In a short paragraph, please describe the main point of the Brain Growth article. In the article “You Can Grow Your Brain”, it is explained that the brain is like every other muscle in the human body. The article explains that the brain can grow and become stronger when an individual is challenged and forced to practice a skill. Practicing a certain skill forces the brain to create a new pathway, which allows the skill to become easier. The article explains that when an individual is forced to practice, for example, calculus it becomes easier because the brain has formed new connection with other brain cells; this process makes it easier for individuals to problem solve. The brain needs to be worked or the current connections will be lost. …show more content…
One of the experiments performed was with animals. One set of animals were forced to live alone in a bare cage and the other set of animals were given toys and companions. The animals in the “stimulating” environment were forced to create connection with their companions and they were also forced to figure out how the toys work. This environment allowed the animals to form new connections between brain cells, which allowed their brains to grow. The animals that were put in bare cages spent most of their day sleeping and not engaging, which did not allow their brains to grow. The animals in the stimulating environment had brains that were 10% heavier than the other animals, according to the study. In another study, scientists assembled a group of individuals who could not juggle and divided the group in half. One group was taught to practice juggling and they continued to practice, while to other group did not practice. The group that was taught to practice and practiced the skill were able to improve their skills. These results were confirmed by a brain scan which revealed that the jugglers who practice had growth in the motor and visual areas of their brain. Brain growth is always possible, as long as practice is
In Carol Dweck’s article titled, “Brainology” Dweck discusses the different mindsets that students have about intelligence. Some where taught that each person had a set amount of intelligence, while others were trained that intelligence is something they could develop and increase over time. in Dweck’s article she writes, “ It is a belief that intelligence can be developed that opens students to a love of learning, a belief in the power of effort and constrictive, determined reactions to setbacks” (Dweck pg. 2). Dweck is talking about a growth mind-set in which is how students perceive the growth of knowledge and that no one person is born with a certain amount of intelligence, it too can be trained and developed over time. By introducing Dweck’s ideas of a growth mind-set to students, students will enjoy learning and be less devastated by setbacks, because they know they can develop intelligence. Dweck also writes that students with a growth mind-set, “believe that intelligence is something that can be cultivated through effort and education. They
In “Can You Build a Better Brain”, the author, Sharon Begley discusses how the cognition processes better. He starts by presenting some experiments that prove nutrition did not support the brain smarter. According to the article, he believes that the “cognitive capacity” can be amended by concentration in people’s behavior. He further believes that people’s intelligence do not depend on own skills; however, as long as people peceive new things, their synapses and brain systems will
At one time it was thought that after a certain age the brain stops growing but, “scientists have recently shown that adults can grow the parts of their brains that control their abilities, such as the ability to do math or even to juggle” (“You Can Grow”). There is no true plateau as Gawande once believed, new connections coming from the neurons which “allows people to think and solve problems” (“You Can Grow”). can be made even later in life. Good strategy and taking on new challenges that are difficult for the individual is the key (“You Can
Both were given a workshop with skills on how to study, but one was also given lessons on what a growth mindset was and how to develop one. The group given the lessons on growth mindset was extremely fascinated by the thought that they could control how much knowledge they were capable of learning. Overall, the growth mindset group excelled while the control group continued to not do so well. After receiving these results, Dweck was so inspired that she developed a growth mindset computer program called “Brainology,” that would be available to students all around the world. Dweck concluded that it’s extremely important to teach students that it takes hard work to achieve
Learning is one of the things that help us survive. Darwin taught us that learning is the survival mechanism that we use to survive in our ever-changing environments. Our brains are designed to learn. They are plastic, meaning they can adapt, change and grow. In our brains there are neurotransmitters, and neurotrophins. They both have a role in turning different circuits on off, and getting different signals to different parts of our bodies. Some neurotrophins are called factory, and one of those is BDNF, or brain-derived neurotrophic factor. This chemical has been called, fertilizer for neurons. Exercise has been shown to increase BDNF leve...
As every child grows up in a different environment, not all have a safe one to grow up in and as a result everything that surrounds them becomes apart of the clarity that their mind incorporates and becomes apart of that child 's behavior of way. In terms of brain development children or teens often listen, and see what is around them, it is also said, by researchers of the National Institute of Health, that in recent studies that were made that in teen years massive loss of brain tissue...
In the article “Brain Gain: The Underground World of “Neuroenhancing” Drugs” (Yorker 2009) Margaret Talbot discusses the misuse of prescription drugs that enhance academic performance at the college level. First Talbot introduces readers to a young college history major at Harvard University named Alex who receives a description of a demanding, busy life which seems impossible to control without the safety unapproved adopted use of a drug named Adderall. After that Alex’s dependency on the prescription drugs cognitive enhancers is described when he asks his doctor to increase the amount of intake and the listing of his daily routine on using Adderall during a week that required him to write four term papers. Next Talbot describes a personal
It may seem that some people are just “plain stupid” or “oh my goodness you're so smart”, but that’s not the case. In an article I recently read called” You Can Grow Your Brain” scientist have done many tests to prove that the brain is just like a muscle.
Every day while they interact with and learn about their environment they are creating new connections and pathways between nerve cells both within their brains, and between their brains and bodies. While physical growth and change is easily observed and measured in precise terms such as in inches and pounds, cognitive change and development is a little harder to determine as
In the nonfiction article “The Teen Brain: Still under construction” by NIMH, the author believes the teen brain is still developing emotionally, intellectually, and hormonally.
In The article “Brainology” “Carol S Dweck, a professor of psychology at Stanford University, differentiates between having a fixed and growth mindset in addition how these mindsets have a deep effect on a student’s desire to learn. Individuals who have a fixed mindset believe they are smart without putting in effort and are afraid of obstacles, lack motivation, and their focus is to appear smart.. In contrast, students with a growth mindset learn by facing obstacles and are motivated to learn. Dwecks argues that students should develop a growth mindset.
In order to avoid the physical effects of aging, it is suggested that individuals engage in frequent exercise. Doing so will enhance muscular and cardiac ability, and will reduce one’s risk of various forms of heart disease and obesity (Myers & DeWall, 2016). Due to an increase in oxygen flow, exercise may also stimulate neurogenesis (Myers & Dewall, 2016), a process that promotes growth in hippocampal nerve cells that may result in an improved ability to retain memory. In relation to physical exercise, it is also suggested that adults in middle or late adulthood participate in “brain training” exercises, which have shown to make small improvements in one’s depreciating cognitive development. As a result of the brain’s neural plasticity, such brain exercises have the potential to enhance an individual’s ability to complete control tasks, while other research indicates that it can result in an overall sharpness of the mind (Myers & DeWall, 2016). Despite the onset of an aging mind and body that is characteristic of adulthood, exercise of all forms can induce positive outcomes for older individuals in both their physical and cognitive
There are many roads to be successful in learning, but they all involve developing mindset. Developing the right mindset is a key success for most learning. Carol S.Dweck, the author of " brainology", indentified two diffent mindsets : fixed mindsets and grow mindsets. These impact student 's learning differently. From my point of view, having a growth mindset is the best for success since this belief assists students learn and develop a good self-motivation in goals, efforts, and setbacks.
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Rapid growth of the brain and nervous system continues during the early years of a child’s life, however because of birth defects or health problems some children may be at a risk of cognitive delays. Problems such as Autism, where children may have a difficult time with language skills and sensitivity to touch, behavioral problems, or chemical exposures can all affect a child’s cognitive development. For most children though with a proper diet and plenty of stimulation cognitive abilities will develop rapidly, and by about 7 years ones cognitive skills have become “functionally related to the elements of adult intelligence.”