PSYCH 11 Chapter Notes - Chapter 11: White Matter, Childhood Obesity, Synaptic Pruning
4 Feb 2017
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Chapter 11 - physical development in middle childhood. Phys growth = slow, regular pace in early childhood. 6-8 y/o = boys are a little bigger than girls (trend reverses @ 9 y/o) Secular trend (in physical growth): changes in body size from one generation to the next. Appears in early life, declines as mature body size is achieved. Larger size = due to faster rate of phys develop. Secular increases = smaller for low-income kids. Poorer diets and more likely to suffer growth-stunting illnesses. Places w/ famine, disease, poverty = no secular gain. White matter: consists of largely myelinated nerve fibers. Especially in prefrontal cortex, parietal lobes, and corpus callosum. Grey matter: consists mostly of neurons and supportive material. Peaks in mch and declines b/c of synaptic pruning & death of surrounding neurons. Peaks b/c stim neurons increase synaptic connections, kids get more complex abilities, and neural fibers become more elaborate and myelinated.
