Development Fundamentals Flashcards
what is the prenatal stage
the time from when a baby is conceived to when its born
what is the childhood stage
period from birth through to the age of 12.
what happens in the childhood stage
children at this age are totally reliant on parents, who give them self confidence and independence, as they move through the age they gain skills like walking/talking and become more autonomous
what is the adolescence stage
runs from 13-19 years old and is the transitional age from childhood to adulthood.
what happens in the adolescence stage
the body undergoes significant change during this period as it matures sexually. Individuals in this stage think, act and feel differently
What is the adulthood stage
from the age of 20+
What is the nervous system
A network of nerve cells and fibres that transmits impules between parts of the body. The bodys control centre, it interprets the sensory information that enters the body via the senses like touch and taste and sends it to the glands and muscles with orders on how to act
What does the CNS do
The central nervous system inclues the brain and the spinal cord
what does the peripheral nervous system consist of
the nerves that branch out from the brain and spinal cord throughout your body
the nervous system is made up of what?
each one has what?
nuerons
each has a cell body, its covered in dendrites and an axon.
what do dendrites do
receive information from other neurones and transmit it via an electrical impulse to the cell body. The impulse is then transmitted to another neurone by the AXON
how does a synapse work?
as an electrical impulse travels along the axon, it triggers the release of neurotransmitters which are chemical messengers. Once they reach the synapse , they diffuse across it.
what happens after the neurotransmitters diffuse across the synapse?
they bind with receptors on the next neuron, the neurotransmitter will only bind with the receptors that are designed specifically to receive them.
How does the brain develop in the pre-natal stage?
after 16 days of fertilisation, the human embryo develops a neural tube, which will become its brain and spinal cord.
Cells are created after 6 weeks gestation —> 20 weeks. These then migrate to the correct place in the brain to become neurons and form the nervous system
Migration starts around 8 weeks gestation and is finished at 29 weeks.
When the fetus is around 2 months of gestation, the neural tube divides into brain cells and nerve cells . The cerebral cortex is formed
at 4-6 months (2nd tri) brain fully develops , a majority of 100 billion neurons have formed
by fifth month simple snynapes have formed allowing neurons to communicate
- foetus can react to loud noises
(3rd tri)
brain continues to grow, can be affected by what mother consumes
Whats the cerebral cortex responsible for and what is is divided into?
how we think and act, as well as our memories and intelligence .
frontal lobe, temporal lobe, parietal lobe, occipital lobe
how can a mother drinking alcohol affect a baby
baby mat be born with foetal alcohol syndrome, the alcohol disrupts the nerve connections in the baby’s brain and can result in learning difficulties when they’re born e.g memory and speech
how does the brain develop in the childhood stage
after childs born they make many new neural connections (1000 per/s)
the number of synapses nearly doubles up to the age of four months. When baby is born its ability to see is limited.
At 5 months the new synapses allow it to see in 3d and see in colour.
At age 3 the density of the synapses in the prefrontal cortex is at its peak, this means they can start to use past experiences to understand the present. They can also start understand cause and effect.
During later childhood these connections are pruned getting rid of neural connections we don’t use
how does the brain develop in the adolescence stage
the grey matter which is found on the surface of the brain and is composed of the cell bodies of neurons, nerve fibres and support cells, reaches its maximum density.
Areas of the brain like the limbic system are the first to mature. The prefrontal cortex is the last to mature (regulating decision-making and moderating social behaviour)
The difference in the time it takes for the limbic system and prefrontal cortex to mature is thought to explain risk-taking behaviour.
frontal lobes reach maturity around the age of 16.
how does brain develop in the stage of adulthood
at around 25 the prefrontal cortex finally matures, this helps to make rational decisions and be able to focus on the long-term consequences of actions, reducing impulsiveness.
What did the IQ test that Alfred Binet created measure?
memory skills, attention and problem solving skills
what are IQ tests used for today?
To find children with v high/ v low intelligence to support those with low IQs and stretch and challenge those with high IQs
whats the most common childresn IQ test and what is is used to test for now?
the Wechler Intelligence scale, used from 6-16
dyslexia, discalculia or ADHD
