The Developing Brain Flashcards
Nature vs. Nurture
Behaviorist Revolution/Tabula Rasa states that you are what your environment makes you. Genetic revolution says that deletion of genes leads to impaired cognition. Both influence in reality.
Critical Period Hypothesis
Proposal that the first few years of life are when language can develop readily; after, language acquisition is much harder.
Plastic brain
Patient with entire hemisphere removed operates relatively normally
Beginning of development
Fertilization -> Blastocyst (cells begin dividing) -> Gastula (formation of germ layers, which include ectoderm - brain, mesoderm, endoderm)
Neural plate
Emerges on ectoderm around the end of the 2nd week. Folds into the layers; a neural tube forms (part of this eventually becomes spinal cord)
Neuron growth
During development of a fetus: 250,000 neurons/minute. Neurons do not continue to develop after birth (although this is now challenged); glia continue to develop
Synaptogenesis
The elaboration or formation of synapses during development
Myelination
formation of a myelin sheath around a nerve fiber
Synaptic pruning
synapses are reduced to leave more efficient synaptic configurations
Gyrification
Process of folding of cerebral cortex as consequence of brain growth during embryonic and early postnatal development
Myelin/white matter development
Large amount occurs after birth, with high myelination throughout the brain only attained when 20
Piaget’s Theory of Cognitive Development
Based on the idea that the developing child builds cognitive structures to understand and respond to environment. Cognitive structure increases with maturation; invariant sequence; stages are universal. Four stages: Sensorimotor, pre operational, concrete operational, formal operational
Sensorimotor stage of Piaget’s Theory
Birth to 24 months. In order: modification of reflexes, notice own body, focus on outside world, goal-oriented behavior, explore object’s potential, invention of new means, mental representation of objects (object permanence test)
Preoperational stage of Piaget’s Theory
2-7 years old. Use of symbols, language use matures, memory and imagination, thinking done in a non-logically nonreversible manner, ego-centric thinking
Concrete Operational Stage of Piaget
7-11 years. Mentally carried out actions, logical and systematic manipulation of symbols related to concrete objects, egocentric thought diminishes. Can complete conservation test with water
