Effects of Early Experience on Brain and Behavior Flashcards
Tor F
Birth wouldn’t be possible if our brains completed growth in womb.
T
T or F
Brains develop in the rich experiential context of the real world.
T
T or F
Human behaviors thus can be shaped by ever-changing environment.
Allows for behavioral adaptation (learning).
Potential reached or missed depends on quality of environment, parenting, and other life experiences.
T
Many types of experiences influence brain development, what are some of these?
parenting and attachment emotional or physical trauma medical problems toxin exposure nutrition
What is the most important stimulation a baby needs?
social and physical interaction with loving parents
Is it better to have a baby in prison with the mother or be put in an orphanage and have their mama in prison?
better to have baby with mama in prison
What happened to the babies in the orphange?
more than 1/3 died by age 2 and many survivors couldnt walk r talk by age 2 (due to lack of maternal contact)
What were the 3 phases demonstrated in children that were separated from their mothers?
protest
despair
detachment
What is the basis for the parent-child bond?
contact comfort
T or F
babies are spoiled by phyiscal contact and emotional attention
F
What happens when babies went without contact with their mothers?
psychlogic distubrances/abnormal development
What are the four types of attachment?
secure
avoidant
ambivalent
disorganized
(blank) is a lasting emotional bond between human beings.
Attachment
What is this:
Earliest bond, with parent, impacts child for life.
Keeps infant close to mother, improving odds of survival.
attachment
In a “strange situation” experiment with a securely attached child, how will the child act.
good with mom around, when mom leaves is sad, when mom comes back is happier, when stranger enters enjoys stranger but has preference for mom and when mom responds to childs wants, child feels safe
In a “strange situation” experiment with a avoidant child, how will the child act.
mother present-> emotinally distant, not playful
mother leaves-> indifferent
mother returns-> indifferent
stranger-> same as toward mother, somtimes prefers stranger
mothers responsiveness-> mother is disengaged, child doesnt expect needs to be met
In a “strange situation” experiment with a ambivalent child, how will the child act.
mother present-> anxious, wants moms attention but gets angry when rejected
mother leaves-> child is distressed, protests strongly
mother returns-> child remains distressed, is angry toward mother, doesnt re-enage in play
stranger-> not easily comforted
mothers responsiveness-> inconcsistent and unreliable, changes from sensitive to neglectful, child cannot rely on needs being met
In a “strange situation” experiment with a disorganized child, how will the child act.
other present/leaves/returns:
Lack of clear attachment pattern.
Mix of behaviors, including avoidant or ambivalent.
Seems “dazed,” confused, apprehensive with caregiver.
Child’s behavior toward stranger:
Same.
Mother’s responsiveness:
Parents exhibit inconsistent behavior (act as figures of both fear and reassurance).
Because the child feels both comforted and frightened by the parent, confusion results.
What are the long term consequences of a secure attachment?
Basic trust. Positive self image. Goal orientated. Positive outlook on life. Strong relationships. Good coping strategies and skills. “Ego resiliency”.
What are teh long term consequences of an insecure attachment?
Lack of trust.
Confused self-image.
Emotional detachment or volatility.
Relationship challenges.
What are these:
Goodness of fit” between parent and child temperaments.
Parenting style.
Use of language.
important aspects of parent-child relationship
What is this:
pattern of reacting to people and events.
temperament
What are the different temperamental styles?
easy
difficult
slow to warm
T or F
How well child’s temperament fits with people in his life and how likable those people consider the child to be.
T
T or F
Good “fit” is when adult expectations, values and demands match child’s natural capacities and behaviors.
T
T or F
Mismatch between parent and child can lead to conflict, but parents who are sensitive to child’s temperament can help with coping.
T
What is the demanding and responsive syle of parenting?
authoritative/propagative
What is the undemanding and responsive style of parenting?
permissive/ indulgent
What is the demanding and unresponsive style of parenting?
authoritarian/totalitarion
What is the undemandin and unresponsive style of parenting?
neglectful
What is this:
Ignores child’s bad behavior.
Gives in to child when he or she tantrums.
Bribes child with rewards to get him to comply with parent’s wishes
permissive parenting
What kind of parenting has the worst outcomes for children?
permissive parenting
What are the outcomes of permissive parenting?
Impulse control problems. Aggression. Substance abuse. Academic problems. Excessive media use, higher BMI. Lower self-esteem.
What is this:
Doesn’t encourage verbal give-and-take or explain reasons for rules.
Expects orders to be obeyed without question.
Controls child through shaming, withdrawal of love, other punishments.
authoritarian parenting
What kind of parenting style has a better outcome than permissive parenting but still problematic?
authoritarian parenting
What are the outcomes of authoritarian parenting?
Socially inept.
Poor school performance. (Due to history of being shamed?)
Immature moral reasoning.
Behavior, substance abuse, and self-regulation problems.
Increasing aggressiveness with age.
What is this:
Sets high standards and is very demanding, but is also very nurturing and responsive.
Shows respect for children as independent, rational beings; expects maturity, cooperation, and effort.
Encourages verbal give-and-take, explains the consequences of good and bad behavior.
Is less likely to control child through harsh or arbitrary punishments, shaming, or withdrawal of love; offers child lots of emotional support while also setting clear limits.
authoritative parenting
What kind of parenting style gives the best outcomes?
authoritative parenting
What is the outcomes of authoritative parenting?
Common in middle class cultures throughout the world. Kids who have at least one authoritative parent are more likely to become independent, self-reliant, socially accepted, academically successful, and well-behaved.
Tell me about children lanuage skills and parents economic status?
poor parents talk less to their children and these children have less of a vocabulary
T or F
By age 3:
Widening gap in vocabulary growth: poor children using fewer words, adding new words more slowly.
Poor child heard 30 million fewer words than child from professional family.
Poor parents had said fewer different words than had advantaged children.
T
Amount and quality of parents’ language predict abilities at age (blanK)
3
Tell me about the outcomes of having a welfare family and their childs language skills.
Fewer nouns/modifiers and past-tense verbs.
Less affirmative tone.
Fewer questions.
Less responsive to child’s initiations.
What are welfare families correlated with?
IQ at age 3
T or F
There is a strong correlation between childrens accomplishments and family SES and parenting.
T
T or F
By the time children are 3 years old, even intensive intervention cannot make up for the differences in the amount of such experience children have received from their parents. If children could be given better parenting, intervention might be unnecessary.”
T
What makes for a loving, normal child?
secure attachment,
good temperamental fit with parents or parents are sensitive to child’s temperament
authoritative parenting style
lots of conversation
What can happen if a child’s relationship with his/her primary caregiver is problematic?
develop of identity and emotional regulation can be affected
T or F
The more often the baby responds to trauma or neglect in a particular way, the greater the chances of the stress reaction becoming built-in and henceforth being expressed as a personality trait.”
T
What happens to the child if the mom is depressed?
Unresponsiveness Inattentiveness Intrusiveness Inept discipline Negative perceptions of children
What can result in a child having decreased cognitive abilty by age 4 if mothere is expressing this trait during the first year?
depression
If the mom is depressed, (blank) increases risk to child; involved loving, non-depressed father decreases risk.
marital discord
How prevalent is post-partum depression?
9-16%
Increased risk of emotional/behavioral disorder in child (29% vs 8% risk in medically ill paret) can be due to (Blank)
maternal depression
What can these be caused by:
Insecure attachment.
ADD/ADHD.
Depression, anxiety, conduct disorder, substance abuse.
maternal depression
Among mothers of children (age 1-10) how many are depressed?
17.6% major depression
52% mild depression
Where is maternal depression the highest?
in poor families
Greater than (blank)children/ day die from maltreatment, about 70% are between ages (blank-blank)
4
0-3
(blank) percent of adult survivors of neglect/ abuse meet criteria for at least one psycological disorder.
80%
Abuse and neglect will results in a child who is (blank) times more likely to engage in criminal activity
9
14% of male inmates and 36% of female inmates have history of (blank)
abuse
(blank) percent of abused/neglected children are more likely to experience teen pregnancy
25%
Does divorce cause lasting significant impacts on mental health?
no
Regarding divorce, Emotional trauma is very dependent on what
pre and post divorce relationahip and child’s temperament
What kind of effects will domestic violence have on children?
Strong risk factor for behavioral, social, attention and thought problems young children.
What kind of effects will paternal or sibling loss have on children?
younger children more likely to suffer long-term mental health problems
What percent of children who have been through a divorce will have serious social/emotional problems as adults?
25%
What are some causes of physiologic trauma?
toxin exposure
nutrition
medical problems
Poverty is the worst for children
TRUTH (poor kids 50% more likley to die by age 14)
There is a relationship betweeen Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) and (blank)
adult health problems
ACEs are strongly correlated to what 2 high risk behaviors?
injected drugs
suicide attempt
ACEs are strongly correlated to what disease?
COPD
T or F
Early childhood experiences, particularly quality of parenting, have lifelong impact on mental and physical health.
T
Brain structure is (blank), it is altered by early experience, often permanently. The first (blank) years are particular important.
neuroplastic
3
Critical perods of devlopment are concentrated in (blank) years of life
first
Why is the critical period critical?
because the brain, stress response and immune system demonstrate remarkable plasticity to environment during this time
Experience leaves its mark through 2 processes
synaptic remodeling
epigenetics
What is this:
the brains neural circuitry is shaped by early learning experiences and the quality of the environment
synaptic remodeling
What is this:
gene expression is altered by early life experiences
epigenetics
synaptic remodeling happens in (blank)
cerebral cortex
Tell me about synaptic proliferation in development?
increases hugely between the first 2 years
So until you are an adolescent, you overproduce synapses and then prune them down, why?
maximizes plasticity
Once a brain region has passed the refinement (pruning) stage. “critical period” has (blank)
ended
(blank) is a particularly important structure in the development of self awareness, emotional regulation, and social skills.
Orbitofrontal cortex
(blank) governs processing of interpersonal signals, ability to generate self-awareness and personal identity, and ability to imagine oneself in future or past.
orbitofrontal cortex
During first 2 years of life, right orbitofrontal cortex receives axons projecting from (blank) which is responsible for emotion.
limbic system
The orbitofrontal cortex and limbic system attachmnts do what?
regulate empathy, afect, and capacity for self-awareness that get established when baby has consistent, loving parent
Human connections shape the (blank) from which the mind emerges.
neural connections
Early life experiences leave (blank) on genome, determing which genes are turned on or silenced
epigenetic marks
Epigenetic changes appear to occur primarily in (blank)
organs (brain, heart, liver, kidneys, etc.)
SOme genes can only be modified during (blank) others are open to alterations throughout life.
critical periods
how do you silence a gene?
methylation
How do you access a gene?
acetylation
How do you make a gene unaccessible?
deacetylation :)
Brain and epigenome are altered through (blank)
toxic stress
Severe, frequent or prolonged stress created by adverse circumstances can result in toxic stress. What are some examples of this?
Abuse and neglect Maternal depression Traumatic loss Parental drug abuse Poverty
How do you reduce the effects of toxic stress?
with caring adults (intensified though with lack of supportive adult)
Toxic stress permanently affects the (blank) and (blank)
hypothalamic pituitary-adrenal axis, and the immune system
How does early adversity affect the HPA axis?
reduces Glucocorticoid receptor proteins and increase reactivity to stress.
What did the experiment with rats show?
high licking = GR demethylated, high GR protein produced, tend to be more calm
low-licking = GR methylated, less GR protein, tend to be more
anxious
ALSO, low licking mothers if held started to become high licking mothers
What did the study about GR promotor regions show?
it showed that suicide victims what had a history of child abuse had increased methylation of GR promotor
childhood abuse decreased expression of (blank) protein, increased (blank) activity, increased risk of suicide.
GR protein
HPA
amount and severity of childhood sexual abuse correlated with amount of (blank) of GR gene/
methylation
Children who spent at least 8 months in a ROmanian orphanage in early life had siginicant higher daily (blank) levels than children adopted at birth or living with birth parents
cortisl
more time in institution correlated with hiher basal cortisol levels
Prenatal exposture to maternal depression is associated with increased (blank) of infant’s GR gene and the babies will have elevated (blank) levels.
Methylation
salivary cortisol
Chronically elevated cortisol causes long-term health problems such as…..
hypertension hyperglycemia growth suppression impaired cognitive performance decreased bone density sleep disruption decreased muscle mass lowered immune function slow wound healing increased abdominal fat
Toxic stress alters brain structure; what happen at the orbitofrontal cortex?
prefrontal cortex?
amygdala?
hippocampus?
hypertrophy or over activity
neuronal loss/ under activity
hypertrophy or over activity
neuronal loss/ under activity
What is the overall effect of toxic stress to the brain?
Increased stimulation of HPA axis due to decreased GR receptors and thus increased stress response
Underdeveloped (blank) results in impaired memory, learning and mood control; decreases ability to discriinate safety vs. danger
hippocampus
What does a neglected brain look like?
super small : (
What dont we want?
decreased GR, Increased HPA, increased stress response.
Besides decreased GR, how else can we get increased HPA?
increased production of cytokines
Toxic stress can alter immunity in newborns and young children how?
by altering cellular immunity and increasing production of cytokines as well as inreased C reaction protein in adult survivors
Survivors of signif childhood adversity have stress response systems that are (blank)
overly reactive, slow to shut down
Who are…..
More prone to anxiety, mood disorders, poor impulse control, psychosis, personality disorders, and multiple health problems.
More likely to experience “trajectory-altering events” that can change the course of their lives (e.g., teen pregnancy, drug use, crime).
survivors of signif childhood adversity
The more often the baby responds to trauma or neglect in a particular way, the greater the chance of the stress reaction becoming built-in and henceforth being expressed as a (blank)
personality trait
What is the most strongly correlated disorder associated with low parental nurturance?
avoidant PD > paranoid PD
Why do some kids who go through trauma show no signif mental health problems?
intelligience
temperament
social skills
strong relationshp with at least one adult most important
Is there a resiliency gene?
5HTT with long alleles
Does schizophrenia have a genetic component?
yes but environment plays a role as well (twins yielded different results, and more stress more likely to get it)
What is super weird about identical twins as they age?
they become less identical!!! because epigenetic changes accumulate
