Role of Experience in the Development of Frontal Cortex

The ability to understand and use abstract, context-dependent rules is a complex ability with a protracted development that begins in infancy and continues through adolescence. This long developmental course suggests that this ability could be particularly vulnerable to factors deriving from socioeconomic status (SES).  We aim to look at how changes in the frontal cortex relate to the development of this ability to use abstract rules, and how environmental experiences interact with these changes.