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My name is Joan Stiles.
I'm a professor of
cognitive science
at the University of
California, San Diego,
and Director of the UCSD
Human Development Program.
The title of my talk is
'Fundamentals of Brain Development:
Integrating Nature and Nurture'.
In the past two
to three decades,
there have been tremendous
advances within
developmental neurobiology
in our understanding
of brain development.
These advances extend to
all levels of the
developing system from
understanding the role
of gene expression
to the organization
of neocortex.
With those advances have
come fundamental changes
in the underlying models of how this
complex biological system emerges.
In contrast to older
maturational models in which
inherited factors prescribe
the course of development
and determine
developmental outcomes,
the emerging picture
of brain development
is of a dynamic and
adaptive system
that is constrained both
by inherited factors
and by the experience
of the organism.
Normal brain
development requires
the expression of
very specific genes,
but just as important are
the specific input the
organism receives.
While this progress
in understanding
the biological basis
of brain development
is perhaps inherently
interesting,
it is legitimate to ask
whether these developments in
neurobiology have implications
for other fields.
Specifically, is
it important for
investigators studying
other aspects of
human development,
in particular psychologists,
to know about brain development?
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I will argue in this
talk that it is.
But the question is why.
Knowledge of contemporary models
of brain development is important.
Because in fact, most
traditional models of
behavioral development rely on
assumptions about
biological development.
But the models behavioral
scientists evoke are not current.
Thus, the underlying
assumptions about
critical issues
concerning the origins
of behavior are out of date.
Alignment of our
models of brain and
behavioral development
is essential for
progress in
understanding how humans
develop biologically,
cognitively or socially.
The purpose of this talk is
to provide an overview of
some very basic principles
of brain development
drawn from contemporary
developments of neurobiology
that may be of use
to investigators
from a wide range
of disciplines,
and in particular to
developmental psychologists,
whose specific focus
is the origin of
knowledge and its
biological underpinnings.
