Module 8: Development

Germinal Stage of
Prenatal Development:

occurs during the first two weeks following conception. Begins with the fertilization of the egg with sperm and ends when the placenta begins to function.

Embryonic Stage of
Prenatal Development:

occurs between two weeks and approximately two months following conception. Stem cells begin to differentiate and organs begin to form.

Fetal Stage of
Prenatal Development:

occurs between two months following conception and ends at birth. Fetus is capable of movement and organs begin to function. rapid braid development

Attachment

The emotional bond an infant has with their primary caretaker. infants are capable of forming an attachment with more than one person but primary caretaker remains the most important in terms of the infant’s development.

Stranger Anxiety

tendency for infants to express anxiety when confronted with novel people, especially if they are male adults. doesnt present in newborns

two masses of undifferentiated stem cells

inner cell mass → embryoblast because it will eventually develop into the embryo

The outer mass → trophoblast, forms the placenta

• together the embryoblast and the trophoblast are called the Blastocyst.

function of the placenta

acts as a conduit between mother and embryo for transferring materials through the blood supply.

• a membrane separates the independent blood supplies of the mother and the embryo, but allows nutrients and harmful waste products to pass back and forth between the mother’s blood and the embryo’s blood in the placenta.

importance factors of the prenatal environment

Maternal Nutrition → deficiency can lead to neurological defects in the fetus that could later lead to Schizophrenia. overeating can also cause delivery complications

Maternal Drug Use → fetal Alcohol Syndrome (small head, heart defects → Hyperactivity, retarded mental and motor development in childhood). mothers in many cultures continue to drink some alcohol while pregnant and that there is no evidence that these cultures have more cases of FAS when compared to North America.

Maternal illness → HIV (only a concern during birth bcz of blood and breastfeeding) and genital herpes (calls for a c section)

how does fetal alchohol syndrome affect the individual into adulthood

greater risk of depression, suicide, and criminal behaviour

how does smoking affcet a fetus

tobacco use reduces the flow of oxygen and nutrients to the fetus → miscarriage, prematurity, and stillbirth. also increases risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS)

what are teroragens and how do they affect fetuses

class of chemical agents that are carcinogenic (cancer causing) and mutagenic (mutation causing), harmless to large bodied fully developed individuals. can lead to miscarrage (body detects defect and aborts). morning sickness is a protective adaptation → more meat = more morning sickness → less morning sickness = unhealthy baby

Imprinting

juvenile looks for and follows the first large moving object it encounters. has a critical period, occurring only during early development and it is stimulus independent → if a goosling sees a human before a mom goose, it follows the human

important difference between Attachment and Imprinting

Attachment occurs gradually over time, imprinting is immediate

3 main attachment styles

secure, insecure avoidant, and insecure ambivalent

3 main attachment styles: secure

most common. play with mom in foreign room happily, upset when mom leaves and stranger comes, happy again when mom returns and stranger leaves

• arises from sensitive attentive mothers

3 main attachment styles: insecure ambivalent/anxious

play with mom in foreign room anxiously, upset when mom leaves and stranger comes, sulky and upset when mom returns and stranger leaves

• arises from unresposive mothers or obsessive mothers

3 main attachment styles: insecure avoidant

indifferent to mom there, mom leave and stranger appearing, and mom coming back and stranger leaving

• arises from unresposive mothers or obsessive mothers

important note about insecure attachment

infants in these cases still have an emotional bond with their caretaker (attachment is not absent). It’s just that their emotional bonds are different than that observed in Secure Attachment.

additional attament style

Disorganized Attachment → when the infant expresses a fear response to the caretaker herself. likely to develop in response to an abusive caretaker, but it can develop for a variety of other reasons

what are the 3 main determining factors of attachment style

caretaker factor, infant factor, and socio-cultural factor

what are the 3 main determining factors of attachment style: caretaker

mom is sensitive and attentive to her infant → Factors that negatively impact sensitivity, therefore, tend to reduce the likelihood of secure attachmen (unhappy marriage)

what are the 3 main determining factors of attachment style: infant

Although mothers love their infants, those with temperamentally difficult babies will struggle to remain attentive and seek time away from their infants → non-secure forms of attachment.

what are the 3 main determining factors of attachment style: Socio-cultural Factors

Different child-rearing practices can also contribute to different attachment styles.

4 attahcments of adults

secure, preoccupied, dismissing and fearful