PSY 230 Chapter Notes - Chapter 3: Primitive Reflexes, Otitis Media, Breast Milk
Document Summary
Cerebral cortex - the other, furrowed mantle of the brain is the site of every conscious perception, action, and thought. Humans are also unique in the amount of brain growth that occurs outside of our womb. First four years of life, brain volume quadruples. Takes more than two decades for the brain to fully mature. Axons - fibers that conduct impulses away from the cell body. Synapses - as the dendrites proliferate at junctions, the axons and dendrites interconnect. Synaptogenesis - process of making myriad connections, programs every skill. Myelination - the axons form a fatty layer around their core. A lubricant that permits the natural impulses to speedily flow. During infancy, synaptic connections progressively strengthen in more distant areas of the brain. Perhaps, having an oversupply of connections allows us to recruit" from this wider pool and redirect these extra neurons to perform other functions. Our cortex is malleable particularly during infancy and the childhood years.
