Psych Prenatal-Childhood Development

Developmental psych

study of how individuals grow, adapt, and change across physical, cognitive, and soical ways throughout their lives

maturation

process of growing, developing, and maturing physically, mentally, or emotionally over time

germinal

conception to two weeks, where the zygote divides and implants in the uterus

zygote

the fertilized egg formed from the union of a sperm and an ovum

implantation

the process by which the developing zygote (blastocyst) attaches itself to the lining of the uterus to form embryo

embryonic

lasts from two weeks to about the eighth week, where major organs and structures begin to form

three life support systems developed in embryonic stage

• Amnion-fluid filled sack that protects the baby

• Umbilical cord- connects the baby to to placenta, resources move

• Placenta- tissues that provide nutrients and filter wastes

first organ to form

heart

Last organ to form

lungs

fetal period

lasting from eight weeks after conception until birth, characterized by rapid physical growth and the maturation of body systems and organs

viability

ability to survive out of the womb, 6-7 mo

teratogens

any agents that can cause harm to developing fetus

• Alcohol and drugs

• environmental pollutants/chemicals

• viruses and diseases

severity and type of damage from teratogens affected by:

• dosage

• genotypic susceptibility (predisposition to certain things)

• timing of exposure (embryo more problematic)

reflexes

responses that are inborn and do not have to be learned

reflex examples

• rooting

• sucking

• crying

• grasping

motor development pattern

is a maturation process, all move through it in the same order/path but at different timing

Habituation

decreased responsiveness to a repeated stimulus (baby gets bored of object)

gaze preference studies

baby looks at what object they’re more interested in, what is newer to them/haven’t seen before

what are babies attracted to visually

faces

what does infant perception tell us

• whether a baby “remembers” something

• whether a baby can distinguish btw two stimuli

piaget’s theory of cognitive development

infants and children actively try to organize and make sense of their world

schemas

“bins” of beliefs/theories about the world based on what you know about the world

ex:

• beliefs about the world

• images, models, and/or concepts

assimilation

making new info fit with our beliefs

accommodation

changing our beliefs, structure of organization system will change

sensorimotor

• 0-2 years

• child knows world primarily through senses

  • gradually develop sense of object permanence

• babies are only aware of what is in front of them/visually

• building up motor control

preoperations

• 2-7 years

• beginning of symbolic thought (mental representations)

• beginning of intuitive thought

  • egocentrism

  • centration= focus on the wrong aspect of a problem and ignore the important aspects, leading to a wrong answer (don’t know that volume doesn’t change when put into a different glass)

concrete operations

• 7-12 years

• increased use of logic, limited to concrete objects

• difficulty reasoning about abstract concepts and hypothetical situations

formal operations

• 12+ years

• abstract and hypothetical thought

• systematic scientific reasoning, more logical and know the steps of processes

egocentrism

failure to understand that the world appears different to different people

theory of mind

the ability to understand that other people have their own thoughts, feelings, beliefs, and secrets that are completely separate from yours

criticism of piaget’s stages

• underestimated children’s actual abilities

• thought that children moved through stages strictly, when they actually can move back and forth fluidly

Lorenz’s research with geese

have a critical period to imprint, very specific timing to attach to mother

Harlow’s research with rhesus monkeys

attachment is based on physical affection, not just warmth (not just food)

strange situation

remove mother from room, see how baby reacts when she leaves and when she returns

secure attachment

majority, distressed when mom leaves, reassured when she comes back

insecure-avoidant

indifferent to mother’s departure and return

insecure-resistant

very upset when mom leaves and still upset when she returns

disorganized

babies don’t form any consistent pattern of response

temperament

biological foundation for personality development, including

• activity level

• negative emotionality- how easily and intensely a person experiences negative emotions

• behavioral inhibition- tendency to withdraw or feel distressed from unfamiliar

• effortful control- ability to regulate attention and plan behavior

Parenting styles

based on responsiveness and warmth

authoritative

• high warmth, high demand

• set pattern with awareness of children’s needs

authoritarian

• low warmth and high demand

• lots of rules, more harsh, no exceptions

permissive

• high warmth and low demand

• few rules and boundaries

neglectful

• low warmth and low demand

• little emotional involvement, detached