Explain how synaptogenesis and synaptic pruning complement each other through a child's experience

What will be an ideal response?

Synaptogenesis is the proliferation of synaptic connections in the brain, which occurs very rapidly during infancy. The amount and quality of experiences an infant has determines the nature and number of the connections that are made in the brain. This connectivity has a huge impact on the potential of the developing brain. An impoverished environment can result in fewer synaptic connections; an enriched environment can result in a greater number of synaptic connections.

Synaptic pruning is the discarding of synaptic connections that typically go unused. During synaptogenesis, and infant will often require far more connections than he or she will actually use, creating some sense of "clutter.". Synaptic pruning trims this clutter back, ridding the brain of the connections that experience has not reinforced.