Kinesiology 3347A/B Chapter 4: Kin 3347 - Human Growth & Development chapter 4
26 Feb 2019
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Document Summary
Chapter 4 physical, sensory, & perceptual development in infancy. During infancy, babies grow 25-30 cm & triple their body weight in the 1st year. At about age 2 for girls, & age 2. 5 for boys, toddlers are half as tall as they will be as adults. 2 yr olds have proportionally much larger heads than do adults needed to hold their nearly full-sized brains. At birth, midbrain & medulla are most developed regulate vitals/consciousness. Cortex is least developed at birth (grey matter) Synaptic development =millions of neurons & glial cells are present at birth (incl. synapses) Synaptogenesis = process of synapse creation; occurs rapidly in cortex after 1st few yrs of life. Synaptic pruning = follows each synaptic growth spurt; eliminates synapses/pathways that aren"t necessary. Allows brain to be more efficient use it or lose it. Young infants need sufficient stimulation from environment to maximize this early period of rapid growth & neuroplasticity.
