Chapter 7

Chapter 7 is called "The First Two Years: Psychosocial Development." The brain maturation and emotions section caught my attention. Emotional reactions begin in the brain. Also, a healthy lifestyle promotes good brain maturation. The anterior cingulate gyrus, a part of the cortex, needs to be matured before a child can regulate emotions like fear, self awareness, and anger. I was surprised to read that memory has an impact on emotional reactions. Memory is fragile at first, and then grows stronger as axons and dendrites connect. I wonder what causes people to have a memory loss issue, like long-term or short-term. My axons and dendrites must not have a great connection because sometimes I think I have some type of memory problem! Stress is something that I'm sure most people feel, especially college students. If an infant is often stressed, that just means their hypothalamus is growing more slowly.