PSYCH211 Lecture Notes - Lecture 14: Synaptic Pruning, Brain

• School: University of Waterloo
• Department: Psychology
• Course: PSYCH211
• Professor: Shaylene Nancekivell

Document Summary

Rate of change in height and weight slows down relative to infancy. Large range of (cid:494)normal(cid:495) continues; <3rd or >97th percentile considered at risk. 3-5 years of age, brain increases from 80% to approx 90% of adult weight: body only at 30% of adult size by age 5, brain develops much more quickly than the brain overall. Myelination: fatty sheath wrapped around, eventually becomes coordinated and develops a while matter track. 2 neurons, and synapse is where the neurons travel to. Prefrontal cortex: reasoning, decision making, inhibition, regulation of our emotions: amount of synapses decreases. End of early childhood, synaptic pruning occurs and proliferation. Auditory cortex: language perception, proliferation and pruning. Right hemisphere activity increases steadily throughout early and middle childhood: slight spurt between 8 and 10, corresponds to more gradual development of spatial skills. Use the same words to develop motor skills than the ones used to explain the brain development.