RE: Hapworth

Sean Draine (seandr@Exchange.Microsoft.com)
Sat, 22 May 1999 12:47:24 -0700

Lobster911 writes:
"Oh, I didn't mean this as an opinion, I meant it as fact.  Your children
are 
smarter than you are.  The brain stops growing and starts shrinking at 18, 
but has its greatest capacity at birth.  So maybe their minds aren't as 
trained, but do not deny that they are smarter.  Disturbing, I know."

I sense that there may be some irony here I'm missing, but let's pretend
this was written in earnest. 

The various neural systems of the human brain continue to organize, refine,
and tune themselves up to the age of about 21. The result of this process
is, without question, enhanced working memory capacity, a richer long term
memory store, and increased powers of logic and reasoning. One notable
exception is language acquisition, for which there is a well established
critical period that ends around the time of puberty. 

The existence of the occassional child genius does not run counter to the
above, because these kids only get smarter with age. 

That said, a child's lack of knowledge often lends them a unique, fresh,
creative perspective on things.

-Sean