PSY 101 Midterm: PSY 101 notes for exam 2
Document Summary
If androgens (male hormones) kick in around week 8, girl becomes a boy development), esp. , alcohol: we are all born 6 months premature, ape brains: 200cc at birth (cid:224) 400cc as adult (doubles, australopithecus brains: 350cc (cid:224) 700cc, human brains: 385cc (cid:224) 1350cc (more than triple!, long infancy is compromise between large brain and small hips. Infants brain has high plasticity, low functionality: one big short circuit (although it is smarter than it seems, recovers well from physical damage, different sections get myelinated at different times, sections come on line , causes universal progression of skills (e. g. , walking, talking, thinking, environment shapes and tunes dendritic grown, guides neuronal pruning, related to critical periods for language (periods outside of which learning is impossible, and sensitive periods for other skills (periods when learning is easier, enriched environments stimulate neural growth, after puberty, brain has low plasticity, high functionality, has all adult skills, including abstract thought, poor recovery from damage.
