ANTH 239 Lecture Notes - Lecture 9: Egocentrism, David Elkind, Reward System
Document Summary
Between 7 and 11, the brain undergoes a huge spurt of growth of connections similar to that experienced between birth and 3 years of age. Majority of pruning is in the frontal lobes. The second change is in myelination; in adolescene, it is not finished. The last part of the brain to myelinate is the frontal lobes. And myelination is not complete in the frontal lobes of the brain until around 18 to 20 or later. Myelination on a neuron allows it to operate more efficiently. All messages are passed to connected neurons through the form of chemicals called neurotransmitters. Dopamine - among other things, produces pleasure and desire through the reward system and is involved with social information processing. reward system non cocial rewards. This helps to explain why risk taking happens in the context of peers. Oxytocin influence on social memory, information processing, bonding. Influence on social memory, social information processing, and social bonding.