When a Little Frontal Lobe Goes a Long Way

Abstract

The prefrontal cortex is crucial for the ability to regulate thoughtandcontrol behavior.The development of the human cerebral cortex is characterized by an ex- tended period of maturation during which young children exhibit marked deficits in cognitive control. We contend that prolonged prefrontal immaturity is, on balance, ad- vantageous and that the positive consequences of this developmental trajectory outweigh the negative. Particu- larly, we argue that cognitive control impedes convention learning and that delayed prefrontal maturation is a necessary adaptation for human learning of social and linguistic conventions. We conclude with a discussion of recent observations that are relevant to this claim of evo- lutionary trade-offs in a wide range of research areas, including attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, autism spectrum disorders, creativity, and sleep.