lifespan development - chapter 3 - physical, congitive, language development

avg weight - 7.5 pounds  and 20"

gain 1 ounce a day

basic unit of nervous system

• denrites of cell body receive information
• goes down to axon, myelin sheath covers axons and speeds info
• as axon ends, branches out to terminal buttons

dentrites react to stimuation - if child raised in environment with a lot of stiumation, cortex gets heavier! 

“Blooming (development) and pruning” vary considerably by brain region

Pruning -- unused connections are replaced by other pathways or disappear

Prefrontal cortex -- the area of the brain where higher-level thinking and self-regulation occur