Chapter 4 Flashcards
Associate key processes of the endocrine system with important aspects of growth and development.
The pituitary gland specifically (in the base of the brain) triggers the release of growth hormones from all other endocrine glands via hormones. The thyroid gland also is important in growth (specifically to the nervous system,) with the testes and ovaries helping with growing reproductive organs and adrenal glands secreting androgen-like hormones that maturation of bones and muscles. The endocrine system can be hindered or enhanced by environmental forces.
Explain the importance of myelination on development
The fatty sheath of myelin acts like insulation to speed the transmission of neural impulses. Its proliferation in certain parts of the brain leads to developmental changes in their fields (such as myelination in the visual cortex developing sight)
Describe each of the three major principles of growth.
- Cephalocaudal (head-to-tail) - the head develops first, explaining the larger heads of children
- Proximodistal (center outward) - from the inside to out such as in the prenatal period where the chest and internal organs develop first before limbs
- Orthogenetic (global and undifferentiated to differentiated and integrated) - the specialisation of cells in development and during fetus formation for organs
Explain what the biopsychosociocultural model adds to our understanding of health.
Health is best viewed from the multifaceted lens of the biopsychosociocultural model as it considers the broader context of an individual’s condition in impacting their health instead of small, individual factors that may lead to no benefit.
Describe typical changes in the brain during infancy.
The infant’s brain undergoes synaptogenesis (growth of synapses) as well as synaptic pruning (loss of unused synapses). Its plasticity makes it capable of responding to experiences, both positive and negative - as the brain is vulnerable but also adaptable. Through these methods, the brain is influenced by genes and also experience.
Summarize newborn capabilities that promote healthy adaptation to the world outside the womb.
inherent reflexes and organized states allow newborns to adapt to their environments. Reflexes can allow the baby to react with the environment without concious demand before proper voluntary decisions and behaviour states allow the baby to sleep when brain maturation/plasticity is nescessary before overstimulation.
Identify the leading health concerns and causes of mortality during infancy.
While nutrition is important, malnutrition can be mitigated by breastfeeding. Congenital malformations and complications of preterm birth are therefore leading causes of infant mortality. Preventative medicine such as baby visits to the doctor and vaccinations can improve infant health.
Discuss the implications of brain lateralization for behavior and functioning.
During childhood, neural transmission speeds up and lateralization of various brain functions leading to two seperately functioning hemispheres. Although if one hemisphere is damaged, the other can take over. Preference for one side can lead to a whole new perspective (such as being right handed, experiencing things different than left-handed people) in engaging with the environment. Although present at birth, becomes more evident in behavior of infants with preference.
Outline the major health challenges of childhood.
- Accidents - can lead to the death of a child
- Nutrition - important to health; however many children tend to not eat/prefer nutritious food.
- Physical activity - Children should have enough excercise to stay fit, but many do not do so.
These are all affected by many factors such as culture, SES etc.
Describe what children and their parents can do to create an environment that promotes healthy behaviors.
Health is enhanced with proper nutrition (getting enough of each food group enough water) and regular physical activity (at 60 minutes of excercise everyday). Current lifestyles have decreased physical activity and increased sedentary screen time, resulting in increased weight among today’s children.
Explain how brain changes during adolescence influence teens’ behavior.
During adolescence, the brain (especially the prefrontal cortex) continues to develop, permitting sustained attention and strategic planning. In adolescence, the limbic reward system develops quicker, than prefrontal control which draws youth to rewarding but risky activities without the cognitive ability to evaluate the decisions, leading to unsafe decisions. However teens with stronger memory skills do not have these problems.
Compare and contrast the experience of puberty for males and females, including both physical and psychological correlates of puberty.
The adolescent period is marked by physical growth (the adolescent growth spurt) and attainment of puberty or sexual maturity. Girls experience their growth spurt at a younger age than boys. The major milestone of sexual maturity for girls is menarche. For boys, it is the less-noted experience of semenarche, or first ejaculation. A combination of genes, hormones, and environmental factors determine the timing and rate of growth and puberty. Girls’ experience is often on the negative side, whereas boys tend to report a more positive reaction to growth and puberty. Boys who mature early experience largely positive benefits, whereas late-maturing boys have a more negative experience. In contrast, girls who mature early are sometimes disadvantaged by teasing from their peers and the influence of the older peers with whom they often socialize. Late-maturing girls seem to benefit academically, possibly because they continue to spend more time on schoolwork than their early-maturing peers.
Describe the typical changes in the brain across adulthood.
The brain is never fully developed as we may think. The adult brain changes in response to experience and may be capable of some degree of neurogenesis, or generating new neurons.
Explain how maintenance, reserve, and compensation operate to preserve brain function.
- Maintenance - the regular upkeep of the brain, including those things we do across the lifespan to safeguard neurons and neural connections and, if it is damaged, to repair or heal our brain
- Reserve - our stockpile of physical neural resources that we save up over our lifetime. We then draw upon these resources to offset declines in cognitive performance as we age.
- Compensation - our ability to quickly enlist the help of other neural resources when we are faced with a challenging task that our brain might not otherwise be able to manage using standard operating principles such as using other parts of the brain
Summarize changes in the reproductive system throughout adulthood.
For both sexes, changes in the reproductive system are a normal part of aging. Some women experience PMS and women differ in their experience of menopause. Men experience andropause, a more gradual change in their reproductive system, and often have enlarged prostate glands leading to urination issues.
