Environmental stimulation refers to the way the environment provides stimulation in the form of social interactions and learning opportunities. Stimulating environments such as an enriched or an impoverished environment can lead to an increase in the number of synapses, which is brain plasticity. Brain plasticity refers to the ability of the brain to respond and be modified by new experiences, and to changes in the environment. This essay attempt to offer a considered and balanced review that includes a range of arguments, factors or hypothesis on one effect of the environment on physiological processes, supported by research studies. The one effect of an environment on physiological processes that will be discussed is the effect of enriched and impoverished environments on brain mass and dendritic branching, and how certain effects of the environment can affect physiological processes.
An enriching environment is an
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This study is similar to Rosenzweig and Bennett’s experiment done with rats, but since it is not ethical to induce deprivation onto a human in order to study the effects of not having a rich environment, Perry studied neglected children. They found out that since some children were raised in cages in dark rooms for the first years of their lives, it appeared to have altered brain growth. They did brain scans of three year old children: normal and those who have experienced extreme neglect. The brain scan of the healthy three year old had an average head side while the brain scan of the three year old suffering from severe sensory-deprivation neglect had a significantly smaller than average brain and has abnormal development of cortex. As a result, they concluded that there are many factors contributing to this observation. Nutrition is one key aspect as well as the lack of