5/16

EQ: How does the infant brain structure work?

I am still finding it hard to believe how fast these past six weeks have been, and though I know we have not yet reached the end of the project, I am feeling quite proud of my progress given the circumstances. It’s a bittersweet feeling because though I have really enjoyed conducting independent research on my own while working at home, I’m not sure when another opportunity to study something on my own freely will happen again. Perhaps I shouldn’t have to worry about the latter much. Research is something I’ve always been passionate about. Through this project I’ve not only learned about the fundamentals of neuroscience but how to incorporate research into my daily life. I’m hoping to continue practicing the routines I’ve gotten into the habit of doing these past few weeks. 

This final week, I decided to take some time to look into more experiments as well as findings. This week was “Lab Week” in my online course, which consisted of experiments recording a stimulating nerve, neuropharmacology, and electrode referencing conducted on grasshoppers, crickets, and cockroaches. My Lab Week entailed observing other students conduct the experiments and writing notes on what professor Gage explained. It was interesting, nonetheless, and I decided to look into more videos of him explaining stuff–he’s quite good. This week I also did some studying on notes from my textbook on various topics including Prenatal Development and the Newborn, as well as research strategies for understanding infants’ brains. Researchers have discovered that newborns are born with sensory equipment and reflexes that facilitate their interaction with adults and securing nourishment. This can be observed when babies quickly learn to discriminate the smell and sound of their mothers. In my studying, I also learned about Piaget and his theories on the development of a child’s mind. He believed that the mind of a child develops by forming schemas that help babies “assimilate” their experiences and that must be occasionally altered to accommodate new information. Research has proven that children are actually much more capable of developing continuously than what Piaget had in mind. This goes back to the whole synaptic pruning I can’t stop talking about.

 I’ve also thought a lot about parenting this week, probably because it’s nearly impossible to not reflect and analyze my own parents’ behavior during quarantine. I’ve learned that attachment style in infancy predicts later social development, so I thought I’d take some time to learn about how I was raised and how that may have affected my attachment style. Some may call it self-help, I call it research. It has been found that out of all of the parenting styles, authoritative parenting provides children with the greatest sense of control. Parents who practice this openly discuss family rules by explaining them with reasoning.  I’m still figuring out how I want to go about planning my final presentation, but I am satisfied with the research I’ve conducted. Til next week!