Graduate School of Education, University of Bristol, 35 Berkeley Square, Bristol, UK.
Dev Cogn Neurosci. 2012 Feb 15;2 Suppl 1(Suppl 1):S18-29. doi: 10.1016/j.dcn.2011.11.002. Epub 2011 Nov 9.
Economic models of investment in human capital sometimes refer to neuroscience as a means to support their underlying assumptions regarding human development. These assumptions have a crucial influence on the policy implications the models generate. We review the extent to which the neuroscience of development can be used to support a "learning begets learning" principle of human capital accumulation. We conclude that, although early neural development can be considered as foundational, it cannot be considered as a unitary phenomenon that proceeds in continuous fashion. Furthermore, the concept of the sensitive period, which is often used associated with the principle, suggests benefits of investment depend upon an individual's circumstances and developmental history, and particularly whether this can be classified as normal. A more recent model of investment has involved two different types of abilities, with outcomes demonstrating the value of including more sophisticated assumptions about human development. We conclude that, while current discussions of policy would benefit from a more careful interpretation of existing models, the potential for future work combining modern neuroscientific understanding with economic theory is considerable.
人力资本投资的经济模型有时将神经科学作为支持其关于人类发展的基本假设的一种手段。这些假设对模型产生的政策影响有至关重要的影响。我们回顾了发展神经科学在多大程度上可以用于支持人力资本积累的“学习产生学习”原则。我们的结论是，尽管早期的神经发育可以被认为是基础，但它不能被视为一种以连续方式进行的单一现象。此外，与该原则相关的敏感时期的概念表明，投资的收益取决于个人的情况和发展历史，特别是是否可以将其归类为正常。最近的一种投资模式涉及两种不同类型的能力，其结果表明，关于人类发展的更复杂假设的纳入具有价值。我们的结论是，虽然当前的政策讨论将受益于对现有模型更仔细的解释，但将现代神经科学理解与经济理论相结合的未来工作的潜力是相当大的。
