Question: How do early experiences effect future growth and development of the brain?
Hypothesis: An enriched environment in early childhood can lead to increased brain growth.
Study Type: Laboratory Observation
Ethical Issues and Problems: The rats could have experienced different levels of brain activity prior to the experiment, which could cause conflicting results in the data. Because the rats aren’t in their natural environment, results wouldn’t reflect their natural patterns. Issues could arise when relating the data to humans because of differences in brain development and reaction to procedures.
Description of Study: In the 1960’s Mark Rosenzweig conducted an experiment with two other scientists to prove that neurological development continues into adulthood. Rosenzweig and his associates kept rats in two different environments: one stark and solitary, the other enriched with toys and playmates. Rosenzweig analyzed the brains of the rats upon their death, and discovered that the rats living in the enriched environment had an increase in brain weight of 7-10%, a few even reaching 20%. Another doctor later joined the team to prove that these effects would occur even in adulthood. The studies were successful, and later repeated on other species. The results proved that adults have the same potential for brain growth as do juveniles.
Authors: Carly Uebel & Cathy Hamby
No comments:
Post a Comment