True or false? Early in life, infants have far more neural connections than they need.

Question

BlackTom AI · Accepted Answer

Topic: neural development in infancy. This question asks to evaluate whether, early in life, infants have far more neural connections than they need.
Option 1: True. This aligns with well-established neurodevelopmental knowledge. In early infancy, the brain undergoes exuberant synaptogenesis, creating a huge surplus of neural connections. This overproduction is thought to provide a flexible substrate for learning and environmental shaping. Over time, activity and experience help refine these connections through pruning, strengthening useful pathways and eliminating redundant ones. So, at this developmental stage, having more connections than ultimately needed is expected and advantageous for rapid learning.
Option 2: False. If we claimed there are not enough connections, that would contradict the observed pattern of neural development. Infants’ brains do not start with a deficit of synapses; rather, they start with an overproduction that is subsequently pruned. Therefore this option misstates the basic trajectory of synaptic development and would be undermined by evidence of widespread synaptogenesis in early life.
Additional nuance: while the overabundance of connections is common in infancy, pruning is experience-dependent and occurs at different rates across brain regions. This dynamic process supports both short-term plasticity and long-term efficiency, which reinforces why the initial excess is purposeful rather than wasteful. Therefore the assertion in Option 1 is consistent with current understanding, whereas Option 2 contradicts core developmental biology findings.

True or false? Early in life, infants have far more neural connections than they need.

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