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
what did perry’s experiment tell us?
the earlier you intervene from neglect the better the brain develops - early removal had bigger brain volume
how has the avg household size potentially affected society?
as it has decreased the rich social experiences of children has been replaced with relatively asocial experiences - when living in larger groups there was more potential for more attention
teratogens?
A teratogen is any agent that causes an abnormality following fetal exposure during pregnancy.
