Developmental course of information processing mechanisms

We now know that the human brain continues to develop throughout childhood and into early adulthood. However, there is still much to be learned about the developmental course of cognitive abilities. In recent years there have been innovative applications of mathematical models to understand how the adult mind processes certain types of information. For example, these techniques have shown that under conditions where a decision or a response can be made with only a limited amount of information, we typically do not process the extra information. We also tend to process multiple pieces of information at the same time, or in parallel, rather than one piece of information at a time (e.g., serially). Research has also demonstrated that there are situations that require all pieces of information to make an accurate decision and conditions where serial processing is necessary. In general, this work suggests that the approach an adult employs at any given time conforms to the constraints of the task at hand, and in many cases, appears to be the most efficient strategy. My research will apply these mathematical approaches to studies of children and adolescents in order to gain a better understanding of how cognitive abilities develop. There is evidence to suggest that children's approaches to a variety of cognitive tasks is less efficient than those used by adults. I am interested in determining if children process information in a qualitatively different manner than adults. Importantly, I will follow children across time so that we can learn how their approaches change as they develop and at what point they perform in a manner that is consistent with adults. This work will provide important information about the path and timeline of cognitive development. Findings will be critical for establishing an understanding of typical development so that we will then have an appropriate comparison for atypical development (e.g., autism, learning disabilities). Furthermore, improved models of cognitive development will be important for improving our models of brain development.