Towards a General Modelling Framework of Resource Competition in Cognitive Development

Although multiple differences between typically and atypically developing children have been robustly observed in empirical studies, we lack a unified theoretical framework on how these observed differences in cognitive phenotypes might arise. Here, we introduce a first step to-wards such a framework based on an extension of the mutualistic network model, which conceptualizes cognitive development in terms of reciprocal interactions between cognitive processes that promote each other’s growth. We extend the mutualistic network model with dy-namic mechanisms of competition for limited resources, such as time and environmental factors. By doing so, the modelling framework defines both an empirical and theoretical research agenda. We show that this relatively simple model generates patterns of development that potentially explain five established phenomena in cognitive development: (1) developmental phases, (2) slower cognitive development in atypical cohorts, (3) lack of early indicators for atypical development, (4) developmental regression in the autistic profile, and (5) "quasi-autism"caused by extreme environmental deprivation. Theoretically, the presented framework fits a generic movement towards formal theory con-struction. The model can easily be reproduced and developed further through our openly available code, and we offer several paths forward in doing so.