Neuron Summary Points

Developmental Psychology as a 20th Century Phenomenon

Models of Development

Development as growth

Development as differentiation

Development as an orderly progression

Piaget I--Assimilation vs. accommodation

Piaget II--Stage theory of cognitive develop.

The kinds of neurons (i.e., sensory, motor, and interneuron).

The structure of the "generic" neuron (i.e., its body parts)

What the action potential is (i.e., a change in electrical potential that functions as a "signal"), and how it behaves (e.g., all or none firing, frequency=intensity, moves in "wavelike" fashion down the axon).

How neural impulses cross the synaptic gap.

An 18th century English mother who lost her daughter 10 hours after birth

"One cannot grieve after her much, and I have just now other things to think of"

Child Miner, 1878

Growth

Differentiation---moving from common simple structures to different complex structure.

Orderly Progression

Piaget's Theory--A Basic Distinction

Assimilation--The process whereby the environment is interpreted in terms of existing cognitive structures (schemas).

Accommodation--The process whereby the existing cognitive structure is changed to reflect the environment.

Stage 1--Sensorimotor

Lasts from birth to approx. 18-24 mos.

At this stage, infants thinking is concrete

Understands the world only through sensory and motor activities (hence the name)

Object permanence develops during this period and represents the beginning of abstract thinking

Stage 2--Preoperational

Lasts from approx. 18-24 mos. to age 7

start of this period is marked by developing the ability to think in verbal symbols or words

Child still lacks "adult reasoning" and key deficit is that child lacks what Piaget called the principle of conservation.

Understanding that an underlying physical dimension remains unchanged despite superficial shifts in its appearance