MedWorm provides a medical RSS filtering service. Over 6000 RSS medical sources are combined and output via different filters. This feed contains the latest medical blog items that have been tagged with 'cognitive development'. Sat, 03 Sep 2011 02:24:00 +0100 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4189835&cid=t_181721_146_f&fid=38266&url=http%3A%2F%2Fsleepeducation.blogspot.com%2F2010%2F11%2Fnighttime-sleep-essential-for-mental.html (Source: Sleep Education) Sleep Education blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4189835 Mon, 22 Nov 2010 20:41:00 +0100 4189835 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4133995&cid=t_181721_122_f&fid=36582&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FSharpBrains%2F%7E3%2FgzrsphtRgQo%2F (Editor’s Note: What follows is an excerpt from Dr. Robert Sylwester’s new book, A Child’s Brain. The Need for Nurture (2010) Corwin. In this excerpt, Robert Sylwester synthesizes the first 20 years of development and shows how it can be viewed as a “rhythmic four-six-four-six-year developmental sequence”) . Chapter 4: Development and Growth. The First 20 years. To simplify a complex phenomenon, we can divide our 20-year developmental trajectory into two periods of approximately 10 years each. The developmental period from birth to about age 10 focuses on learning how to be a human being – learning to move, to communicate, and to master basic social skills. The developmental period from about 11 to 20 focuses on learning how to be a productive reproductive human being – plan... SharpBrains blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4133995 Thu, 04 Nov 2010 11:27:16 +0100 4133995 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3938391&cid=t_181721_109_f&fid=36089&url=http%3A%2F%2Fthesituationist.wordpress.com%2F2010%2F09%2F07%2Fthe-situation-of-property-ownership%2F Patricia Kanngiesser, Nathalia Gjersoe, and Bruce M. Hood recently published a fascinating paper, titled “The Effect of Creative Labor on Property-Ownership Transfer by Preschool Children and Adults,” in the August 16, 2010 issue of Psychological Science.  Here’s the abstract. * * * Recognizing property ownership is of critical importance in social interactions, but little is known about how and when this attribute emerges. We investigated whether preschool children and adults believe that ownership of one person’s property is transferred to a second person following the second person’s investment of creative labor in that property. In our study, an experimenter and a participant borrowed modeling-clay objects from each other to mold int... The Situationist blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3938391 Tue, 07 Sep 2010 04:01:43 +0100 3938391 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3157583&cid=t_181721_122_f&fid=36582&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FSharpBrains%2F%7E3%2FqtPLqziw02M%2F In this study, typically developing students were tested for their IQ and working memory at 5 years old and again when they were 11 years old. They were also tested on their academic attainments in reading, spelling and maths. Findings and Educational Implications The findings revealed that a child’s success in all aspects of learning is down to how good their working memory is regardless of IQ score. Critically, working memory at the start of formal education is a more powerful predictor of subsequent academic success than IQ in the early years. This unique finding is important as it addresses concerns that general intelligence, still viewed as a key predictor of academic success, is unreliable. An individual can have an average IQ score but perform poorly in learning. Some psychologist... SharpBrains blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3157583 Sun, 10 Jan 2010 13:38:48 +0100 3157583 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2442122&cid=t_181721_122_f&fid=36582&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FSharpBrains%2F%7E3%2FHMdav34z_sI%2F Arts education influences learning and other areas of cognition and may deserve a more prominent place in schools, according to a wave of recent neuroscience research.One recent study found that children who receive music instruction for just 15 months show strengthened connections in musically relevant brain areas and perform better on associated tasks, compared with students who do not learn an instrument. A separate study found that children who receive training to improve their focus and attention perform better not only on attention tasks but also on intelligence tests. Some researchers suggest that arts training might similarly affect a wide range of cognitive domains. Educators and neuroscientists gathered recently in Baltimore and Washington, D.C., to discuss the increasingly detai... SharpBrains blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2442122 Sun, 24 May 2009 19:15:40 +0100 2442122 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2349068&cid=t_181721_122_f&fid=36582&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FSharpBrains%2F%7E3%2FfG7V3iNsAJQ%2F At a time when educators are preoccupied with standards, testing, and the bottom line, some researchers suggest the arts can boost students' test scores; others aren't convinced. Karin Evans asks, What are the arts good for? --- When poet and national endowment for the Arts Chairman Dana Gioia gave the 2007 Commencement Address at Stanford University, he used the occasion to deliver an impassioned argument for the value of the arts and arts education. "Art is an irreplaceable way of understanding and expressing the world," said Gioia. "There are some truths about life that can be expressed only as stories, or songs, or images. Art delights, instructs, consoles. It educates our emotions." For years, arts advocates like Gioia have been making similar pleas, stressing the ... SharpBrains blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2349068 Fri, 17 Apr 2009 00:12:58 +0100 2349068 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2250067&cid=t_181721_146_f&fid=38266&url=http%3A%2F%2Fsleepeducation.blogspot.com%2F2009%2F03%2Fchildhood-sleep-disorders-may-affect.html Long-lasting sleep problems in children can affect their cognitive development. This is the finding of a new study in the journal Sleep.It links ongoing sleep problems through childhood with cognitive problems at age 17. Results show that long-lasting sleep problems may affect “executive functioning.”These functions are a part of how the brain regulates thoughts and actions. One example is the ability to shift between two tasks. Another example is the ability to update the contents of working memory.The study involved 916 twins. About 70 percent of them had more than one sleep problem at age 4. The majority of these sleep problems went away by the time the children reached the teen years.But 33 percent of the children still had sleep problems at age 16. These children had lower scores ... Sleep Education blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2250067 Mon, 09 Mar 2009 03:08:00 +0100 2250067 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2256045&cid=t_181721_87_f&fid=34935&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmedicine.com.my%2Fwp%2F%3Fp%3D6318 strWebsiteID = window.document.location.toString();strSplitWeb = strWebsiteID.split("/")strWebsiteID = strSplitWeb[2];document.write(”“); from the Malaysian Medical Resources VIDEO: TV Viewing Not Linked to Cognitive Development, Bipolar Parents More Likely to Have Bipolar Children, Swimming Lessons for Toddlers Reduces Drowning Risk (Source: Malaysian Medical Resources) Malaysian Medical Resources blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2256045 Sun, 08 Mar 2009 05:00:00 +0100 2256045 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1930764&cid=t_181721_122_f&fid=36582&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FSharpBrains%2F%7E3%2F440107576%2F A beautiful initiative, featured in the New York Times today: Coming Full Circle: - "In a typical Montessori classroom, teachers use category-sorting exercises to help young students see patterns and connections. But the participants in this group were mostly in their 80s and on the other side of the cognitive development curve. They are residents at an assisted-living facility for people with dementia called Hearthstone at the Esplanade, which has six other homes in New York State and Massachusetts. Since July the residents have participated in a full-time program of Montessori-based activities designed for people with memory deficiencies." - "A common misconception about people with dementia, Dr. Camp said, is that they no longer learn. But they do: residents learn to find... SharpBrains blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1930764 Sun, 02 Nov 2008 17:53:36 +0100 1930764 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1871341&cid=t_181721_122_f&fid=36582&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FSharpBrains%2F%7E3%2F419120348%2F A reader and writer sent us over the weekend the article below as "an OpEd submission". We are not a newspaper, and don't have a formal OpEd section, but are delighted to publish thoughtful, research-based pieces on topics related to lifelong cognitive development and health. Here you are: ---- Philosophy as the Missing Link – An Eye-Opening Audit of Our School’s Curriculum By: Kimberly Wickham The question might be asked, “Why would anyone want to teach philosophy to pre-adolescent children?” but there are very good reasons why one might want to take on such a lofty task. I am not suggesting that the history of philosophy would be particularly pertinent for a young child to learn, but there is substantial evidence to support the development of an already natural tendency... SharpBrains blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1871341 Mon, 13 Oct 2008 03:27:35 +0100 1871341 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1509845&cid=t_181721_122_f&fid=36582&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FSharpBrains%2F%7E3%2F308569760%2F We sometimes neglect to mention a very basic yet powerful method of cognitive and emotional development, for children and adults alike: Play. Dr. David Elkind, author of The Power of Play: Learning That Comes Naturally, discusses the need to build a more "playful culture" in this great article brought to you thanks to our collaboration with Greater Good Magazine. -------------------- Can We Play? -- By Dr. David Elkind Play is rapidly disappearing from our homes, our schools, and our neighborhoods. Over the last two decades alone, children have lost eight hours of free, unstructured, and spontaneous play a week. More than 30,000 schools in the United States have eliminated recess to make more time for academics. From 1997 to 2003, children's time spent outdoors fell 50 perce... SharpBrains blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1509845 Tue, 10 Jun 2008 05:22:33 +0100 1509845 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1480778&cid=t_181721_99_f&fid=35344&url=http%3A%2F%2Fzackarysholemberger.blogspot.com%2F2008%2F05%2Fnot-blinded-in-belarus.html When this study on breastfeeding and IQ was hyped in the press (MSNBC; see WebMD for a better take) why did no one mention that the pediatricians who rated the IQ of the children in question (more vs. less breastfeeding) were not blinded to which group the children were in?I would understand if the findings of the study were a slam dunk, but they aren't: verbal IQ was the only category with a statistically significant difference (performance and total were not statistically significant), and the IQ difference is probably not behaviorally significant in any case (what's five or seven points?).Given that the differences are small and possibly not statistically significant, it behooves those reporting the news to give a sense of potential sources of bias: factors which could skew the results ... Zackary Sholem Berger blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1480778 Fri, 30 May 2008 19:46:00 +0100 1480778 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1432320&cid=t_181721_109_f&fid=34759&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2Fscienceblogs%2Fmixingmemory%2F%7E3%2F287024489%2Fis_the_foundation_of_prejudice.php Who says religion and science can't go together well? I just read an interesting paper by Kinzler et al.(1), published last year in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences with apparent Biblical inspiration (OK, maybe not), as it begins with Judges 12:5-6 as an epigraph. In that passage, group membership is determined by having individuals pronounce a word, and if they can't pronounce it properly, they're killed. Kinzler et al. then provide a host of examples of what we might call linguistic discrimination in their opening paragraph: The biblical story of Shibboleth speaks of the ancient massacre of those who could not correctly pronounce a phrase, thereby revealing their out-group status. Modern-day Shibboleth is ubiquitous: United States history alone abounds with examples o... Mixing Memory blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1432320 Fri, 09 May 2008 19:48:00 +0100 1432320