Chapter 2 - Cognitive Development Flashcards
Development
orderly, adaptive changes that humans or animals go through
maturation
changes that occur naturally and spontaneously, eg physical development
social development
brought about through learning
What development of thinking, personality influenced by
motivation and interaction with the environment
Three questions across development theories
- Source of development - Nature vs Nurture
- Shape of development - Continuity vs Discontinuity
- Timing Critical periods & sensitive periods
Continuity
improvement in an ability
Discontinuity
development of a new ability
sensitive periods
when person especially ready for or responsive to certain experiences
General principles of development
- people develop and different rates
- development is relatively orderly (but orderly does not mean linear)
- development takes place gradually
cerebellum
- balance and skilled movements
- higher cognitive functions
hippocampus
recalling new information
amygdala
directs emotions
thalamus
- learn new information, especially if verbal
neurons
specialized nerve cells that accumulate and transmit info
- greyish - “grey matter”
axons and dendrites
connect other neuron cells
synapse
tiny space between neurons
synaptic plasticity
strength of synaptic connections - dynamic
glial cells
“white matter” - between neurons
- fight infections
- control blood flow and communication
- provide myelin coating
cerebral cortex
- complex problem-solving, languages
- largest area of brain
- last part of brain to develop
- more susceptible to environmental influences
- region of cortex that controls physical motor movement matures first, then areas that control vision, hearing, then frontal lobe - high order thinking
temporal lobes of cortex
emotions, judgement, language - only developed at high school years
left-side of brain
language processing
right side
spacial - visual information & emotions (non-verbal)
adolescent development and brain
- increased ability to control behaviour
- increased organization
- inhibit impulsive behaviour - but not fully developmed
- high horse power, poor steering