Differences in socioeconomic status (SES) correlate both with differences in cognitive development and in brain structure. Associations between SES and brain measures such as cortical surface area and cortical thickness mediate differences in cognitive skills such as executive function and language. However, causal accounts that link SES, brain,…

The aim was to evaluate the effects of a family-focused early intervention programme on the cognitive, motor, and language development of infants exposed to social and biological risks in the first year of life. Quasi-experimental randomized controlled trial (RBR-6ct969), with intervention (IG; n = 72) and control (CG; n = 170) groups. IG mothers…

Perceptual development which depends on ability of learning and maturity, is the most important process of mental development. It is commonly believed that the mental development of children is limited due to city life. Children can learn perceptual elements through movement participation. This improves the cognitive development, which triggers…

In recent years, the intersection of cognitive psychology, developmental psychology, and neuroscience with regard to deaf individuals has received increasing attention from a variety of academic and educational audiences. Both research and pedagogy have addressed questions about whether deaf children learn in the same ways that hearing children…

As thinking adults depend upon years of practical experience, reasoning about facts and causes, and language to sustain their knowledge, beliefs and memories, and to understand one another, it seems quite absurd to suggest that a newborn infant has intersubjective mental capacities. But detailed research on how neonatal selves coordinate the…

If it is true that "new discoveries in neuroscience suggest that school readiness interventions might come too late if they start after the child is three years old", then the infant/toddler field must claim the concept of school readiness. The brain's foundation for all later learning is created in the first three years of life. As many…

This paper outlines the strengths and weaknesses in both short-term and long-term memory in Down syndrome, and the implications of these patterns for both other aspects of cognitive development and underlying neural pathology. There is clear evidence that Down syndrome is associated with particularly poor verbal short-term memory performance, and…

The paper reviews research on cerebral hemispheric functioning and considers the implications for instruction of the deaf. The nature of right and left hemisphere function and communication is addressed, as are findings on cerebral asymmetry for aspects of language processing. Studies on hemispheric specialization of hearing impaired persons…

The paper reviews research from 1970 to the present in the study of cognitive processing and language in deaf students and adults. Studies address the following topics: differential specialization (direct observation of clinical populations and indirect methods examining handedness, dichotic listening, and visual hemifield differences); cerebral…

Discusses the relevance of the study of the neurobiology of cognitive development, for an understanding of both the neural bases and the nature of cognition. Also considered are the age at which hemisphere specialization first appears and whether hemisphere specialization changes over time. (PCB)

Survivors of preterm birth have a high incidence of neurodevelopmental impairment which is not explained by currently understood brain abnormalities. The aim of this study was to test the hypothesis that the neurodevelopmental abilities of 2-year-old children who were born preterm and who had no evidence of focal abnormality on conventional MR…

An examination of studies concerning the functional organization of languages in the bilingual brain discusses several variables. Factors that may contribute to the organization of language include age, language proficiency, literacy, reading skills, type of script, language specific factors, social acculturation, teaching method, and style. (CJ)

The pleasures and benefits of talking to one's self are presented in the context of self-understanding. The types of "self-talk" noted are writing, the trying out of future conversations to one's self, and soliloquizing before groups of people. Futhermore, speculation about the relation of the right and left hemispheres of the brain and…

A discussion of the biological and developmental issues in early second language learning first looks at psycholinguistic research on brain growth patterns and the relationship of first and second language learning. Focus is on three phenomena observed in the self-organization of living systems: selection of input data; organization of specialized…

Brain research indicates that sensory-motor experiences during childrens' preschool and early school years may be the foundation for later language development. (MLF)