Chapter 6

Children who begin to go through pubertal development as ages as young as 6 or 7 years of age are experiencing

precocious puberty

If a child younger than the age of about 4 or 5 were to have a large portion of their brain removed in a necessary surgery

their brains are plastic enough that cells intended to serve one function could be turned into cells that serve another function.

What part of the brain has been found to be enlarged in the brains of young children with ASD?

Amygdala

_____________ is a condition in which the person has difficulty with social interaction, problems with verbal and nonverbal communication, and compulsive behavior or interests.

Autism

Elbert et al. found that the area of the right side of the brain that controls the left hand has many more synaptic connections than the same area of the left side of the brain in violinists (because they constantly use the fingers of the left hand). What type of brain development explains why this occurs?

Experience-dependent brain development

Which lobe of the brain processes vision?

Occipital lobe

____________ are involuntary patterned motor responses that are hardwired in the infant

Reflexes

Messages are sent by a neuron through the _____________ and are received by the ____________.

axons; dendrites

The ___________________ controls our basic functions, such as breathing, heartbeat, and blood pressure.

brain stem

An advantage of being breastfed for an infant is that

breast milk contains antibodies from the mother that can help fight off infections

Primary sex characteristics include

changes that occur in the organs that are necessary for reproduction.

The frontal lobe of the brain is primarily responsible for

complex thoughts, movement, language, and self-control

The cerebellum in the brain is primarily responsible for

controlling balance and movement

The two hemispheres of the brain are connected through the

corpus callosum

The condition of cerebral palsy involves

difficulties with coordination, movement, muscle tone, and speech

The group of adolescents who typically have the most positive self-image, are the most confident, and have high social status among their peers is the

early maturing boys

The best research evidence today supports the idea that autism

has a genetic component and/or structural differences in the brain.