Child - pre adult brain development

Question 1

brain development - pre natel

Answer 1

1. 16 days after fertilisation, embryo develops a neural tube.
2. 2 months, neural tube splits into nerve and brain cells. the cerebral cortex forms
3. the cerebral cortex is split up into 4 parts: the frontal lobe, the temporal lobe, the parietal lobe and the occipital lobe.
4. 5 months, all areas of the brain are present but not grown to full size.

Question 2

brain development - childhood

Answer 2

1.many neural connections are made signalling the development of conscious actions, memory and emotions.
2. the visual cortex has doubled in size since birth.

Question 3

brain development - adolescence

Answer 3

1. the limbic system becomes fully developed. this area deals with emotions.
2. the pre-frontal cortex is still not fully developed making moral decisions and judgment harder.
3. the ventral straitum is fully developed which links to reward.

Question 4

brain development - adulthood

Answer 4

1. the pre-frontal cortex becomes fully developed at 25. this area deals with judgement and decision making.

Question 5

the theory of risk taking

Answer 5

1.adolescents are more prone to risk taking as the limbic system develops quicker than the pre-frontal cortex. the limbic system which controls social and emotional information dominates over the pre-frontal cortex.
2. there is early development of the ventral striatum which is the reward centre. therefore adolescents will only see the reward and not the negative consequences.

Question 6

background study linking to risk taking. eshel et al

Answer 6

study looking at the differences in brainactivity in adolescent and adult brains when faced with a gambling task. there was more brain activity in the pre-frontal cortex of adults meaning they made less of an impulsive decision than adolescents.Quasi experiment + independent measures. pps: 50 from USA.

Question 7

background study linking to risk taking. gardner + steinberg

Answer 7

quasi experiment + independent measures. pps: 306
all completed a driving simulation task. they were assigned to complete the task alone or with 2 peers of the same age.
results:
a)risk taking decrease with age
b) pps made riskier decisions when with peers
c) effect of peers were stronger in the adolescent age group.

Question 8

evaluation of research regarding risk taking

Answer 8

+ useful
+ falsifiable
- ethical implications
- deterministic

Question 9

aim of Barkley - Levenson + Galvan

Answer 9

to investigate whether adolescents attach more value to rewards than adults do by measuring neural activity during risk - taking scenarios

Question 10

participants of Barkley - Levenson + Galvan

Answer 10

19 adults aged 25-30 ( 8M, 11F) 22 adolescents aged 13-17 ( equal split)
- all healthy and right handed, recruited via posters and internet ads

Question 11

design and method of Barkley - Levenson + Galvan

Answer 11

quasi experiment. independent measures.
IV: age
DV: neural activity

Question 12

procedure of Barkley - Levenson + Galvan

Answer 12

1. consent was gained
2. they got used to the fMRI machine via a mock scan
3. info was collected regarding income
4. pps were given $20 as playing money and informed they had the chance to win $20 more or lose it all
5. they were told after 144 trials, one would be selected at random and that would be how much money they leave with.
6. they were shown a spinner with a 50/50 chance of landing on loss/win. losses range from -$5 to -$20 and win from +$5 to +$20
7. researchers collected neural data via fMRI scans particularly in the ventral striatum.

Question 13

neural results of Barkley - Levenson + Galvan

Answer 13

more activity in the VS of adolescents as the expected value increased. adults showed less activation as the EV increased. this shows as the risk and potential reward increases, for adolescents it becomes more rewarding, but not for adults. this means adolescents are more likely to take increasingly larger risks to feel a larger neurological reward.

Question 14

behavioural results of Barkley - Levenson + Galvan

Answer 14

for both groups an increased EV meant an increased likelihood of gambling, but a higher EV had a greater influence on adolescents than adults. this means adolescents were more focused on the big amounts they could win and less concerned about the relatively small losses.

Question 15

conclusions of Barkley - Levenson + Galvan

Answer 15

1. adolescents place greater value on big rewards than adults
2. the brains of adolescents make them more rewarded by risks than adults seen by the increased activity in the VS as risk increased.

Question 16

evaluation of Barkley - Levenson + Galvan

Answer 16

+ quasi experiment
+ falsifiable
- deterministic
- reductionist
- unethical

Question 17

3 applications of pre-adulthood brain development.

Answer 17

1. changing legislation - drivers aged 16-19 are two times more likely to die in a crash as drivers 40-49
   E.G. McCartt et al (2003) - GDL scheme. a decrease in adolescent crashes was found.
2. early childhood intervention - stressful childhood events lead to an altered brain development. E.G. olds et al (1998) results found children performed better at school
3. speeding awareness course - courses which instill fear within the viewer so they think more about the risk involved.

Question 18

evaluation of 3 applications for pre-adult brain development

Answer 18

1. change in legislation -
   - socially sensitive, discriminatory against adolescents, as it assumes all 16-19 take risks
   - must be monitored, takes up time of law enforcement
2. early childhood- +holistic - looks at nature and nurture
   - socially sensitive ( against mothers)
3. awareness courses -
   -unethical - protection of pps
   + done for the greater good