The Learning Brain
DR JENNY WYNN
Prepare for your exams
Study with the several resources on Docsity
Earn points to download
Earn points by helping other students or get them with a premium plan
Guidelines and tips
Prepare for your exams
Study with the several resources on Docsity
Earn points to download
Earn points by helping other students or get them with a premium plan
Brain Development and Adolescence: Myths and Facts, Lecture notes of Psychology
Various myths and facts about brain development, focusing on the periods of infancy, puberty, and adolescence. Topics include synaptic density, myelination, emotional intelligence, and the need for sleep. The document also discusses the implications for education and the importance of an enriched environment.
Typology: Lecture notes
2018/2019
1 / 21
This page cannot be seen from the preview
Don't miss anything!
Related documents
Partial preview of the text
Download Brain Development and Adolescence: Myths and Facts and more Lecture notes Psychology in PDF only on Docsity!
The Learning Brain
DR JENNY WYNN
Fact or fiction?
(^) We are born with all of the neurons that we need and never grow any more (^) Almost all of the brain’s growth and development occurs before the age of 3 years (^) After the age of 5 years, neurons start to die
Smart kids do stupid things. It’s a simple fact of life. Even the meekest, smartest, most obedient and sensible teenager will, at some point or another, find himself or herself facing an angry adult who shouts “What were you thinking?”
Regions of the brain
Making connections
(^) Synaptic density – number of connections (^) Synaptogenesis – increase in synaptic density (^) Synaptic pruning – frequently used connections made stronger, weaker ones eliminated (^) Visual cortex – adult synaptic density reached at 10 years (^) Frontal cortex - adult synaptic density reached at 18 years
Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)
Windows of opportunity
(^) Adolescence is a major period of brain development (^) Many sensitive, sometimes critical, periods (^) Brain finds alternative pathways (^) Infinite capacity for new learning
An enriched environment
(^) Threshold of sensory stimulus (^) Effects of complex environment endure through life (^) It is never too late to learn (although it takes you longer)!
Emotional intelligence
(^) We apparently express over 400 different emotions through our face (^) Try the ‘Reading the mind in the eyes’ test (Simon Baron-Cohen, 2001) (^) Teenagers particularly struggle with this test
The need for sleep
(^) Teenagers need over 9 hours of sleep every night (^) Teenagers tend to stay up late (^) Sleep deprivation is linked to poor mental health (^) During sleep the brain rehearses and stores recently learnt information
The need for sleep
(^) https:// www.ndcn.ox.ac.uk/research/sleep-circadian-neuroscience-institute/rese arch-projects/teensleep
Risk taking
(^) To be successful we need to take risks (^) Can be linked to self-esteem (^) In teenagers, decisions more about the feeling than the consequences (^) Risky business: (^) Alcohol (^) Drugs (^) Smoking (^) Sexual activity
Left brain vs right brain
Left brain
Verbal processing Logical Sequential Rational Analytical Objective Looks at parts
Right brain
Creativity Random Intuitive Holistic Synthesizing Subjective Looks at wholes