PSYCH101 Lecture Notes - Lecture 23: Jean Piaget, Prefrontal Cortex, Limbic System

• School: University of Waterloo
• Department: Psychology
• Course: PSYCH101
• Professor: Paul Wehr

Document Summary

Psych 101 teen brain and cognitive development. Growth increases between childhood and puberty, then slows: grey matter: Second round of synaptic overproduction & pruning decreases volume: prefrontal cortex: Changes most pronounced and continue until mid-20s. Strengthen connection to limbic system: impulsive and subject to peer pressure. Pre-frontal cortex is the last part of the brain to develop. In teens the prefrontal cortex is not fully developed and the emotional center (limbic system) has, that"s why teens make more emotion based experiences. Jean piaget (1896 1980): swiss developmental psychologist working with theodore simon. Interested in childhood thought processes leading to incorrect answers on i. q. test. Four-stage model of cognitive development: assimilation: interpreting new experiences in terms of existing mental structures, accommodation: changing existing mental structures to explain new experiences. Theodore simon came up with the iq test, he was interested in what questions kids get right based on their ages.