Brain Development

• Nature

  Your characteristics are inherited from parents
• Genetically similar people eg twins share similar cognitive characteristics such as IQ, supporting the idea genes influence development of the brain
• A study looked at pair of identical twins that were raised separately until they were 39 and they had many of the same characteristics
• Newborn babies can recognise faces, suggesting nature is responsible for the ability
• Nurture

  Your behaviour is influenced by your environment
• Research shows that there can be problems with brain development if the mother uses drugs and alcohol during pregnancy there will be problems with brain development
• Babies don't learn to talk until later, suggesting nurture is responsible for language development
• Interactionist approach

  • It is both nature and nurture factors that have complex influences on the brain
  • It is very hard to understand their separate contribution
• Early brain development


  1. Foetal brain and spine start as simple long and extended neural tube

  2. Neural tube divides into midbrain, forebrain and hindbrain

  3. Back of neural tube forms the spine
• Differentiation


  The process of the neural tube dividing into the midbrain, forebrain and hindbrain
• Forebrain


  • Develops into the cerebrum/cerebral cortex and thalamus
• Midbrain


  • Develops into part of the brain stem
• Hindbrain


  • Develops into the cerebellum and the rest of the brain stem
• Back of neural tube


  • Becomes the spinal cord
• At 6 months into pregnancy, the brain is very similar structurally to the adult brain with just as many neurons
• Cerebrum


  • At the top of the brain and is the biggest brain structure
  • Divided into two cerebral hemispheres, one on the left and right
  • Outer surface is called the Cortex
• Cortex


  Where higher cognitive functions take place (brain processing)
• Cerebral hemisphere divisions

  • Frontal lobe
  • Parietal lobe
  • Occipital lobe
  • Temporal lobe
• Frontal lobe


  • Associated with cognitive abilities such as thinking, planning and problem solving
• Parietal lobe


  • Processes information related to touch from around the body like heat, cold and pain
• Occipital lobe


  • Processes visual information
• Temporal lobe


  • Involved in understanding and producing spoken language/hearing
• Thalamus


  • Found in the centre of the brain and acts as a hub for information
  • Passes information from the sense organs to the cortex
• Brain stem


  • At the bottom of the brain
  • Connects the brain to the rest of the nervous system
  • Provides basic autonomic functions such as regulating breathing and heart rate
• Cerebellum


  • A small wrinkled structure at the back of the brain
  • Coordinates motor movement, dexterity and balance
  • Damage can lead to difficulty with muscle coordination, keeping balance and fine motor skills
• Brain functions

  • Autonomic functions
  • Sensory processing
  • Cognition
• Autonomic functions


  Bodily functions carried out by the brain but not under conscious control, e.g. heart rate and breathing by the brain stem
• Sensory processing


  The brain receives messages from the senses and turns them into the appropriate motor and behavioural responses
• Cognition


  The mental processes involved in gaining knowledge, e.g. thinking and problem solving