PSYCH211 Chapter Notes - Chapter 5: Neuroglia, Habituation, Andrew N. Meltzoff
30 May 2017
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Psych 211- chapter 5: physical development in infancy and toddlerhood. Cephalocaudal trend: from the latin for head to tail . During the prenatal period, the head develops more rapidly than the lower part of the body. Proximodistal trend: growth proceeds, literally, from near to far from the centre of the body outward. Neurons: or nerve cells that store and transmit information. Synapses: tiny gaps where fibres from different neurons come close together but do not touch. Neurotransmitters: chemicals released by the neurons that cross the synapse to send messages to other neurons. Synaptic pruning: returns neurons not needed at the moment to an uncommitted state so that they can support future development. Glial cells: cells that are responsible for myelination of neural fibres, improving the efficiency of message transfer and, in certain instances, also participate directly in neural communication. Myelination: the coating of neural fibres with an insulating fatty sheath (called myelin) that improves the efficiency of message transfer.
