Lecture on Brain Development and Cognitive Theories

These flashcards cover key vocabulary and concepts related to brain development, cognitive theories, and methodologies from the lecture.

Glial Cells

Non-neuron cells in the central nervous system that nourish, repair, and myelinate neurons.

Neurons

Cells specialized in receiving and transmitting information.

Cell Body (Soma)

Contains the basic biological machinery that keeps the neuron alive.

Dendrite

The receiving end of the neuron that takes information in.

Axon

The part of the neuron that sends information from the receiving end to the transmitting end.

Myelin

A fat sheath surrounding the axon that allows for more rapid transmission of information.

Terminal Buttons

Release neurotransmitters to nearby neurons.

Synapse

The gap between two neurons.

Cerebral Cortex

Thin, wrinkled layer covering the brain's two hemispheres, consisting of about 10 billion neurons.

Corpus Callosum

A bundle of millions of axons that link the right and left hemispheres of the brain.

Frontal Lobe

Involved in behavior, learning, personality, and voluntary movement.

Neurogenesis

The process of producing neurons within the neural tube.

Migration

The process by which neurons move from the neural tube to their final positions in the brain.

Synaptogenesis

The formation of connections between neurons.

Exuberant Synaptogenesis

An explosion of synapse formation that occurs early in brain development.

Myelination

The formation of the fatty sheath around the axon, which aids in faster information transmission.

Plasticity

The extent to which brain organization is flexible and shaped by experience.

Experience Expectant Growth

Typical brain wiring that occurs due to expected environmental inputs.

Preferential Looking

A method used to determine what infants find interesting based on how long they look at stimuli.

Habituation

The process where infants lose interest in a stimulus after repeated exposure.

Visual Acuity

The smallest pattern that can be distinguished by the eye.

Pincer Grasp

Using the thumb and index finger to pick something up successfully.

Theory of Mind

The ability to attribute mental states to oneself and others.

Dynamic Systems Theory

A theory suggesting that motor development involves distinct skills that are organized and reorganized over time.

Sociocultural Perspective

Focuses on how children's cognitive development is shaped by cultural contexts and social interactions.

Zone of Proximal Development

The difference between what a child can do alone versus what they can do with assistance.

theory of mind

• The ability attribute mental states (beliefs, intents, desires, knowledge) to oneself- and recognize that others have mental states that may differ from your own. 

• Develops for most children between 2-5 yr old.

scaffolding

teaching style that matches the amount of assistance the learner needs.  the more skilled the child becomes, the teacher provides less support.

information processing theory

Information Processing theory: proposes that human cognition consists of mental hardware and mental software.