Pre-Adult Brain Development

Question 1

What can brain cells become stimulated by and what happens when they are?

Answer 1

Sensory input, neurotransmitters or hormones and they then produce an electrical charge which passes on to the next cell and so on.

Question 2

What has previous research found about growth spurts?

Answer 2

That growth spurts can occur around 3-10 months and this can lead to an increase in brain weight by 30% by age 1 1/2 years old.

Question 3

What is one way of investigating brain development?

Answer 3

Study the development of structures in the brain and see if this correlates with specific behaviours.

Question 4

What ages do brain growth spurts occur between?

Answer 4

2 and 4, 6 and 8, 10 and 12, 14 and 16 years old.

Question 5

What percentage increase in brain weight over each two year growth-spurt period?

Answer 5

5-10%

Question 6

What is grey matter and what percentage of the brain does it make up?

Answer 6

Grey matter is made up of nerve cells and makes up about 40% of the adult brain.

Question 7

What is white matter?

Answer 7

White matter carries messages to and from grey matter.

Question 8

When do volumes of grey matter begin to decline and what happens to the white matter over this period?

Answer 8

Volumes of grey matter begin to decline around 6-7 years old, and at the same time white matter volumes increase.

Question 9

What is myelination?

Answer 9

Neurons get their myelin sheaths that insulate them and allows them to pass messages along neural pathways to one another.

Question 10

What happens in brain development when in children who are 5 weeks old or younger?

Answer 10

Brain development is focused in the sensory cortex.

Question 11

What happens in brain development when in children who are 3 months old?

Answer 11

Increase in activity in most cortical regions.

Question 12

What happens in brain development when in children who are 8-9 months old?

Answer 12

Cerebral cortex is active (outer layer of cerebrum composed of grey matter and plays important role in consciousness).

Question 13

What happens in brain development when in children who are 11-13 years old?

Answer 13

Further development in the parietal regions involved in space and language.

Question 14

What happens in brain development when in children who are above 13 years old?

Answer 14

Further development in the Prefrontal Cortex.

Question 15

Outline the development of movement in infants at from birth to 15 months.

Answer 15

At birth, a baby cannot move independently.
Most learn to crawl at 6 months.
Most learn to walk at 15 months.

Question 16

What can children begin to do from 1-3 months old?

Answer 16

Children reach out to grab objects.

Question 17

What can children begin to do from 8-11 months old?

Answer 17

Child uses a ‘pincer grab’ which is more precise.

Question 18

What do studies show about myelin formation and ability to grasp?

Answer 18

There is a correlation between myelin formation and ability to grasp.

Question 19

Is the Prefrontal Cortex more developed in an adults brain or a childs brain?

Answer 19

More developed in an adults brain.

Question 20

What does the fact that the Prefrontal Cortex is less developed in adolescents mean about their behaviour?

Answer 20

The Prefrontal Cortex acts as an emergency brake, therefore adolescents are more likely to take part in risky behaviour.

Question 21

What is the function of the Ventral Striatum?

Answer 21

Involved in rewards.

Question 22

How does the Ventral Striatum link to risk-taking?

Answer 22

-More active in adolescents and therefore the prefrontal cortex is unable to control it - more excitable reward centre in adolescents.

Question 23

What are two other biological factors which might contribute to risk-taking behaviour?

Answer 23

• Evidence shown people with higher IQ and better memory have higher levels of sensation seeking
• Dopamine seen in adolescents Ventral Striatum which encourages them to take risks

Question 24

What was the aim of Barkley-Levenson and Galvan’s study?

Answer 24

To investigate if there were any differences in neural activity between adolescents and adults when faced with a risk-taking scenario.

Question 25

Outline the participants of Barkley-Levenson and Galvan’s study.

Answer 25

• 19 right-handed adults (25-30 years old)
• 22 right-handed 13 to 17 year olds
• Recruited using a poster

Question 26

How many participants where analysed in the final sample?

Answer 26

A total of 20 adolescents and 17 adults.

Question 27

Why were all the participants right-handed?

Answer 27

Because of the hemisphere dominance (left and right-handed people have different dominant hemispheres)

Question 28

What were the participants asked about before the study and why?

Answer 28

Asked to complete some information on their income as this could interfere with how much importance they place on money.

Question 29

What were the participants familiarised with?

Answer 29

The MRI scanner using a mock version of the scanned.

Question 30

What were the participants given to take part and the told?

Answer 30

They were given $20 and told that they would be able to gamble and win up to another $20 or lose their $20.

Question 31

What happened one week after the intake session?

Answer 31

Participants called back for real MRI scan whilst completing a decision making task.

Question 32

What did participants have to do during the scan?

Answer 32

Participants were shown a ‘spinner’ which told them how much they could win or lose on that gamble, and they were asked to say whether they would be willing to play that gamble or not.

Question 33

What is meant by the expected value?

Answer 33

The sum of all possible outcomes of a particular choice multiplied by their probabilities.

Question 34

When were both groups more likely to gamble?

Answer 34

Both groups more likely to gamble if the expected value was positive rather than 0.

Question 35

What was the relationship between expected value and deciding to take the gamble?

Answer 35

The higher the expected value, the more likely it was that adolescents would take the gamble (adolescents focused more on reward.

Question 36

What was found to do with the ventral striatum?

Answer 36

Significantly more activity in left Ventral Striatum in adolescents than adults, and this was more active as the expected value increased.

Question 37

What was found to do with the prefrontal cortex?

Answer 37

Increased activity in parts of the prefrontal cortex for both groups.

Question 38

What are the main conclusions of Barkley-Levenson and Galvan’s study?

Answer 38

• Adolescents brain places greater value on potential rewards
• Suggest there a changes in the Ventral Striatum as you age
• Adolescents brain more focused on winnin larger amount than losing a smaller amount

Question 39

What are the four main strategies to reduce risk-taking behaviour?

Answer 39

Educate, Direct Education, Parental Monitoring and Modelling/behaviourism.

Question 40

How can education help reduces risk-taking behaviour?

Answer 40

• Makes people fully aware of potential risks

- Might make reward seem less appealing

Question 41

How can direct education help reduces risk-taking behaviour?

Answer 41

• For example programme put in place which does not give adolescents a full license until they complete a probationary period
• This means certain things aren’t aloud like driving at night, therefore risk-taking is reduced and there are less crashes

Question 42

How can parental monitoring help reduce risk-taking behaviour?

Answer 42

• If young adults cannot correctly assess risk, parents should talk to them and help them understand
• Parents should talk about risky behaviour and consequences

Question 43

How can modelling/behaviourism help reduce risk-taking behaviour?

Answer 43

• Based on Social Learning Theory

- We are influenced by what goes on around us therefore parents and teachers should model non-risky behaviours