for change and renewal and because its usability depends on its being linked to a number of personal characteristics such as flexibility, creativity, independence, the ability to cooperate, responsibility, service orientation etc. For this reason learning and competence development are more interesting focus points than education and teaching, and it has become vital to discover the extent to which this learning and competence development can take place directly in working life in close association with the ongoing change and renewal, or when it would be preferable to put it at some distance by means of more course and education-like activities. This whole development can, of course, be viewed from many angles, but it is important to be aware of the fact that this is a unity which always spans...
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...Aptitude Testing and the Legal Profession 6 June 2011 Dr. Chris Dewberry Birkbeck, University of London 1 Acknowledgement: I wish to thank Chris Hutton for his help in compiling information in the section of this report entitled Aptitude Tests Currently Used in the Professional Services Sector, Appendix 3, and Appendix 4. 2 Contents Executive Summary ................................................................................................................... 6 The Background to this Report................................................................................................ 12 An Introduction to Aptitude and Aptitude Tests ..................................................................... 13 A Brief History of Psychological Ability Testing ....................................................................... 16 The Origins of Testing .......................................................................................................... 16 The Birth of the Modern Ability Test ................................................................................... 17 The Introduction of Group Testing ...................................................................................... 19 The New Science of Psychological Testing .......................................................................... 20 The Growth of the Ability and Aptitude Testing Industry ................................................... 20 Aptitudes and...
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...Biology guide First assessment 2016 Biology guide First assessment 2016 Diploma Programme Biology guide Published February 2014 Published on behalf of the International Baccalaureate Organization, a not-for-profit educational foundation of 15 Route des Morillons, 1218 Le Grand-Saconnex, Geneva, Switzerland by the International Baccalaureate Organization (UK) Ltd Peterson House, Malthouse Avenue, Cardiff Gate Cardiff, Wales CF23 8GL United Kingdom Website: www.ibo.org © International Baccalaureate Organization 2014 The International Baccalaureate Organization (known as the IB) offers four high-quality and challenging educational programmes for a worldwide community of schools, aiming to create a better, more peaceful world. This publication is one of a range of materials produced to support these programmes. The IB may use a variety of sources in its work and checks information to verify accuracy and authenticity, particularly when using community-based knowledge sources such as Wikipedia. The IB respects the principles of intellectual property and makes strenuous efforts to identify and obtain permission before publication from rights holders of all copyright material used. The IB is grateful for permissions received for material used in this publication and will be pleased to correct any errors or omissions at the earliest opportunity. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted...
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...1 CHAPTER OUTLINE Ranking Groups Types of Groups Listen to Our Voices Problem of the Color Line Does Race Matter? Biracial and Multiracial Identity: Who Am I? Research Focus Multiracial Identity Sociology and the Study of Race and Ethnicity The Creation of Subordinate-Group Status The Consequences of Subordinate-Group Status Resistance and Change WHAT WILL YOU LEARN? How Does Society Rank Different Groups? What Are the Four Types of Groups? Does Race Still Matter? How is Biracial and Multiracial Identity Defined? How Is Sociology Applied to the Study of Race and Ethnicity? What Leads to the Creation of Subordinate-Group Status? What Are the Consequences of Subordinate-Group Status? How Does Change Occur in Race Relations? ISBN 1-256-48952-2 2 Racial and Ethnic Groups, Thirteenth edition, by Richard T. Schaefer. Published by Merrill Prentice Hall. Copyright © 2012 by Pearson Education, Inc. Exploring Race and Ethnicity Minority groups are subordinated in terms of power and privilege to the majority, or dominant group. A minority is defined not by being outnumbered but by five characteristics: unequal treatment, distinguishing physical or cultural traits, involuntary membership, awareness of subordination, and ingroup marriage. Subordinate groups are classified in terms of race, ethnicity, religion, and gender. The social importance of race is derived from a process of racial formation; any biological significance is relatively unimportant to society...
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