Baby Brain Development

Brain Building

By Nicole Gregory New Parent magazine Spring/Summer 2008 Pg. 46-48

            This article argues that experts say what is most crucial in optimal brain development for a baby is interaction with their parents.  They believe that the relationship between a baby and their primary caregivers has the largest impact on how their brain develops.  Face-to-face interaction such as making eye contact with a baby while talking and smiling to them will help them focus their attention and stimulate their vision and hearing.  Reading to a baby (no matter what their age) is crucial, not just to familiarize them with language but also to offer a baby the chance to hear repetition.  This repetition capture’s a baby’s attention and strengthens the language connections in the brain.  The complex language that a baby hears when being read to is all absorbed by their brain, strengthening it in turn.  The article points out that the benefits of hearing others speak does not apply when a baby watches television, though.  The talking on TV is too fast for babies and does not allow them to connect with what is going on.  When babies are talked to there are other kinds of nonverbal communication going on such a body gestures and reactions to babies’ sounds and movements that cannot be duplicated through television.

Psychology Link: Development Across the Life Span

            This article relates to brain development during early childhood as discussed in Chapter Eight.  I chose it because as the mother of a two month old, I found it to be very important in helping her father and I make sure that we are doing what we can to help with her brain development.  When a baby is born they already have a complete set of neurons in the cortex (front and top) of the brain.  They do not have many synaptic connections, though, and as they grow during that first year, new connections are formed.  This interaction with parents aids in the development of these connections, making it the greatest factor in crucial brain development for babies.


Reflection
How important do you think parents' interacting with their babies is?  Do you know anyone personally who did not receive that attention when they were a baby or any babies that do not receive it now?  How did it affect them or how do you think it will affect them?