After reading this module, what stuck out to me most was the difference between learning and development. I have always assumed that learning and development are the same, but now I know they are very different concepts especially to a brain researcher. The introduction of this module also stuck out to me - it said that the two assumptions people usually make about the brain (that we only use 10% of our brains and that people are either right-brained or left-brained) are false. I have heard both of those assumptions many times before so I just always interpreted them as true facts.
According to a brain researcher, development is something that is programmed by genetics, with little influence from the environment. Development is experience-expectant (meaning it will happen to everyone without concious effort) and can be defined as the connections between neurons. Learning on the other hand has more to do with experiences than genetics. Learning is a continuation and strengthening of neuron connections. The way we all develop is the same, but the way we learn is different based on each person.
In the picture from the blog prompt, the brain at birth has very few connections and begins to develop connections between neurons at 6 years. The final image, a 14 year old's brain, shows that the connections prune away if they are not used frequently enough.
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