Childhood Brain Development

Nurture refers to all the environmental variables that impact who we are. These would include things like our early childhood experiences, how we were raised, our social relationships, and our surrounding cultures. Behaviorism tends to lean more on the side of nurture debate. Unlike Biological psychology, behaviorism focuses on the impact the environment has on how one acts. John Locke backed up the nurture theory by what is called tabula rasa. The tabula rasa suggested that the mind is a blank slate. According to this notion, everything that we are and all of our knowledge is determined by our

Nurture can be defined as the environmental variables that impact who we are, including our early childhood experiences, how we were raised, our social relationships,

Nurture, historically was referred to as the care given to children by their parents, with a mothers role being of particular importance. This term is now regarded as any environmental factor including external family, their peers, as well as extending influences such as media.

One of the main, and most controversial topics discussed in a child’s development is, nature vs. nurture. Nature pertains to genetic influences that a child has inherited from their parents, such as traits, abilities, and capacities. For instance, what color eyes the child may have, how athletic they may be, and even their brain development. Whereas nurture, refers to the environment the child is raised in and how this shapes their behaviors. Such factors can include, the family’s socio-economic status, schooling, parental discipline, as well as whether the child is provided with enough resources. When it comes to nature or nurture having a stronger influence then the other, the answer is both, nature and nurture, influence the outcome of the child. This idea that both nature and nurture, play a part in how the child will develop, is known as the nature-nurture continuum.

Nurture: Nurture is the through one’s surrounding and culture. Each individual is surrounded by a different environment and is brought up differently and this often affects the way their senses respond to some particular situation. In fact sometimes its nurture that brings forth the effect of natural response to some stimuli.

The development of the brain begins in the first few weeks after conception. Most of the physical features of the brain appear during the embryonic period (about the first 8 weeks after fertilization); these structures then stay to grow and develop during the fetal period (the rest of conception.

The brain structures that are affected are the brain volume, hippocampal volume, and white matter microstructure. Additionally, there has been a correlation found among some of these structures and neural activity. However, premature birth does not result in cognitive problems or any memory impairments. In the future, studies should have a control group of infants who are born at their term and compare their brain development with premature infants. Studies will then be able to emphasize the difference in premature birth and brain

Nature and nurture are two words that may look similar by first glance, but the two words are on opposite ends of the spectrum. According to Soc.ucsb.edu, “nature refers to all the evolutionary factors that have shaped the genetics that we have inherited from our parents and ancestors.” The same site defines nurture

Nurture Debate states, “The term ‘nurture’ has historically been defined as the care given to children by the parents...”. This states that nurturing is a learned skill important to emotional development. Let us not forget the wisdom from our Grandparents, too. For instance, the love that your family shares with you shows you how to care for and respect other people. Nurturing may also include your culture as it can shape your religious practices and traditions. Further, the nurturing received from your families, friends, and teachers influences decision making, and exposes us to career pathways.

For the last two years, I had the incredible opportunity to work as a research assistant with Dr. Pat Levitt at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles. Dr. Levitt is a renowned figure in the field of neuroscience research and serves as the Science Director of The National Scientific Council on the Developing Child. This council consists of a diverse group of distinguished scientists who are working to translate research on early brain development into a language that is understandable, scientifically accurate, and useful for public decision makers. They have started a conversation about the importance of providing a healthy environment for all young children. The combination of genetics and early childhood experiences ultimately affect the development of a child’s brain architecture, which serves as the foundation for future learning, behavior, and health.

Although for many years, it was a widely held belief that the brain stopped developing during early life, this common misconception was disproved within the last decade. Brain development occurs into our 20s and 30s, and never truly stops developing. We learned this information in the past decade because of advances in brain imaging technology. Before, we didn’t have the ability to look at scans of the brain, but this changed with the advancement of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). MRI’s allow us to look inside the brain to study the structure and function. For example, we examine the function of the brain by looking at what happens when we think or feel something.

Technological advances have increased screen time for children, taking away from the human interaction children need. Technology is detrimental to children’s socialization skills that they will use throughout their lives. In the article “Avoid Screens for Children Under 2 Years of Age,” Lucy Palladino, child psychologist, states, “The sequence of an infant’s brain can be disrupted by early experience with technology.” To correct the children’s brain sequence, Human interaction must be present during the child’s most vital brain development period. With the correct brain sequence a child will have a better chance at excelling in school and their jobs as he or she goes throughout life.

There are several ways the brain develops. The brain can develop through different phases in development. Before birth, a process called neurogenesis takes place, during which cells are generated. The cells would then migrate to where they belong in the brain. The time when a child turns three, eighty percent of the brain growth is finished. The brain muscle of the body is very important, especially at the beginning stages of birth.

This refers to the influence of experience, i.e, what is learned through interacting with both the physical and social environment. Supporters of the nurture view are known as empiricists “holding the view that all knowledge is gained through experience", you may be familiar with the term empirical support; where data is collected through sensory experience rather than a reliance on thoughts and ideas.

To nurture healthy brain development it is important that the child be in a constructive nurturing environment when away from the primary caregiver. This environment should be social, healthy, interactive, and nurturing.