The Powers of Mind

THE POWERS OF MIND
COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT
What is Cognitive Development?
Means how children think, explore and figure things

out. It is the development of knowledge, skills,
problem solving and dispositions, which help children
to think about and understand the world around them.
Brain development is part of cognitive development.
STAGES OF COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT
HOW THUS BRAIN WORKS?
Did you know that brain has Three major parts?
CEREBRU
BRAIN
STEM
BRAIN M
The brain stem Things are different in the

connects the spinal cerebellum. That region
cord and the brain. It controls voluntary movement.
controls functions When you want to lift your fork,
that keep people CEREBELL wave your hand, brush your
alive such as UM hair or wink at a cutie, you form
breathing, heart rate, the thought and then an area in
blood pressure and the cerebellum translates your
food digestion. will into action
• What is Neurons? , neurons is the basic function unit of the nervous system are
three-part units and are key to brain function. They are comprised of a nerve
cell body, axon and dendrite, and they power the rapid-fire process that turns
thought into movement. The thought moves as an electrical signal from the
nerve cell down the axon to a dendrite, which looks like branches at the end of
nerve cells. The signal jumps from the end of the dendrite on one cell across
the space, called a synapse, to the dendrite of another cell with the help of
chemicals called neurotransmitters. That signal continues jumping from cell to
cell until it reaches the muscle you need to wave or wink.
The cerebrum is the
largest of the three
HOW THUS BRAIN WORKS? brain sections,
counts for about 85
percent of the brain's
weight, and has four
Did you know that brain has Three major parts? lobes. The lobes-
frontal, parietal,
CEREBRU temporal and
occipital -- each
BRAIN
STEM
BRAIN M
have different
function
The brain stem Things are different in the

connects the spinal cerebellum. That region
cord and the brain. It controls voluntary movement.
controls functions When you want to lift your fork,
that keep people CEREBELL wave your hand, brush your
alive such as UM hair or wink at a cutie, you form
breathing, heart rate, the thought and then an area in
blood pressure and the cerebellum translates your
food digestion. will into action
helps people
determines understand
personality what they see
and emotions and feel
Vision
functions
hearing and
word
recognition
abilities
A CRITICAL AGE
WHEN IS THE BRAIN CRITICAL AGE?
DID YOU KNOW THAT BRAIN SIZE OF BRAIN DOESN’T INCREASE MUCH AFTER 3 YEARS OLD.
the brain's healthy functioning is essential to living and determines quality of life,
doctors emphasize protecting the organ from injury and chemical abuse.
There is a consensus among researchers that brain cells regenerate throughout life,
said Doug Postels, a pediatric neurosurgeon in New Orleans, but that new growth
happens very slowly after a certain age.
"The size of the brain doesn't increase much after 3," Postels explains During the first
three years of life, the brain experiences most of its growth and develops most of its
potential for learning. That's the time frame in which synaptogenesis, or the creation
of pathways for brain cells to communicate, occurs.
Doctors generally accept that cut-off point
for two reasons
First, in situations where doctors removed parts of the brains of patients
younger than 3 to correct disorders, the remaining brain sections developed to
assume the role of the portions those doctors removed. But when physicians
performed the same surgery on older patients, that adaptability function did
not occur.
Second, "We know from experiments that if you deprive people of
intellectual stimulation and put them in a dark room, that it produces
permanent changes in the brain," Postels said. "That occurs most
dramatically before age 3. After that age, it's impossible to ethically
do a study."
Previous research produced information about the effects of
stimulation deprivation, but modern ethical guidelines prohibit such
research on people because of the potentially harmful outcome.
DRUG DAMAGE
Because so little recovery occurs to brains damaged after
age 3, the effects of drugs and alcohol on the brain might be
lasting
Doctors know what inhalants, steroids, marijuana, cocaine and
alcohol do to the brain when people use them. "The question
scientists can't answer now is if the damage is permanent," said
Sue Rusche, co-author of "False Messengers," a book on how
addictive drugs change the brain.
Inhalants, such as glue, paint, gasoline and aerosols,
destroy the outer lining of nerve cells and make them unable
to communicate with one another. In 1993, more than 60
young people died from sniffing inhalants, according to
National Families in Action, a drug education center based in
Atlanta
Studies have found that marijuana use hinders memory, learning,
judgment and reaction times,
steroids cause aggression and violent mood swings.
Ecstasy use is rising among young people, Rusche said, and

scientists have found that drug destroys neurons that make
serotonin, a chemical crucial in controlling sleep, violence,
mood swings and sexual urges
Activity: BRAIN DOMINANCE
Which of these apply to you?
___ I am very organized.
___ I remember faces more than names.
___ I think things through before making a decision.
___ If someone’s mad at me, I can tell even without the person saying a
word.
___ I work best in a quiet space.
___ I daydream a lot.
___ I hate taking risks.
___ I tend to get emotional.
___ I make a to-do-list.
___ I trust my “gut instinct”.
If you have more “yes” answers from the left column, you are probably
left-brain dominant, while if you have more “yes” answers from the right
column, you are probably right-brain dominant.
Reading: THE DOMINANT SIDE OF THE BRAIN
Researchers believed that brain dominance determines a person’s preferences,
problem-solving style, personality characteristics, and even career choices. For
example, a right-brain individual will quickly get a feeling for a situation, while a
left-brain person will usually ask a lot of questions first. The following chart
reflects additional difference between left and right-brain dominance.

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THE POWERS OF MIND

Means how children think, explore and figure things

Did you know that brain has Three major parts?

The brain stem Things are different in the

The brain stem Things are different in the

steroids cause aggression and violent mood swings.

Ecstasy use is rising among young people, Rusche said, and

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