cognitive genomics

(noun)

This field studies how genes relate to the health and activity of the brain.

Related Terms

Examples of cognitive genomics in the following topics:

  • Genetic Basis of Intelligence and Learning

    • A central topic in psychology involves the study of human cognition and the capacity to learn.
    • Whether cognition and learning abilities are largely innate (a result of genetics, biology, or "nature") or influenced by our environment ("nurture") is a continuous debate.
    • Approaches in cognitive genomics have been used to investigate the genetic causes for many learning disabilities, such as dyslexia, and neural disorders such as Down syndrome, autism, and Alzheimer's disease.
    • While experts believe the genetic cause for the syndrome is a lack of genes in the 21st chromosome, the gene(s) responsible for the cognitive symptoms have yet to be discovered.
    • Discuss the role genetics play in our cognition and our ability to learn.

  • Genetic and Environmental Impacts on Intelligence

    • Genetic causes for many learning disabilities, such as dyslexia, and neural disorders, such as Down syndrome, autism, and Alzheimer's disease have been investigated by the field of cognitive genomics, the study of genes as they relate to human cognition.
    • While experts believe the genetic cause for Down syndrome is a lack of genes in the 21st chromosome, the gene(s) responsible for the cognitive symptoms have yet to be discovered.
    • Nutrition has been shown to affect intelligence throughout the human lifespan; malnutrition during critical early periods of growth (particularly the prenatal period and during the second year of life) can harm cognitive development.

  • Cognitive Psychology

    • "Cognition" refers to thinking and memory processes, and "cognitive development" refers to long-term changes in these processes.
    • Major areas of research in cognitive psychology include perception, memory, categorization, knowledge representation, numerical cognition, language, and thinking.
    • Cognitive psychology is one of the more recent additions to psychological research.
    • Though there are examples of cognitive approaches from earlier researchers, cognitive psychology really developed as a subfield within psychology in the late 1950s and early 1960s.
    • Piaget is best known for his stage theory of cognitive development.

  • History of Cognition

    • The word "cognition" is the closest scientific synonym for thinking.
    • Human cognition takes place at both conscious and unconscious levels.
    • Some of the most important figures in the study of cognition are:
    • The study of human cognition began over two thousand years ago.
    • These numerous approaches to the analysis of cognition are synthesized in the relatively new field of cognitive science, the interdisciplinary study of mental processes and functions.

  • Criticisms of the Social-Cognitive Pespective on Personality

    • Critics of the social-cognitive theory of personality argue that it is not a unified theory and does not explain development over time.
    • The social-cognitive theory of personality emphasizes both learning and cognition as sources of individual differences in personality.
    • One of the main criticisms of the social-cognitive theory is that it is not a unified theory.
    • Because of this, it can be difficult to quantify the effect that social cognition has on development.
    • Critics of social-cognitive theory argue that the theory does not provide a full explanation of how social cognition, behavior, environment, and personality are related (known as "reciprocal determinism").

  • Cognitive Development in Adulthood

    • Cognition changes over a person's lifespan, peaking at around age 35 and slowly declining in later adulthood.
    • Because we spend so many years in adulthood (more than any other stage), cognitive changes are numerous during this period.
    • In fact, research suggests that adult cognitive development is a complex, ever-changing process that may be even more active than cognitive development in infancy and early childhood (Fischer, Yan, & Stewart, 2003).
    • During early adulthood, cognition begins to stabilize, reaching a peak around the age of 35.
    • Review the milestones of cognitive development in early and middle adulthood

  • Autism Spectrum Disorder

    • These disorders are characterized by social deficits and communication difficulties, repetitive behaviors and interests, sensory issues, and in some cases, cognitive delays.
    • Additionally, individuals diagnosed with Asperger syndrome did not have significant cognitive delays.
    • Although evidence-based interventions for children with ASD vary in their methods, many adopt a psychoeducational approach to enhancing cognitive, communication, and social skills while minimizing behaviors that are thought to be problematic.
    • The neurodiversity movement suggests that diverse neurological conditions appear as a result of normal variations in the human genome.

  • Cognitive and Cognitive-Behavioral Therapies

    • Cognitive and cognitive-behavioral therapies address the interplay between dysfunctional emotions, maladaptive behaviors, and biased cognitions.
    • Cognitive therapy (CT) and cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) are closely related; however CBT is an umbrella category of therapies that includes cognitive therapy.
    • At the core of cognitive therapy is the idea of cognitive biases, or irrational beliefs that cause distress in a person's life.
    • During the 1980s and 1990s, cognitive and behavioral techniques were merged into cognitive-behavioral therapy.
    • Discuss the goals, techniques, and efficacy of cognitive and cognitive-behavioral therapies

  • Schachter–Singer Theory of Emotion (Two-Factor Theory)

    • The Schachter–Singer theory views emotion as the result of the interaction between two factors: physiological arousal and cognition.
    • According to the Schacter–Singer theory, emotion results from the interaction between two factors: physiological arousal and cognition.
    • These cognitive interpretations—how a person labels and understands what they are experiencing—are formed based on the person's past experiences.
    • For example, if you were to see a venomous snake in your backyard, the Schachter–Singer theory argues that the snake would elicit sympathetic nervous system activation (physiological arousal) that would be cognitively labeled as fear (cognition) based on the context.
    • The Schachter–Singer theory views emotion as resulting from the interaction of two factors: physiological arousal and cognition.

  • Social Cognition

    • Social cognition, like general cognition, uses schemas to help people form judgments and conclusions about the world.
    • Social cognition is a specific approach of social psychology (the area of psychology that studies how people's thoughts and behaviors are influenced by the presence of others) that uses the methods of cognitive science.
    • Similarly, a notable theory of social cognition is social-schema theory.
    • Two cognitive processes that increase the accessibility of schemas are salience and priming.
    • Studies have found that culture influences social cognition in other ways too.