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brain growth

the increase in size, mass, and complexity of the brain. In humans, the brain grows very rapidly in the fetus and during the early postnatal years, reaching its maximum mass at about 20 years, after which there is a slow decline. Some regions of the brain grow more rapidly than others, well into the teenage years.

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Psychology term of the day

February 20th 2025

principle of constancy

principle of constancy

in classical psychoanalytic theory, the idea that all mental processes tend toward a state of equilibrium and the stability of the inorganic state. Also called constancy law; law of constancy. See also death instinct; nirvana principle.