Final answer:
Experiences influence the developing brain through neuroplasticity, the dynamic interplay between neural and cognitive networks, and neurogenesis, with significant developments occurring during adolescence and continuing into adulthood.
Step-by-step explanation:
Experiences shape the developing brain through a process called neuroplasticity, which allows the brain to form and reorganize synaptic connections, particularly in response to learning or experience. A child who is genetically predisposed to a difficult temperament, for example, may develop enhanced neural connections if raised in an encouraging environment, emphasizing the bidirectional influence between genes and the environment. This interaction between neural and cognitive networks is a dynamic process that influences an individual's behavior based on their understanding of the world.
During significant developmental periods such as adolescence, changes such as synaptic pruning and increased myelination make the brain more efficient, which correlates with cognitive advancements. Moreover, neuroconstructivism suggests that experiences can impact the way neural pathways develop in response to the environment. Additionally, neurogenesis, the formation of new neurons, continues into adulthood and plays an important role in learning, with exercise promoting it and stress inhibiting it.