Chapter 8 - Learning

Question 1

If an experience is repeated, more and more impulses follow the same pathway. The pathway is therefore….

Answer 1

• strengthened (the more we practise, the better we get at certain skills)

Question 2

Neuron pathways can also be strengthened by strong stimuli. Give examples of a few of these stimuli

Answer 2

• colour
• light
• smell
• sound

Question 3

Where do neuron pathways develop?

Answer 3

• neuron pathways develop in the brain, therefore, learning also happens in the brain

Question 4

What happens during learning?

Answer 4

• new neuron pathways form (and other pathways may be lost)

- certain pathways in the brain become more likely to transmit impulses than others

Question 5

Are neuron pathways more easily formed in children or adults?

Answer 5

• children (apparently scientifically proved that up until the age of 6, neuron pathways form the easiest, how unlucky 🙃)

Question 6

Is the potential number of neuron pathways limited?

Answer 6

• No, with billions of neurons in our brains, the potential number of neuron pathways is huge. This means we can adapt to new situations and respond to new stimuli.

Question 7

Can children fail to progress in learning if not presented with new, appropriate stimuli?

Answer 7

• yes, some examples were given to us in our biology lessons, one of which if I remember correctly was a girl who was isolated from her parents and any other humans until the age of around 8. She basically grew up with some dogs in the shed so she ended up crawling and barking instead of talking 😅🙄. Was therefore hard to make her speak like a human after that age because she passed the age of 6 when most neuron pathways should have been already made.

Question 8

How do you call these children who have lived away from human contact since an early age?

Answer 8

• Feral children

Question 9

Transmitting impulses in the brain leads to links forming between the neurons. This is called?

Answer 9

• a neuron pathway