March 10: Susan Rivera, Dept. of Psychology, UC Davis

Investigating Gene-Brain Relationships Across the Lifespan in the fragile X spectrum of Disorders
Mutations of the fragile X mental retardation 1 (FMR1) gene are the genetic cause of fragile X syndrome (FXS), the most common inherited form of mental retardation. Large expansions of the CGG trinucleotide repeat in the full mutation range (> 200 CGG repeats) consequently result in transcriptional silencing of the FMR1 gene and deficiency or absence of the FMR1 protein. Smaller expansions (~ 55 to 200 repeats)are referred to as the premutation (FXPM). My laboratory has been investigating individuals across the fragile X spectrum of involvement (including both premutation carriers and individuals with the full mutation) using both infrared eyetracking and brain imaging techniques. We have gathered data from individual across the life span, from infants to aging adults, and are converging on a consistent pattern of results which suggests that alterations in a fronto-parietal circuit may underly many of the observed cognitive deficits seen across the fragile X spectrum (especially, difficulty with spatial and numerical processing and attentive tracking). Furthermore, across these multiple studies, we have observed correlations between level of impairment on these tasks and molecular variables such as CGG repeat size and protein expression, suggesting a dosage effect of FMR1 mutations on cortical functioning in this prefrontal-parietal network.

Room 1111 Tolman Hall
12:00-1:30p.m.

Feb. 24: Geoffrey Saxe, Graduate School of Education & IHD

The emergence, reproduction, and change of collective representations and ideas: The study of small communities in the New Guinea and the United States

Psychological studies of cognitive development are often conducted without regard for the interplay between the cognitive activities of individuals and the cultural histories of communities. In Prof. Saxe's talk, he illustrates a heuristic research framework that illuminates this interplay through studies drawn from his work with a remote Papua New Guinea group; He focuses on the emergence, reproduction, and alteration of collective representations for naming currency tokens in the community over an extended period of time. The second is drawn from work on mathematics in upper elementary classroom communities in the United States, where the focus is on geometric and arithmetic representations for fractions in classroom communities.

Room 1111 Tolman Hall
12:00-1:30p.m.

Feb. 10: Frank C. Worrell, Graduate School of Education

Are Cultural Identities Developmental? Perspectives on Racial and Ethnic Identity

Much of the early theorizing about racial identity (e.g., Cross, 1971) utilized a developmental framework, postulating change across a sequence of stages. Early theorizing about ethnic identity (e.g., Phinney, 1989) used Cross' model and Marcia's (1966) conceptualization of identity statuses to suggest developmental change. In this presnetation, the evidence in support of a developmental conceptualization of racial and ethnic identity are considered. An attitudinal perspective is suggested as an alternative hypothesis.

Jan. 27: Richard E. Nisbett, University of Michigan

Intelligence and How to Get It: Why Schools and Cultures Count

Many laypeople, and many scientists who study intelligence, believe that intelligence is highly heritable and for this reason is little modifiable by the environment. It is often assumed that the environment that families create for their children has little impact on intelligence. In fact, heritability is not as great as is often assumed, is very different for different groups, and poses no barrier to modification. The environment has a massive impact on intelligence. Schools have a substantial effect; the environmental differences between families are very important; IQ scores have been going up since they were first tested in the 20th century; different cultures encourage the development of intelligence to very different degrees; and interventions ranging from ambitious pre-school programs to brief interventions by school psychologists have a large impact on academic skills.

Thursday, January 27, 2011
12:00-1:30p.m.
Room 5101 Tolman Hall

Spring 2011 Brown Bag Schedule

Please note that the Brown Bag meetings will be held on Thursdays, 12-2p.m. in Room 1111 Tolman Hall unless otherwise noted.


January 27: Richard Nisbett, Department of Psychology, University of Michigan
Will be held in 5101 Tolman Hall

February 10: Frank C. Worrell, Graduate School of Education, University of California, Berkeley

February 24: Geoff Saxe, Graduate School of Education, University of California, Berkeley


March 10: Susan Rivera, Department of Psychology, University of California, Davis

March 17: Rudy Mendoza-Denton, Department of Psychology, University of California, Berkeley

April 7: Steve Hinshaw, Department of Psychology, University of California, Berkeley

April 21: Unni Wikan, Social Anthropology, University of Oslo

Dec. 1: Andrew Fuligni, UCLA

Family Obligation and Assistance during Adolescence

Despite being normative for most families around the world, the role that adolescents play in providing instrumental support to their families has been rarely studied. In this talk, Dr. Fuligni presents a program of research that has focused on nature and the developmental implications of family obligation and assistance among adolescents from Latin American, Asian, and European backgrounds. Using data from longitudinal studies involving questionnaires, qualitative interviews, daily diary checklists, biomarkers of health, and neuroimaging, Dr. Fuligni highlights how family obligation and assistance (a)are strong among adolescents from Latin American and Asian backgrounds and remain strong across several generations, (b)create both developmental oportunities and challenges for adolescents, and (c)provide adolescents with a sense of meaning and purpose as they confront the challenges of becoming adults in American society.

Wednesday, December 1, 2010
12:00-1:30p.m.
Room 1111 Tolman Hall

Nov. 10: Melanie Killen, University of Maryland

Morality and Intergroup Attitudes: Developmental Origins of Prejudice

Professor Melanie Killen is the Associate Director of the Center for Children, Relationships, and Culture at the University of Maryland. Her research has focused on the development of social and moral reasoning, with an emphasis on judgements about social exclusion, intergroup bias, and prejudice in childhood.