PSYC 3404 Chapter 4: Chapter 4 Textbook

• School: Northeastern University
• Department: Psychology
• Course: PSYC 3404
• Professor: Dawn Cisewski

Document Summary

Cephalocaudal principle: principle of biological development that says growth tends to begin at the head and proceeds down to the rest of the body. Proximodistal principle: principle of biological development that says growth proceeds from the middle of the body outward. Brain is 25% of adults at birth, 70% at age 2: dendritic connections between neurons multiply vastly (overproduction/ exuberance, myelination is very active. Synaptic pruning: process in brain development in which dendritic connections that are used become stronger and faster, and those that are unused wither away. Forebrain is divided in 2 main parts: limbic system, cerebral cortex: grows the most after birth. Frontal lobe: highest processes, including planning for the future and making decisions. Temporal lobe: processes auditory information, including language. Infant brain is high in plasticity: degree to which development can be in uenced by environmental circumstances: adaptable but vulnerable.