ABSTRACT
This chapter considers social development from infancy through to adolescence. The structure and function of the brain, and the neurons within it, are not resolutely fixed at birth according to a predetermined blueprint. Being part of a socially enriched environment affects both the structural and functional development of the brain (e.g. Branchi et al., 2006; Chugani et al., 2001). Cells and pathways in the brain may whither or grow depending on the quality and quantity of social interactions during development.
