EDUC 210: Cognitive Development and the Brain

Comprehensive vocabulary flashcards covering the core concepts of cognitive development, neurobiology, and general developmental principles from EDUC 210 Week 3.

Development

Orderly, adaptive physical, cognitive, personal, and social changes that individuals experience from conception through the lifespan.

General Principles of Development

Three fundamental developmental tenets: (1) development is relatively orderly, (2) individuals develop at different rates, and (3) development generally occurs gradually.

Nature versus Nurture

A historical debate lasting at least $2000$ years over whether development is driven primarily by biological factors (heredity, genes, biological processes, maturation) or environmental contexts (education, parenting, culture, social policies).

Coactions

The complex, joint actions and interactions between nature and nurture that current developmental theories emphasize.

Continuous Development

A gradual, steady process of quantitative improvement and increasing abilities over time.

Discontinuous Development (Qualitative Change)

Development characterized by leaps into distinct new stages where abilities fundamentally differ, such as acquiring reproductive capability during puberty.

Critical Period

A specific time frame during which certain abilities, such as language, must develop; early psychologists influenced by Sigmund Freud believed childhood experiences were critical.

Sensitive Period

A developmental window of opportunity where an individual is particularly ready or responsive to certain environmental experiences, closely linked to neuroplasticity.

Typically Developing

A term in education and psychology describing a child or person whose developmental progression generally follows the standard, understood pattern.

Neurogenesis

The biological production of new neurons, which begins prenatally, experiences a major growth spurt from the last trimester to $2$ years of age, and continues into adulthood.

Neuron

A specialized cell in the nervous system with the information-processing capacity of a small computer, transmitting signals across the brain and body.

Dendrites

Branch-like projections of a neuron that receive chemical and electrical messages from other neurons.

Axon

The elongated fiber of a neuron that transmits electrical messages and signals to other cells.

Myelin

A protective fatty covering enclosing the axon that accelerates the transmission speed of neural impulses.

Synapse

The microscopic junction or intersection between the axon of one neuron and the dendrite of another, where information is transmitted.

Neurotransmitters

Chemical messengers released across the synaptic cleft to transmit signals from one neuron to another.

Cerebral Cortex

The outer layer of the brain that accounts for about $85\%$ of an adult brain's weight and enables higher-order accomplishments like complex problem-solving and language.

Temporal Lobes

Cortical regions that contain the auditory cortex and play critical roles in emotions, judgment, and language, not fully maturing until the high school years or later.

Frontal Lobe

The region of the cerebral cortex involved in controlling body movement and coordination, purposeful planning, organization, and the inhibition of impulsive behaviors.

Brain Lateralization

The specialization of the two cerebral hemispheres: the left hemisphere controls the right side of the body (speech, verbal memory, language processing, positive emotion expression), and the right hemisphere controls the left side of the body (visual-spatial processing, music, tactile sensations, negative emotion expression).

Synaptic Pruning

The neurological process wherein neural connections that are not reinforced become weakened and are eliminated to increase brain efficiency.

Experience-Expectant Pruning

Synaptic pruning occurring in early life that facilitates general brain development across large areas in anticipation of species-typical, universal experiences (such as eyelid opening or motor programs for grasping).

Experience-Dependent Pruning

Neural plasticity on demand occurring throughout development and into adulthood, wherein unique, idiosyncratic experiences shape neural connections in response to specific, specialized learning.

Plasticity

The brain's lifelong capability to adapt and constantly modify its neurons, synapses, and structural activity in response to experiential and environmental input.

Adolescent Brain Profile

A developmental state described as having "high horsepower, but poor steering" (Fischer, 2009), in which adolescents experience heightened drives while executive control and risk-avoidance systems are still maturing.