Brain Development Flashcards
hard / soft wiring?
babies are born hard wired (genetics) but neural connections shaped by experiences (soft wiring)
neurons that fire together…
wire together
give me an example of a period where the brain is sensitive to experiences
teenagers - prefrontal cortex is in a major construction zone which explains their behaviour
why is it important to foster positive experiences - especially at the beginning
because the brain is rapidly evolving
tell me about a feral child?
Oxana Malaya - parents were alcoholics and she was raised with dogs in a kennel
now she can speak and works at a farm but will never be ‘normal’.
historically foster homes/ children…
were given little attention and no primary care - deprivation was common
why was John Bowlby concerned about foster homes?
because he thought that environment/ experiences could cripple the ability to make relationships
what did john Bowlby think about foster children?
they had increased attention-seeking behaviour and cognitive/ language impairments
Harold Skeels experiment:
thought that foster children were not getting the emotional necessities so…
13/25 children were moved to an institution and ‘adopted’ by one mother
what did the long term follow up of Harold’s experiment show?
the participants were self-supporting/ married/ normal IQ’s
the control group - 1/3 remained in an institution - only 6 received primary school education
what was Dennis’ experiment?
he took initial IQ age of children in a foster home and assessed IQ two years later
what were the conclusions of Dennis’ experiment?
the early adoption age had better outcomes - if you intervene too late you miss a window of opportunity
what is the critical period? & name 2 occurrences during the critical period
period during development when the organism is particularily suspectible to the effects of a particular experience - effects are dramatic and irreversible
(imprinting, teratogens)
what is the sensitive period?
a period during development when the organism is particularily suspectible to the effects of a particular experience - effects are less dramatic
relates more for social development
how long is the sensitive period?
2 - 3 years
evidence to support that exposure to a nurturing environment is most effective during first 2-3 yrs of life
