Ch. 5 Human development

Psych

Does the brain or heart develop first in a fetus?

Brain

How many stages are there before birth?

3, germinal, embryonic, and fetal

Germinal stage

-the first prenatal stage of development

-begins at conception and lasts 2 weeks

-fertilized egg is a single celled zygote, by day 7 it is a multicell organism called a blastocyst

-blastocyst travels down the fallopian tube and attaches to the uterine wall

-30-50% of pregnancies end during this stage because it is risky

Embryonic stage

-If egg implantation is successful, second stage occurs

-weeks 2-8, growing bundle of cells is the embryo, formation of the major organs takes place

Fetal stage

-third and final stage

-begins with the formation of bone cells in week 8

-fetus rapidly increases in size

-can hear heart baby’s beat in this stage

Sex development

-egg always has a X chromosome, gender is determined by male

-are exceptions to this rule

What is the percent of the adult brain’s weight to of the weight of a baby brain?

-brain is 25% of its adult weight when a baby

-body is 5% weight

-at 2, brain is 75% weight

-at 4, brain is 90%weight

Neuronal migration

movement of neurons from one part of the fetal brain to their more permanent destination

o   occurs during months 3-5 of the fetal stage

o   certain toxins and viruses may interfere with normal neural migration

Sound

best developed in the womb, ears are connected to the brain at about 18 weeks

o   Babies are responsive to sound early in the womb

Vision

developed later since no perception of light in the womb, takes about a year to have adultlike vision

Prenatal programming

process by which events in the womb alter development

o   If a mother is stressed during pregnancy, more likely for baby to be fussy (fussy temperament)

Teratogens

substances that interfere with development and can cause birth defects

Morning sickness

caused to protect fetus by stopping mother from eating certain foods (ex. Coffee and aged cheese can cause birth defects) morning sickness is worse in months 1-3 because this is when the fetus is developing major organs

viruses

viruses and their medication, prescription drugs; radiation;
infection in the mother; nicotine use in pregnancy can cause birth defects and lead to diseases

temperament

the biologically based tendency to behave in particular ways from very early in life

personality

the unique and relatively enduring set of behaviors, feelings, thoughts and motives that characterize an individual

motor development

changes in physical movement and body control

o   Newborns don’t have the ability to act with intention

o   6 months= can sit up

o   First steps= around first birthday

o   2 months= crawl

Rooting

When the cheek is stoked, turning the head open mouth expecting milk

grasping

When you give a newborn your finger, they will grasp it

visual acuity

(sharpness), depth perception, and color perception are affected by many factors including nutrition, by the time a baby can crawl, they can perceive depth

Much of the immaturity of sensory abilities is a result of

immature brain development

what a mother eats during pregnancy can lead to

obesity in the baby in the future

Intersex

when a baby is born with a difference between external sex (phenotype) and internal sex (genotype). there are 5 different forms

5 different forms of intersex

46 XX intersex, 46 XY intersex, true gonadal intersex, complex intersex, congenital adrenal hyperplasia

true gonadal intersex

have both male and female parts (zygotes merge)

complex intersex

people are born with 1 sex chromosome or 3 (XXY, XXX, X, etc.)

Congenital adrenal hyperplasia

most common at birth, adrenal glands produce lots of testosterone when a women (female parts look like male)

pruning

the degradation of synapses that are not strengthened by experience

red color on brain scan

high activity in brain

blue color in brain scan

low activity in brain

baby neglected at birth

less/slower development (more blue in drain, low activity)

Jean Piaget

proposed a model of general cognitive development that spans from infancy to adulthood

model of general cognitive development, Sensorimotor stage

ages 0-2, when infants learn by using their senses and moving their bodies (touching things, stretching, etc.) can sense more than they can think

model of general cognitive development, object permanents

8-9 months, they have no sense of object permanence, no realization that objects still exist when
they are not being sensed.

model of general cognitive development, preoperational stage

ages 2-5, symbolic though emerges, can use words, cognitive limitations of this stage: animistic thinking

egocentrism

iniability to see things from another persons perspective

lack of conservation

kids at this age can’t determine whether the amount of water is the same when in 2 different containers

model of general cognitive development, concrete operational stage

ages 6-11, can be conserved, during which the child can person mental operations such as reversing on real objects at events (can sense that the amount of water is the same in 2 different containers)

model of general cognitive development, formal operational stage

age 11-12 through adult hood, formal logic is possible (scientific thinking, critical thinking, etc.)

Conservation

the ability to recognize when some properties such as shape of an object change, other properties remain the same (volume)

Lev Vygotsky

argued that other people can do and affect what we learn

zone of proximal development

the distance between what a child can learn alone and what a child can learn when assisted by an adult

Heinz experiment

giving moral development to people and then recording their thoughts behind the answer

Lawrence Kohlberg

gave children and adults a moral dilemma and recorded their reasoning

Preconventional level or moral reasoning

a focus on avoiding punishment or maximizing rewards (don’t steel it)

conventional level

the person values caring, trust, and relationships, as well as the social order and lawfulness

postconventional level

the person recognizes universal moral rules over unjust or immoral local rules

Imprinting

rapid and innate learning that happens soon after birth, involves following the first large creature the newborn sees (animals, babies attach not imprint)

Attachment

the strong emotional connection to one’s caregiver (babies)

John Bowlby

developed his attachment theory bases on 2 assumptions:

o   Caregiver gives a safe spot for children, secure base

o   Infants internalize the bonding relationship, on which they build future friendships and love relationships

Mary Ainsworth

developed the strange situation to assess the infant caregiver attachment by having the caregiver leave and then return (Parent plays with them, stranger is introduced, parent leaves, parent comes back) there are 4 types of attachment according to her

type of attachment, securely attached babies

about 65%, may or may not be distressed on separation, and initiate contact with caregiver when caregiver returns

type of attachment, insecure avoidant

15-20%, child is indifferent to the caregiver’s presence and avoids them upon return

type of attachment, insecure resistant

10-15%, child is anxious before separation and shows ambivalence or resistance to the caregiver upon their return

type of attachment, insecure disorganized/disoriented

child displays a mix of behaviors that indicate confusion or fear toward their caregivers

Harry Harlow

tested the idea that newborns’ primary drive was nourishment

o   Contact is essential when feeding

o   Those raised without mothers became inadequate mothers themselves

o   Babies are drawn to who feed them for comfort

Personality development

Alexander Thomas and Stella Chess developed an influential model of temperament

After birth, some babies soon

settle into a predictable routine, others don’t

The easy child

about 40% of babies, predictable in daily functions, mostly happy, and adaptable

The difficult child

about 10% of babies, unpredictable in daily functions, mostly unhappy, slow to adapt to new situations

First are negative but with repetition they develop an approaching style

about 15% of babies

Babies not classified in these dimensions

about 35%

Being regularly touched as a newborn

increases both physical and mental health later in life

emotional competence

ability to control emotions and know when to express certain emotions (takes years to develop)

adolescence

the transition period between childhood and adulthood

during this period, children can reason about abstract problems and concepts (how things are and how they could be, brain development takes place

Puberty

physical development, beginning of sexual maturation and start of adolescence

o   Triggered by hormones (testosterone, etc.)

o   Menarche= in girls, first period

o   Spermarche= in boys, first ejaculation (usually unexpected)

brain development in adolescence

frontal lobe growth, increases neural complexity, more neural synchrony, and neural pruning

changes in brain =

changes in behavior, social development

o   Begin to focus on identity

o   Group identifications= very important

sexual interest

influences how teens think of themsleves

being sexually active

can increase self-esteem but lead to increased risky behavior

gender identity

gender one feels oneself to be

sexual orientation

romantic, emotional, and sexual attraction to people (whether same sex or opposite or both)

cisgendered

when a person’s gender identity is the same as the one assigned at birth

personality change is

rapid

Erik Erikson

saw identity versus identity confusion as the major conflict in this period

4 stages of personality development

each with a crisis to resolve and a core strength to believe

stage of personality development, Kids: hope

1st, infancy, basic trust vs. mistrust

stage of personality development, Kids: will

2nd, early childhood, autonomy vs. shame and doubt

stage of personality development, Kids: purpose

3rd, play age, initiative vs. guilt

stage of personality development, Kids: competence

4th, school age, industry vs inferiority

stage of personality development, Adults: fidelity

5th, adolescence, identity vs. identity confusion

stage of personality development, Adults: Love

6th, young adulthood, intimacy vs. isolation

stage of personality development, Adults: care

7th, adulthood, generativity vs. stagnation

stage of personality development, Adults: wisdom

8th, old age, integrity vs. despair, disgust

emerging adult

transitional phase between adolescence and young adulthood

o   Ages 18-25

o   Many issues figure into identity formation during this period, such as, career identity, sexual identity and orientation, gender and intersex identity and ethnic identity

identity exploration in emerging adulthood

who am I?

instability in emerging adulthood

in jobs, relationships, care

self-focused in emerging adulthood

more than in childhood and adolescence, most people go through living alone

feeling in between in emerging adulthood

between both adolescence and adulthood

age of possibilities in emerging adulthood

anything is possible for the future

young adulthood

mis 20s, when people complete key development tasks of emerging adulthood

o   Differs across cultures

o   Characterized by increasing engagement with the outside world

o   Marriage and parenthood (median age of marriage= early-mid 20s)

parenting style

techniques that parents use to control and socialize their children, there are 4 types

2 dimensions, parenting styles

demanding-undemanding and responsive and unresponsive

Authoritative parenting style

demanding and responsive

authoritarian parenting style

demanding and unresponsive

permissive parenting style

undemanding and responsive

uninvolved parenting style

undemanding and unresponsive

middle adulthood

ages 40-60 or 65, 2 key changes involve sensory and physical development

o   Most people experience some loss of vison and hearing or both

o   Some also lose sensitivity to taste and smell

o   Brain remains quite plastic and generative

Erikson believed the

primary conflict is intimacy and isolation