PSY 220 Lecture Notes - Lecture 7: Synaptic Pruning, Myelin, Brain Size
Document Summary
Rapid growth in the first year of life. Cephalocaudal principle: idea that development begins with the head and upper body. Proximodistal principle: development beings in center and moves out; starting with heart and organs then limbs. Hierarchical integration principle: simple skills integrated into a more complex action; reaching for a toy and grasping. Independence of system principles: different systems (nervous, reproductive, etc. ) develop at different rates. Information comes in through the dendrites and leave through the branches of the axon. Myelin sheath: fatty tissue encasing axon that allows electrical signals to be sent quickly and efficiently. Neurotransmitters: chemical packets transmitting information from one neuron to another. Brain size increases through childhood new synapses formed and neurons become myelinated regions of the brain more differentiated. Plasticity: brain"s capacity to adapt to damage and reorganize tissue. There is a hardwired plan on what neurons are meant to do but neurons can be reassigned.
