‘Between birth and 3, the brain creates more synapses than it needs. The synapses that are used a lot become a permanent part of the brain. The synapses that are not used frequently are eliminated.’
www.classbrain.com
Experience plays an important part in the shaping a child’s brain because the more learning and social opportunities the child is provided with means the synapses that are linked with the experiences will become permanent. The child’s experience is the stimulation that forms the synapses.
Hayley Thomson
Nurture
Interaction is the key to how children learn new things about themselves. Connections within the child’s brain, which can lead to success in later life, can out grow supportive, nurturing and predictable care. Children require sufficient love and stimulation in their environment sot that they can keep important synapses and form new ones.
‘Caring for infants and toddlers is mostly about building relationships and making the most of everyday routines and experiences. During the first 3 years of life, infants and toddlers look at caregivers for answers to these questions:
- Do people respond to me?
- Can I depend on other people when I need them?
- Am I important to others?
- Am I competent?
- How should I behave?
- Do people enjoy being with me?
- What should I be afraid of?
- Is it safe for me to show how I feel?
- What things interest me?
Although the child doesn’t actually ask the carer these questions, he is still given the answer through play, expressions and emotions etc.
Hayley Thomson
The Debate
Due to the findings of recent research, we are given the opportunity to study the way in which nature and nurture work along side each other to form human development. Scientists have found how early development of the human brain and a strong relationship between any carer involved in a child’s life and the child communicate to build the foundations for a future of learning and growth development.
By applying the nature/nurture debate to the behavior of humans, a whole lot of trouble arises. Statistics, made up to display the genetic grounds for differences in motor learning, criminality’s, intelligence and capabilities of humans, along with other behaviors, has now been provided to support many forms of bigotry.
My Opinion
Personally, I think nature and nurture both play as big a part as each other in our development. Obviously our parents genes are passed on to us so there will be some similarities, but I also feel that we learn most of what we know from experience and guidance from all our caregivers.
Bibliography
www.classbrain.com
www.nrp.org
www.sasked.gov.sk.ca
www.tiscali.co.uk
www.animalbehaviouronline.com
Hayley Thomson
How Children Develop and Learn
Outcome
Nature/Nurture Debate
