Brain Development 1 Flashcards
Where and what does the medulla do
In brain stem
It controls basic autonomic functions such as breathing, heart rate, blood pressure and sleeping. (It develops early 6 weeks because it controls these vital functions)
Where and what is the thalamus
Hub of information in the centre of the brain that receives messages from the senses and translates them into appropriate behavioural and motor responses. All sensory information will pass through the thalamus on its way to the cortex where cognition takes place
Where and what is the cerebellum
cerebellum is located at the back of the brain behind the brain stem.
responsible for coordinating movement and balance and receives information from the cortex and other areas of the brain.
Once received, it will “fine-tune” this information into a motor activity such as walking.
What would happen if you damaged your cerebellum
Damage to the cerebellum can cause difficulty with muscle coordination, maintaining balance and fine motor skills i.e. difficulty typing or riding a bicycle.
What is nurture
Nurture: traits, characteristics and behaviours which result from environmental influences such as how we grow up, our friends or experiences
What is nature
Nature: traits, characteristics and behaviours where have been inherited
genetically and present from birth.
Name some example of behaviours and traits of nature
Genes like genetic disorders of some appearances like natural hair colour or eye colour
Name some example of behaviours and traits of nurture
Friendship
Family
Culture
Socialisation
Name some example of behaviours and traits of nature and nurture
IQ
Height
Weight
Hormones
Influences in the womb VOICE
Babies seem to recognise their mother’s voice immediately after birth. Babies also respond to particular passages in books. Babies who heard The Cat in the Hat read to them before birth, sucked more on a special device when this was also read to them after birth
(DeCasper & Spence)
Influences in the womb SMOKE
Mothers who smoke whilst pregnant risk their babies having small brains than
normal. Nicotine slows down brain growth.
Influences in the womb VIRUSES
Pregnant mothers should avoid contact with anyone who has the Rubella
virus (German Measles). Rubella can lead to brain damage, especially hearing loss
What is Schema
blocks of knowledge that develop in response to our experiences from the world.
What is assimilation
Assimilation– incorporating new information or more advance understanding into our schema
What is accommodation
Accommodation – when new information or experiences are so different from our current understanding new schema need to be created
State 2 strengths of Piaget theory of cognitive devolopment
One strength of Piaget’s theory is, it has led to an enormous amount of research to test his ideas.
Scientific theories depend on research evidence to say whether the theory is right or wrong. A number of studies have been conducted by Piaget to support his theory and by others, such as Donaldson’s naughty teddy, which did not support his theory.
Therefore The testability of his theory is a good thing because we can test his ideas to be more certain if the theory is correct or whether it needs changing somewhat.
One strength of Piaget’s ideas, about how children learn by forming their own mental representation of the world, is they have influenced classroom teaching.
Since Piaget’s theory became popular in the 1960’s, the old fashioned classroom, in which children sat silently copying from the board, has been replaced by activity oriented classrooms in which children actively engage in tasks and construct their own understanding.
Therefore This enables children to learn and understand ideas better
than traditional teaching methods.
State one weakness of Piaget cognitive development theory
One weakness is Piaget’s research was mainly conducted on middle-class European children.
Piaget developed his theory from research he conducted on children he knew from Switzerland (where he lived). All the children came from academic families, where emphasis is placed on the importance of learning.
Families of children from other cultures or classes may not place as much value on academic ability so we may not be able to apply Piaget’s theory universally.
Yayyyy
Take a break
What is Piaget’s theory of cognitive development
children’s intelligence undergoes changes as they grow
