Development Flashcards
When does brain development begin?
During the third week of pregnancy.
What is the first structure which forms?
The neural plate.
What happens to the neural plate and what does it form?
It folds over itself to form a tube-shaped structure called the neural tube.
At what week does the neural tube begin to divide?
The 4th week.
What structures does the neural tube divide into?
- Spinal cord.
- Forebrain.
- Midbrain.
- Hindbrain.
What happens during the sixth week to the forebrain?
It divides into two areas.
What two areas does the forebrain divide into?
The cortex and the thalamus.
What is the cortex?
The outer layer of the brain where higher cognitive functions take place, e.g speech.
What is the thalamus?
The part of the brain that passes information from the sense organs to the cortex.
What starts to develop in the spinal cord?
Neurons and synapses.
What is a neuron?
A specialised nerve cell which generates and transmits an electrical impulse.
What is a synapse?
The small gap between the dendrite of one neuron and the receptor site of the next one, which allows signals to pass between them.
What does the development of neurons and synapses enable the foetus to do?
Move around and react to its environment.
What happens by the 15th week in terms of the hindbrain?
The cerebellum has formed from the hindbrain.
What is the cerebellum?
A small, wrinkled structure at the back of the brain which coordinates motor movement, dexterity, and balance, among other things.
What happens by the sixth month of pregnancy?
The brain is fully formed, but it does not reach its full size for a while yet.
What happens during the last three months of pregnancy?
Folds begin to form on the cortex which gives the brain its wrinkled appearance.
What percentage of the brain out of its adult size is it at birth?
It is 25% of its adult size.
What is the brain stem?
It is the part of the brain that controls basic functions such as breathing and heart rate.
How is the brain stem shaped?
Like a widening stalk.
What does the brain stem connect?
The spinal cord to the brain.
What does the brain stem control?
Basic autonomic functions. By week 6, the baby’s heart beats regularly and blood pumps through the main vessels.
Where is the thalamus found?
In the centre of the brain.
What can the thalamus be viewed as?
A sensory processing station.
What is sensory processing?
The brain receives messages from the senses and turns them into appropriate motor and behavioural resources.
Where does sensory information pass through?
The thalamus on the way to the cortex, which is where cognition takes place.
What is cognition?
The mental processes involved in gaining knowledge; these include thinking, planning and problem solving.
Where is the cerebellum located?
At the back of the brain - behind the brain stem.
What happens if someone suffers damage to the cerebellum?
They are likely to have difficulty with muscle coordination, keeping their balance, and with fine motor skills.
What is a diagram which shows where all of these functions are located?
Where is the cortex located?
It is the outer layer of the brain.
What is the cortex associated with?
Higher cognitive processes and divided into four lobes.
How are the lobes seperated?
Based on their association with different functions.
What are the four lobes?
- Occipital lobe.
- Temporal lobe.
- Parietal lobe.
- Frontal lobe.
What is the function of the occipital lobe?
It processes visual information.
What is the function of the temporal lobe?
It is involved with hearing,
What is the function of the parietal lobe?
It processes information related to touch on the skin like heat, cold, and pain.
What is the function of the frontal lobe?
It is associated with cognitive activities such as thinking, planning, and problem solving.
What is a diagram that shows the separation of these four lobes?
What is nature?
The idea that our characteristics and behaviour are inherited.
What is nurture?
The idea that our characteristics and behaviour are influenced by our environment.
How do psychologists study the roles of nature and nurture in brain development?
- Twin studies.
- Newborn babies.
- Animals.
What are the twin studies?
Identical sure, exactly the same jeans, where is non-identical twins do not. Identical twins have the same characteristic. It is evidence that the characteristic is due to nature. A number of studies have shown that IQs of identical twins are very similar, implying that nature has a major role in intelligence.
What is another example of a twins study?
Another study looked a pair of identical twins, who raised apart from the age of four weeks. They were very similar, and when they met for the first time, aged 39. They both had the same car, went on holiday to the same place and both fit their nails. It was concluded that nature plays more of a role in personality than nurture.
What is a criticism of the twin studies?
Twin study for, but you have to be careful when analysing the results. Identical twins may have more characteristics in common than non-identical twins, but this may not be entirely due to nature. Identical twins tend to be treated in very similar ways by parents. Therefore nurture could still play a role.
What is the newborn baby study?
It’s useful to study newborn babies because there will be very little impact of nurture on a baby before birth. Psychologist found that besides being able to cry babies can recognise faces. This implies that nature is responsible for these abilities.
What is a criticism of the newborn baby studies?
As babies are not able to talk until much later on, it is believed that nurture is responsible for language development.
What is the study on animals?
In one study, baby rats were kept in cages on their own with no toys. Another group of baby rats were kept in a cage together with lots of stimulating toys. The rats that lived in the group in the stimulating environment, developed, bigger brains and demonstrated better problem-solving skills than rats that lives on their own. This supports the idea that nurture is very important for early brain development.
Why are animal studies useful?
When it is not possible to conduct experiments on humans due to ethical reasons.
What is a criticism of animal studies?
What applies to animals may not always apply to humans because humans are more complex.
What is cognitive development?
The changes that take place over time in a persons thinking and intellect.
Which theory concerns cognitive development?
Piagets theory of cognitive development.
What does Piagets theory of cognitive development say?
He believed that schemas were the key to cognitive development, and he described how they developed as a child grew up. Can you believe that babies are born with simple schemas for sucking and grasping. As the baby grows, new schemas develop.
What is a schema?
A cognitive model of people, objects, or situations; based on previous information and experiences which helps us to perceive, organise, and understand new information.
How do schemas develop?
Through:
- Assimilation.
- Accommodation.
What is assimmilation?
Adding new information to an existing schema.