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absolute idealism. the philosophical position that both mental and material reality are manifestations of a universal and absolute mind or spirit. See idealism; idealistic monism. [proposed by German philosopher Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel (1770–1831)] A trusted reference in the field of psychology, offering more than 25,000 clear and ...
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- Early Theories
- Modern Theories
- Functional Plasticity
- Evidence For Functional Plasticity
- Structural Plasticity
- How Does Neuroplasticity Work?
- Critical Evaluation
- References
Early experimental work on neuroplasticity was conducted by an eighteenth-century Italian scientist, Michele Malacarne, who discovered that animals made to learn tasks would develop larger brain structures (Rosenzweig, 1996). The first theoretical notions of neural plasticity were developed in the nineteenth century by William James, a psychology p...
Progress of the idea – modern theories: Modern experimental instruments like imaging tools have yielded enough information to develop improved theories. Scientists now think that neuroplasticity occurs throughout all life stages, with extensive capacities from childhood development to healing diseases (Doidge, 2007). The brain can rearrange itself ...
Functional Recovery After Brain Trauma
After a brain injury, such as an accident or stroke, the unaffected brain areas can adapt and take over the functions of the affected parts. This process varies in speed, but it can be fast in the first few weeks (phase of spontaneous recovery) then it becomes slower. It can be helped by rehabilitation, and the nature of rehabilitation programs varies with the type of injury, from retraining some types of movement to speech therapy. There are ways through which brain plasticity can enable bra...
Homologous Area Adaptation:
Case studies of stroke victims who have experienced brain damage and thus lost some brain functions have shown that the brain has the ability to re-wire itself with undamaged brain sites taking over the functions of damaged brain sites. Thus, neurons next to damaged brain sites can take over at least some of the functions that have been lost. A youth with a right parietal lobeinjury wound up with the left parietal lobe taking over some functions normally occurring on the right side. The youth...
Neuronal Unmasking:
Wall (1977) noticed the brain contained ‘dormant synapses’ – neural connections which have no function. However, when brain damage occurs, these synapses can become activated and open up connections to regions of the brain that are not normally active and take over the neural function that has been lost due to damage.
How Experience Changes Brain Plasticity
During infancy, the brain experiences rapid growth in the number of synaptic connections. As each neuron matures, it sends out multiple branches; this increases the number of synaptic contacts from neuron to neuron. At birth, each neuron in the cerebral cortexhas approximately 2,500 synapses. By the time a child is three years old, the number of synapses is approximately 15,000 (Gopnick et al. 1999). As we mature, the connections we do not use are deleted, and the ones we use frequently are s...
Developmental plasticity
Part of the development of the vision system is genetically hardwired. However, another part of this development depends on neuroplasticity. As a child grows, the incoming information from light sources, such as light reflected off the faces of caregivers, provides necessary cues for the brain to adjust its growth patterns. The equivalent plasticity-based growth also occurs with the other senses, calibrating the young person to local conditions. The development of languagereveals even more ab...
At the most basic level, it starts with the production of a new nerve cell (neurogenesis). Then, individual neurons develop new connections with each other. A neuron works by sending or receiving electrochemical signals from other neurons in the brain. The way that individual neurons connect to each other controls how the signals get sent, like the...
Neuroplasticity can explain a broad range of facts about the structure and function of the brain. This notion does, however, have some constraints. These involve the gradual decline of neuroplasticity with age and certain restrictions regarding how much neural plasticity is possible, even in young, healthy people. Also, scientists have yet to learn...
Bruel-Jungerman, E., Davis, S., & Laroche, S. (2007). Brain Plasticity Mechanisms and Memory: A Party of Four. The Neuroscientist, 13(5), 492–505. https://doi.org/10.1177/1073858407302725 Calderón-Garcidueñas, L., Azzarelli, B., Acuna, H., Garcia, R., Gambling, T. M., Osnaya, N., Monroy, S., Del Rosario Tizapantzi, M., Carson, J. L., Villarreal-Cal...
AP Psychology. Definition. A psychological mechanism refers to a process or function within the mind that influences our thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. Definition.
Apr 19, 2018 · in general, a device or physical property by which something is accomplished, or an explanation that relies on such a device or property. a philosophical position, similar to that of materialism, that provides explanations in terms of underlying physical properties. See mechanical causality; mechanistic theory. the concept of the human being as ...
Jan 1, 2020 · Introduction. In the most inclusive sense, psychological mechanisms offer a type of causal explanation of mental states and behavior, often with reference to underlying processes, systems, activities, or entities. By postulating and investigating such mechanisms, researchers have sought explanations of a wide range of psychological phenomena.
Aug 27, 2014 · The present commentary aims to expand the discussion regarding the definition, measurement, and evaluation of “mechanisms of change.” Using MBCT as an example, this commentary addresses the ambiguity surrounding the definition and operationalisation of these mechanisms in research on psychological therapies and how the method of measurement may impact the results obtained in clinical trials.
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AP Psychology. Definition. A mechanism in operant conditioning refers to the process or factor that encourages the repetition of a behavior. Definition. Related Terms.
