Conventions & Events > 2026 APS Annual Convention > How the Environment Shapes Neurocognitive Development Sessions

How the Environment Shapes Neurocognitive Development Sessions

How the Environment Shapes Neurocognitive Development Symposia Session

This symposium convenes expertise from cognitive neuroscience, evolutionary, developmental, and educational psychology to explore how brain and cognitive development are shaped by the continuous interaction between an individual’s genetic predispositions and their surrounding environment.  

We will discuss what environmental factors contribute to shaping brain function and structure, and ultimately human cognitive abilities. 

Speakers:

  • Rosario Rueda, Universidad de Granada, Spain
  • Eveline Crone, Erasmus University Rotterdam, The Netherlands
  • Jérôme Prado, French National Centre for Scientific Research, France
  • Martha Farah, University of Pennsylvania, USA

ISS Linked Flash Talk Session

16:15 – 17:15 (4:15 PM – 5:15 PM)

Parents’ Use of Incentives Varies By Culture and Is Linked to Children’s Moral Reasoning

Presenting Author: Bolivar Reyes-Jaquez, University of New Hampshire, USA

Abstract: Using cross-national surveys and child-friendly experiments, I show that parents (n= 407) living in cultures with higher vs. lower corruption levels use more incentives for action at home (Study 1), and that often-incentivized U.S. children (n= 84) fail to distinguish between ethical and unethical (e.g., bribes) favor exchanges (Study 2).

Neighbourhood Characteristics Are Associated With Individual Differences In the Pace of Adolescent Cortical Development

Presenting Author: Chloe Carrick, King’s College London, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, United Kingdom

Abstract: Using a longitudinal sample (N =11,305; ages 9-15) and latent growth models, we found that childhood exposure to neighbourhoods characterised by higher disadvantage, and lower educational, health, and environmental opportunities, were associated with lower cortical thickness and surface area, and a faster pace of change in these metrics across adolescence.

Bridging the Gap to Other Minds: SES Relates to Maternal Cognitive Talk While Individualism Is Negatively Linked to Child False Belief Understanding

Presenting Author: Merve Taşdelen, Beykoz University, Türkiye

Abstract: We examined relationships between maternal cultural values, mental-state talk, and children’s ToM in Turkiye (N=112, 53 boys, M=51.68, SD=5.25). While SES was linked to maternal cognitive talk, maternal individualism was negatively associated with children’s false belief understanding. Findings suggest high SES supports linguistic scaffolding, yet achievement-oriented values may hinder ToM.

Association Between Neural Marker of Dopamine Function and Emotion Recognition Abilities In Adolescence

Presenting Author: Michele Morningstar, Queen’s University, United Kingdom

Abstract: Examining potential neurobiological contributors to growing emotion recognition abilities in adolescence, this study finds that neuromelanin (a neural marker of dopamine function) is positively associated with the ability to accurately interpret emotional intent in faces, but not voices, in 11- to 16-year-old youth.

Cognitive, Affective, and Intermediate Social Cognition: Developmental Patterns and Links with Language In 5- to 8-Year-Old Children

Presenting Author: Maria Elena Grau Husarikova, University of Barcelona, Spain

Abstract: Language and social cognition (SC) are essential abilities for children to engage in appropriate social interaction. We evaluated one hundred children (52 girls, 48 boys) between the ages of 5 and 8 to identify the normative development of each SC component and its relationship with language.