Abstract
Neuropsychology involves attempts to relate observable behavior to the functional efficiency of the central nervous system. Research that has begun to outline the parameters of the field has grown geometrically during the past four decades. Although the antecedents of neuropsychology may be followed some 2,000 years in the past, only since the late nineteenth century has public evidence begun to accumulate regarding brain functioning (e.g., Broca, 1865; Jackson, 1874). Of course, the luxury of retrospect allows the criticism of early case study methodologies that drew conclusions concerning normal cortical functioning from the remnants of diseased brains (Broca, 1865; Jackson, 1874). However, these initial reports represent the foundation and stimulus of our current appreciation for the behavioral expression of higher order operations of the brain. More recent research has provided evidence of a correspondence between the functioning of the adult brain and cognitive, sensory-motor, and affective constellations of behavior. Continued success in articulating adult brain-behavior relationships has stimulated the neuropsychological study of the developing child. As such, child neuropsychology is a far more recent pursuit. The intent of the present chapter is to examine neuropsychological aspects of cortical development that may offer insights into individual differences observed in children’s behavior. Following a review of a number of the critical issues in the area, the neuropsychological aspects of the child’s physical development will be examined with particular emphasis on functional asymmetries.
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Dean, R.S. (1985). Foundation and Rationale for Neuropsychological Bases of Individual Differences. In: Hartlage, L.C., Telzrow, C.F. (eds) The Neuropsychology of Individual Differences. Perspectives on Individual Differences. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4899-3484-0_2
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