Development Fundamentals

Question 1

what is the prenatal stage

Answer 1

the time from when a baby is conceived to when its born

Question 2

what is the childhood stage

Answer 2

period from birth through to the age of 12.

Question 3

what happens in the childhood stage

Answer 3

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

Question 4

what is the adolescence stage

Answer 4

runs from 13-19 years old and is the transitional age from childhood to adulthood.

Question 5

what happens in the adolescence stage

Answer 5

the body undergoes significant change during this period as it matures sexually. Individuals in this stage think, act and feel differently

Question 6

What is the adulthood stage

Answer 6

from the age of 20+

Question 7

What is the nervous system

Answer 7

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

Question 8

What does the CNS do

Answer 8

The central nervous system inclues the brain and the spinal cord

Question 9

what does the peripheral nervous system consist of

Answer 9

the nerves that branch out from the brain and spinal cord throughout your body

Question 10

the nervous system is made up of what?

each one has what?

Answer 10

nuerons

each has a cell body, its covered in dendrites and an axon.

Question 11

what do dendrites do

Answer 11

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

Question 12

how does a synapse work?

Answer 12

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.

Question 13

what happens after the neurotransmitters diffuse across the synapse?

Answer 13

they bind with receptors on the next neuron, the neurotransmitter will only bind with the receptors that are designed specifically to receive them.

Question 14

How does the brain develop in the pre-natal stage?

Answer 14

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

Question 15

Whats the cerebral cortex responsible for and what is is divided into?

Answer 15

how we think and act, as well as our memories and intelligence .

frontal lobe, temporal lobe, parietal lobe, occipital lobe

Question 16

how can a mother drinking alcohol affect a baby

Answer 16

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

Question 17

how does the brain develop in the childhood stage

Answer 17

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

Question 18

how does the brain develop in the adolescence stage

Answer 18

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.

Question 19

how does brain develop in the stage of adulthood

Answer 19

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.

Question 20

What did the IQ test that Alfred Binet created measure?

Answer 20

memory skills, attention and problem solving skills

Question 21

what are IQ tests used for today?

Answer 21

To find children with v high/ v low intelligence to support those with low IQs and stretch and challenge those with high IQs

Question 22

whats the most common childresn IQ test and what is is used to test for now?

Answer 22

the Wechler Intelligence scale, used from 6-16
dyslexia, discalculia or ADHD