Developmental Domains, Periods, Theories, and Teratogens in Human Growth

Physical domain of development

Changes in: body size & proportions, appearance; functioning of body systems, health; perceptual & motor capacities

Cognitive domain of development

Changes in intellectual abilities

Emotional and social development

changes in emotional communication, self-understanding, knowledge about other people, interpersonal skills, friendships, intimate relationships, and moral reasoning and behavior

Prenatal period of development

conception to birth

Infancy and Toddlerhood

birth to 2 years

Early childhood

2-6 years

Middle childhood

6-11 years

adolescence

11-18

Discontinuous development

view that development takes place in unique stages, which happen at specific times or ages

Continuous development

the idea that changes with age occur gradually, in small increments, like that of a pine tree growing taller and taller

One course of development

people everywhere follow the same sequence of development

Many courses of development

Development follows a different course for each child, depending on the child's specific genetics, environment, and culture

Nature

the influence of our inherited characteristics on our personality, physical growth, intellectual growth, and social interactions

Nurture in Development

environmental factors that influence development

Early experience

experiences occurring very early in development, believed by some to have lasting effects

Late experience

later experiences are key determinants

Psychoanalytic theories

Theories that describe development as primarily unconscious and heavily colored by emotion. Behavior is merely a surface characteristic, and the symbolic workings of the mind have to be analyzed to understand behavior. Early experiences with parents are emphasized.

Cognitive theories of development

focus on studying the mind and thought patterns and how these cognitive factors affect human development

behavioral theories of development

focus on directly observable events, actions and consequences.

Ethological Theory

stresses that behavior is strongly influenced by biology, is tied to evolution, and is characterized by critical or sensitive periods

Ecological theory

theory based on idea that human development is inseparable from the environmental contexts in which a person develops

Germinal period

The period of prenatal development that takes place in the first two weeks after conception. It includes the creation of the zygote, continued cell division, and the attachment of the zygote to the uterine wall.

Embryonic period

The period of prenatal development that occurs from two to eight weeks after conception. the rate of cell differentiation intensifies, support systems for the cells form, and organs appear.

Fetal period

The period from two months after conception until birth, lasting about seven months in typical pregnancies. Most growth

Factors that determine how harmful Teratogens are

The amount (dose), genetic susceptibility, time of exposure in development

Alcohol as a teratogen

Slow physical growth

Facial abnormalities and defects of the heart and limbs

Brain injury - small head and impairment in functioning

learning problems

Nicotine as a teratogen

Preterm births and low birth weight

Fetal death

Respiratory problems

Sudden infant death syndrome

Cocaine as a teratogen

neurological and cognitive deficits

Heroin as a teratogen

behavioral problems and attention deficits, withdrawal symptoms

Marijuana as a teratogen

deficits in memory and information processing, low birth weight, premature birth,

APGAR Scale

appearance, pulse, grimace, activity, respiration

Lead as a teratogen

aggression and delinquency

Neonatal mortality

the rate of death within the first month of life

Infant mortality

Number of infant (under one year old) deaths per thousand live births.

Child mortality

Under 5 years

1st birth stage

Longest of the three. Contractions cause cervix to stretch and open. Contractions eventually become closer together and more intense

2nd birth stage

Head starts to move through the cervix and birth canal. Ends when baby comes out

Afterbirth

The third stage of birth, when the placenta, umbilical cord, and other membranes are detached and expelled.

Low birth weight

Infant that weighs less than 5½ pounds at birth.

Preterm babies

Those born before the completion of 37 weeks of gestation (the time between fertilization and birth).

Small for date babies

these infants have birth weights that are below normal when the length of pregnancy is considered. may be preterm or full term.

Bonding

The formation of a close connection, especially a physical bond, between parents and their newborn in the period shortly after birth.

Postpartum blues

a mild, transient emotional letdown experienced by a majority of women after giving birth

Postpartum Depression

Characteristic of women who have such strong feelings of sadness, anxiety, or despair that they have trouble coping with daily tasks during the postpartum period.

Cephalocaudal pattern

growth that proceeds from the head downward

Proximodistal pattern

growth that proceeds from the middle of the body outward

Long period of physical immaturity

Ensures dependence on adults and gives time to gain skills and knowledge necessary to live in our complex world

What grows in infancy

trunk

What grows in childhood

legs

Muscle growth

boys and girls add slowly in infancy and childhood and boys add much more than girls in adolescence

Head to body proportion

The proportion gets smaller as we age

Skeletal growth

More cartilage when younger and more flexibility

Fontanelles

Areas where the neonate's or infant's skull has not fused together

Dendrites and synapses

dramatically increase in infancy

Synaptic pruning

Begins around age 3, by the time of 4 and 6 there is a drastic reduction in synapses

Factors that impact physical growth

Heredity, emotional well-being, infectious disease, nutrition

Sleep in infancy

Sleep 16-17 hours, half is REM

Sleep in childhood

9 - 14 hours of sleep

Emotional well being

Emotional distress creates susceptibility to physical illness

Social and emotional support protect against early death, prevent illness, and help recovery

Babinski reflex

Infant reflex where if its foot is stroked, the baby's toes fan out

Grasping reflex

an infant's clinging response to a touch on the palm of his or her hand

Moro reflex

Startles, arches back, throws head back, flings out arms and legs and then rapidly closes them to center of body

Rooting reflex

a baby's tendency, when touched on the cheek, to turn toward the touch, open the mouth, and search for the nipple

Stepping reflex

a neonatal reflex in which an infant lifts first one leg and then the other in a coordinated pattern like walking

Sucking reflex

An infant reflex in which the infant starts sucking when his or her lips are stroked.

tonic neck reflex

turning the head to one side, extending the arm and leg on that side, and flexing the limbs on the opposite side

Ecological View

The view, proposed by the Gibsons, that people directly perceive information in the world around them. Perception brings people in contact with the environment so that they can interact with and adapt to it.

Habituation

Way to study infants' perception & cognition; decrease in responding with repeated stimulation

Once stimulus becomes familiar and expected, sensitivity to it decreases

Newborn taste

Can differentiate tastes

Prefer sweet & salty tastes at birth

Newborn smell

Can locate odors, identify mother by smell from birth.

Newborn hearing

Can hear a wide variety of sounds at birth

Prefer complex sounds to pure tones

Sensitive to voices and biologically prepared to learn language

Vision

2 months: focus and color vision

6 months: acuity, scanning, and tracking

6-7 months: depth perception

4 years: reaches 20/20

Uga et al

The breastfeeding group had lower pain scores (2.65) than the control group (5.15).

Substance abusing fathers

not offering appropriate caregiving and having multiple children with different partners.

dynamic systems theory

To develop motor skills, infants must perceive something in the environment that motivates them to act and then use their perceptions to fine-tune their movements.

Gross Motor Skills in infancy

posture, locomotion and crawling, walking

sequence of motor development

Reflexes, gross, fine