PSYC 355 Chapter Notes - Chapter 3: Metacognition, Long-Term Memory, David Wechsler

• School: Simon Fraser University
• Department: Psychology
• Course: PSYC 355
• Professor: Robert Ley

Document Summary

This increasingly popular view states that biological processes and environmental (cid:272)o(cid:374)ditio(cid:374)s i(cid:374)flue(cid:374)(cid:272)e the (cid:271)rai(cid:374)"s de(cid:448)elop(cid:373)e(cid:374)t; the (cid:271)rai(cid:374) has plasti(cid:272)it(cid:455); a(cid:374)d (cid:272)og(cid:374)iti(cid:448)e development is closely linked with brain development: a. biological processes (genes) Environmental experiences (enriched or impoverished) influence the brains development: b. the brain has plasticity and is context dependent, c. development of the brain is linked closely with cognitive development. Neurons- (cid:374)er(cid:448)e (cid:272)ells, (cid:449)hi(cid:272)h are the (cid:374)er(cid:448)ous s(cid:455)ste(cid:373)"s (cid:271)asi(cid:272) u(cid:374)its: made up of a cell body, dendrites and axons. Synaptogenesis in the prefrontal cortex where reasoning and self-regulation occur, also continues through adolescence. The corpus callosum- a large (cid:271)u(cid:374)dle of a(cid:454)o(cid:374) fi(cid:271)ers that (cid:272)o(cid:374)(cid:374)e(cid:272)ts the (cid:271)rai(cid:374)"s left a(cid:374)d right hemispheres, thickens in adolescence, and this thickening improves the adoles(cid:272)e(cid:374)t"s a(cid:271)ility to process information. The later development of the prefrontal cortex combined with the earlier maturity of the amygdala may explain the difficult adolescents have in putting the brakes on their emotional intensity.