Psychology and Neuroscience: Cognitive Development

Introduction

At its most basic definitive form, the scientific study of mental processes as well as behaviors is referred to as psychology. Behaviors are any actions or reactions that can be observed directly whereas mental processes include internal processes such as feeling, thinking, and desiring; most of which can only be observed indirectly (Compton, 2003; p.121).

However, recent advancements in the field of biotechnology have started to make it possible to look into some of these internal processes more directly through neuroscience. By definition, neuroscience is the study of the brain and its nervous systems. Although neuroscience is a relatively new field, studies have shown that as more research is being done on this field, it appears that much of the mental processes and mental behaviors of human beings – which form the interests for psychological study – are correlatively intertwined with the brain and its nervous systems (Diamond & Amso, 2008; p.137).

Consequently, this serves as one of the primary and most fundamental reasons why it's of great essence for us to develop a better understanding of how our brain and nervous systems work and their intimate intertwinement with psychology. This is a phenomenal course considering that the brain and nervous system control not only our behaviors but also other psychological developments; particularly so, cognitive development of our bodies. Herein this paper will provide an extensive discussion on how these fields of neuroscience and psychology have growingly become inseparable as far as understanding our primary forms of cognitive development is concerned.

Neuroscience’s Contributions to Our Understanding of Cognitive Development

There is no doubt that the field of psychology has become very fundamental to the ongoing efforts that are not only meant to advance our knowledge but also to better our understanding of psychiatric disorders that affect human beings. It’s equally important to note that some of these efforts are also meant to seek possible treatment forms that can be adapted to combat such disorders (Diamond & Amso, 2008; p.137).

For decades now, statistics-driven psychological studies among other psychoanalyses on human psychology have proved to be not enough to the understanding of biological roots of some of the mental disorders that affect the human mind. This is why it’s tremendously significant to have more than just a working knowledge; particularly so, in hard medical sciences. Quite remarkably, in its basic form; this is where neuroscience comes in handy in supporting human psychological studies which are meant to better cognitive understanding and development of the human body.

Fast forward, one of the most phenomenal contributions that neuroscience has offered to our contemporary understanding of the psychological perspective about the cognitive development of the human body is the demonstration that the brain, mind, and body are intimately intertwined to an extent that one cannot function entirely without the help of the other (Compton, 2003; p.123-4).

However, in today’s field of psychology, behavioral findings are still considered to be somehow controversial – calling for the adequacy that is only underlying in biological mechanisms such as neuroscience (Diamond & Amso, 2008; p.137). Consequently, neuroscience has demonstrated that it can foster the detection of cognitive issues or problems earlier enough before they can be observed through behavioral changes – and, thus, promising interventional mechanisms in psychology.

Effects of Early Experience on Brain, Body, Mind, Behavior, and Gene Expression

From the previous neuroscience research and neurobiological studies’ findings, it ironically emerged that human biology has never been, and should never be regarded as the destiny of human beings’ psychology – and, deservedly so, this has been one of the most fundamental findings in modern neuroscience research and its relation to human psychology and psychological developments (Diamond & Amso, 2008; p.138).

Interestingly, some recent neuroscience research findings have shown that experience can shape the brain, mind, and even gene expression of human beings beyond our contemporary imaginations. This is an exquisite discovery that gives an insightful contribution to neuroscience has become very fundamental to the advancement of the theory of cognitive development of human psychology – the area that in the recent past has been raged with controversial debates concerning the role of nature and nurture to social psychology (Compton, 2003; p. 118-9).

Consequently, one of the first killer experience-induced plasticity about this neuroscience and psychological research about the brain is an article published in the Science Journal where researchers' argue that it is high time neuroscience started to put more emphasis on some sensory systems such as the sense of touch which have been receiving less attention from psychologists as far understanding human cognitive development is concerned (Schangerg, Butler & Suskind, 1978; p. 447).

Nurturing Touch and Its Impact on Stress Reactivity and Cognitive Development

Experimental research findings of rat's cognitive development have shown demonstrative evidence that maternal rats who tend not only to lick but also grooming their pups have a more probable chance of producing more active offspring. In other words, they are more likely to produce offspring who can explore more, become less fearful, and who can show more mild reactions to anxiety and stress – among others, most of which can lead to preservation of better skills of cognition – throughout their lives (Day, Liu, Meaney, Diorio & Francis, 2000; p.801-2).

One of the most significant takeaways from Day and colleagues’ research finding is that: more often than not, it's the mother's behavioral aspect or changes that induce or produces some of these changes rather than specified genetic profiles which produce both particular offspring features as well as mothering styles.

To justify this assertation, this same research findings further points out that even pups from high-grooming-and-licking moms that were expected to show and perform better cognitively into their adults by possessing characteristics such as less stress or anxieties, among other attributes of the constellation; didn’t show any of these signs or traits when they were raised by low-licking-and-grooming moms and vice versa (Day et al., 2000; p.803).

Furthermore, neuroscientific research has presumably made psychologists start believing that one of the leading causes of these kinds of behavioral induction from rats unto their offspring is that that they usually try to raise their pups the same way they were brought up; and therefore this kind of ‘chain of command’ and its impacts is what induces the brain to encode such kind of cognitive developments in their offspring.

Therefore, this is the most presumable reason why these effects are normally transmitted inter-generationally through behavioral means and not genomes. Consequently, it’s believed that high-touch-or-groom moms tend to groom their biological offspring much better than the others and neuroscience argues that through this stretched effort of grooming their offspring, it becomes easy to pass down cognitive enhancement as well as diminished stress responses through generations (Schangerg et al., 1978; p. 446).

Moreover, elegant demonstrations such as these that maternal behaviors can induce or produce similar behavioral consequences through an umpteen of mechanisms; which more often than not, alter gene expression, elaborates the necessity of intertwining neuroscience with the concept of psychology. However, in this regard, it should not be confused that all genes in an individual are expressible – some may or may never be expressed. This is why neuroscience argues that experience can affect gene expression in several ways.

For instance, according to Day and his colleagues’ research (2000, p.805-6); methyl groups’ attachments (methylation) to genes can ‘turn off’ genes to their non-expressive forms or reverse the process through demethylation – ‘turn on the body gene to expressive mode. Consequently, it can be justified that high-licking-or-grooming rat moms can cause demethylation [or basically, cause an activation] of receptor genes such as glucocorticoids – which are stress hormones – in their pups thus lowering the circulations of such genes; eventually affecting both their behavioral experiences and cognitive development once distress hormones are removed.

Nurturing Touch and Emotional and Human Cognitive Development

Human newborns; contrary to newborn rats [as discussed above] have the ability to see, smell, hear and touch. Amongst these senses, the sense to feel touch is considerably one of the most remarkable senses of human beings. Similar to what we have seen from the discussion of rat experiments above, it has been found that infants who receive fewer touches during their infantry; more often than not, experience slow (or retarded) growth rates (Rallison & Frasier, 1992; p.607).

Moreover, one of the most recent articles published in the Journal of Biological Psychiatry notes that kids who get fewer touches during their infantry stages frequently show a tremendous reaction to stress, and they mostly get more vulnerable on some functions of cognitive deficits that are commonly experienced during depression or periods of distress (McEwen, King, Lupieng & Meaney, 2010; p. 978-9).

And lastly but not least, from these kinds of research findings, it’s logical to argue that touch – a neurological sense – is of great significance to infants’ cognitive development. It counteracts body stressors as well as promoting optimal developments to the body. In other words, it’s fair to say that regular and right touches earlier in life can improve human being’s brain development, cognitive development, gene expression among other bodily health benefits throughout our lifetime.

Conclusion

From the discussion above, neuroscience – which is the place where the psychological aspect of human beings meets biology – has improved our understanding of our subconscious, physical, among other conditions of neurological health such as the brain’s roles in our behavioral differences and mental processes. Therefore, it shouldn’t be surprising then that more technological research in computer simulations, imaging, among other research visualization forms is being conducted to improve this field of neuroscience. This way, medical researchers, experts, and psychologists can obtain insightful information about the human brain’s physical anatomy and its relationship to the rest of our mind and bodies through the provision of a better cognitive understanding of social psychology.