dev. psych units 3 + 4

perinatal

around the time of birth

stages of prenatal development

the three main phases of development that occur before birth: germinal, embryonic, and fetal stages.

gestational age

age since conception

germinal stage

stage from conception to 2 weeks g.a.

zygote → morula → blastula → blastocyst

through mitosis

this stage ends with the implantation into the uterine lining.

embryonic stage

occurs 3-8 weeks g.a.

organogenesis begins

sexual differentiation - 6 weeks

start of prenatal critical period - teratogen vulnerability

organogenesis

beginning of organ differentiation into the exoderm, mesoderm, and endoderm

exoderm

includes the skin, nervous center, eyes, and ears

mesoderm

muscles and bones

ectoderm

respiratory system, internal organs, gastrointestinal system.

fetal stage

onset marked by growth of bone tissue and rapid physical growth

organ functionality- lungs begin to breathe, heart begins to beat 

emerging fetal behavior, decreasing teratogen vulnerability

epigenetic fetal programming.

teratogen

any agent that can damage the unborn child

drugs, medications, disease

prenatal risk factors

mother’s nutritional state, mother’s age, mother’s emotional state, father’s age, father’s emotional state, mother’s teratogen exposure

birth complications include:

breech birth, forceps delivery, anoxia, infection, overmedication

APGAR test

quick test done at the time of birth to determine the health of the baby and how to treat it. looks at the heart rate, respiration, color, muscle tone, and reflex irritability

determinants of growth

principles of growth, hormonal factors, neurological factors

principles of growth

descriptive principles, don’t explain anything.

cephalocaudal principle, proximodistal principle, orthogenetic principle

cephalocaudal principle

developmental pattern that goes from head to tail. head develops before the rest of the body

proximodistal principle

development starts from the middle and goes outward. baby will learn to move their arm before they can grab objects precisely. 

orthogenetic principle

development progresses from being undifferentiated to increasingly complex

pituitary gland

produces growth hormone, stimulates growth, cell reproduction and regeneration

thyroid gland

thyroxine promotes skeletal development, bone growth, and brain maturation

gonads

produce androgens and sex hormones

adrenal glands

produces androgens that are the precursors to the sex hormones, estrogen and testosterone; effects sexual maturation

pruning

programmed cell death, usually leads to more specialized cells with more white matter (myelin) making them transmit faster. →more axon and dendrite branches and more synapses and glial cells → faster and better brain function.

survival reflexes

breathing, rooting, sucking, swallowing

primitive reflexes

grasping, Babinski, stepping

gross motor skills

actions that involve large muscle groups (ex. waving arm)

fine motor skills

actions that involve smaller muscles if hands and fingers (ex. holding object)

sensory-motor coordination skills

ex. hand-eye

extrinsic reward

doing something for external reward

intrinsic reward

doing something for one’s own pleasure.

dynamic systems theory

motor development is a complex ongoing interplay between physical and psychological features of the child, resulting in progressive, self-modification of adaptive behaviors in the child.

adolescent brain maturation

• driven by hormones

• synaptic reorganization of prefrontal cortex

• neuronal pruning

• changes in limbic reward system

psychological changes related: 

• emotional reactivity

• impulsivity

• risk-taking

amygdala

center for basic primary emotions and emotional regulation. in charge of the dopamine network- provides the want to do something again.

psychological correlations of puberty

self consciousness, body image issues, moodiness, emotional intensification, impulsiveness and aggression

puberty

sexual maturation that occurs during adolescence 

health and wellness issues in puberty

weight issues → high BP, diabetes, high cholesterol