ABSTRACT
In this chapter, the author provides some basic information about brain function so that people can make sense of the processes of learning and memory. The brain is designed to attend to new information. This is essentially what learning is. The more activity there is between neurons, the stronger the synapse. The process by which learning takes place is known as long-term potentiation. One of the features of brain development that contributes to learning is the process of pruning. The author focuses on the concept of brain plasticity. This is a term often used to describe the capacity of the brain to repair itself. In the first instance, it can be argued that memory is a capacity, while learning is a process. There are four elements that make up executive function. These are: working memory, inhibition, resisting interference, and flexibility. The areas of the brain needed to perform the Stroop test keep changing and maturing all through the teenage years.
