PSYCH 243 Midterm 2

Fill in the blanks for the three themes of prenatal development:

-Development involves _____ (refinement, specialization, complexity)

-Development involves repeated _____ and _____ change

-New structures and ____ emerge in an ____ fashion from those that existed before

Differentiation, reorganization, qualitative, capacities, orderly

Name the three stages of prenatal development in order

Zygote/germinal, embryo, fetus

This period continues from fertilization of ovum to implantation into the uterine wall

Conception

Germinal stage: Cell ____ and ____ occurs 24-36 hours following fertilization

division, differentiation

Germinal stage: 4 days after conception, _____ (hollow ball of cells) is formed; cells on the ____ of blastocyst (____ disc) will become new organism; cells on the outer ring (____) will become structures that provide protective covering and nourishment (___, ___)

Blastocyst, inside, embryonic, trophoblast, amnion, chorion

Germinal stage: What occurs during day 5-6 following fertilization?

Implantation in uterine wall

___% “spontaneous” abortions (miscarriages) occur during the germinal stage

30

T or F: Rapid cell division and differentiation occur during the embryonic stage

T

Embryonic stage: what word describes the embryonic disc forming 3 layers of cells

Organogenesis

Embryonic stage: Name the three layers of cells formed by the embryonic disc in organogenesis in order

Endoderm, mesoderm, ectoderm

Embryonic stage: what layer of cells formed by the embryonic disc develops into the digestive system, lungs, urinary tract, and glands? Does this layer develop first, second, or last?

Endoderm, first

Embryonic stage: what layer of cells formed by the embryonic disc develops into the muscles, skeleton, and circulatory system? Does this layer develop first, second, or last?

Mesoderm, second

Embryonic stage: what layer of cells formed by the embryonic disc develops into the skin, nervous systems, and eventually neural tube→ production of neurons, neuronal migration? Does this layer develop first, second, or last?

Ectoderm, last

During which stage of prenatal development do eyes, ears, nose, jaw, and neck begin to form?

Embryonic

Embryonic stage: tiny ___ emerge for arms, legs, fingers, and toes

Buds

During which stage of prenatal development does the heart begin to pump blood? Which week?

Embryonic, week 3

How do cells know what they’re supposed to become?

Chemical signalling

How long does the germinal stage of prenatal development last?

2 weeks

How long does the embryonic stage of prenatal development last?

6 weeks

How long does the fetal stage of prenatal development last?

30 weeks

The fetal stage of prenatal development is known as the “___ and ____” phase because body parts grow in size and are refined

Growing, Finishing

Fetal stage: in month 3, _____ between muscles, organs, and nervous system; brain ___ leads to ____ _____.

Connection, firing, diverse movements

When does the formation of genitals occur in prenatal development? Be specific about which stage and month

Fetal stage, end of 3rd month

Fill in the blanks for the three main events in prenatal neural development:

-Neuronal production or ____ (3 months); over-___, ____

-Neuronal ____

-Neuronal ____ or ____

proliferation, -production, pruning, migration, specialization, differentiation

At what month of prenatal neural development does the growth and reorganization of the brain begin?

5

At what month of prenatal neural development does myelination begin?

6

Environmental agent that causes damage during the prenatal period

Teratogen

What three factors determine the impact of teratogens on a developing fetus?

dose/amount, genetic susceptibility, time of exposure

Time that is optimal for certain body parts or capacities to emerge and during which the individual is particularly responsive to environmental influences

Sensitive Period

Teratogens may have the most detrimental effects during the ____ stage

Embryonic

Some teratogens cause the immediate effect of low birth weight, what delayed effects can result from this later in life?

heart disease, stroke, diabetes

Some teratogens cause the immediate effect of high birth weight, what delayed effects can result from this later in life?

Breast Cancer

The ____ the dose of a teratogen, the greater the effect

Greater

T or F: The probability of a structural defect caused by teratogen exposure is greatest early in the embryonic period, when organs are being formed.

T

What teratogen can lead to the following effects: neurochemical and structural changes to brain development that often go undetected until middle school. Communication, concentration, and motor and sensory problems. Depression, anxiety, and mental health conditions as child ages.

Alcohol

What teratogen can lead to the following effects: If exposure 4-6 weeks after conception → gross deformities of embryo’s developing arms, legs, and sometimes damage to ears, heart, kidneys, and genitals.

Thalidomide

What teratogen can lead to the following effects: alterations in prenatal brain structure, biochemistry, and functional connectivity. Emotional symptoms, peer relationship problems, and overall difficulties in child at age 4 that can persist later in life.

Stress

What teratogen can lead to the following effects: Down Syndrome, low birth weight, preterm delivery, and fetal death

Maternal age 35+ years

Why are the specific effects of cocaine exposure on prenatal development difficult to isolate?

Other factors in the lives of pregnant cocaine users (poverty, malnutrition, other substance abuse) often cannot be ruled out as possible contributors to the problem found in their children.

What teratogen can lead to the following effects: reduced birth weight, length, and head circumference. Lower arousal, less effective self-regulation, higher excitability, and lower quality of reflexes at 1 month old, Impaired motor development at 2 months old, slower growth rate until 10 years old, impaired language development and information processing including attention deficits (esp. impulsivity), ADHD, increased behavioral problems (esp. externalizing problems; high rates of aggression, ODD, and delinquency), and increased likelihood of being in a special education program involving support services.

Cocaine

Fill in the blanks about the first of the three childbirth stages: Regular, strong ____, ____ (opening) and ____ (thinning) of cervix. Climax: frequency and strength of contractions ___, ___ fully open. Takes __-14 hours.

contractions, dilation, effacement, peak, cervix, 12

Fill in the blanks about the second of the three childbirth stages: ___ and ___ (___ of baby pushes through ___ into vagina). Delivery of baby; ____ contractions (__ min(s)). Lasts __ minutes with first birth.

Pushing, crowning, head, cervix, frequent, 1, 50

T or F: The duration of the second stage of childbirth increases with subsequent births.

False, decreases

Fill in the blanks about the third of the three childbirth stages: Birth of ____ (afterbirth). Takes 5-__ minutes

placenta, 10

Assessment of newborn’s physical condition/state immediately following birth. Determines whether infants are transported to NICU.

Apgar Scale

In order, list the 5 items on the Apgar scale

-Appearance (skin color)

-Pulse (heart rate)

-Grimace (reflex irritability)

-Activity (muscle tone)

-Respiration (Respiratory effort)

Infants below expected weight for gestational age (lower than 90% of babies of same age)

Small-for-date Infants

Which infants are more likely to have serious problems (e.g. catch infections, brain damage, low IQ); Pre-term infants or Small-for-date infants?

Small-for-date Infants

__% of low-birth-weight children show no negative effects

50

Environment experienced during prenatal life programs the functional capacity of the individual’s organs (→ health)

Fetal Origins Hypothesis

Body tries to cope with prenatal environment, expects a certain environment (blood pressure, insulin response to glucose, cholesterol metabolism)

Predictive Adaptive Response

Average birth weight: ____ grams

3,500

Low birth weight: < ___ grams

2,300

Very low birth weight: < ____ grams

1,400

Extremely low birth weight: <___ grams

900

Full term pregnancy: __ weeks

38

Preterm: born <___ weeks after conception

35

Very preterm: born <__ weeks after conception

33

Extremely preterm: born <___ weeks after conception

28

T or F: Most preterm babies are also low birth weight babies

T

Low birth weight rates are strong _____ of numerous ____ health problems

Indicators, public

In countries where poverty is rampant and the health and nutrition of pregnant women is poor, the percentage of low birth weight babies reaches ___%. In more western countries such as Canada or Sweden, the prevalence of low birth weight is less than ___%.

27, 5

What infants have a higher risk of SIDS, diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, asthma, hearing problems, and blindness?

Low birth weight infants

What do the following describe?

-Infant stimulation: massage, kangaroo care

-Training parents in infant caregiving skills

Interventions for/nurturing preterm infants

The formation of a connection, especially a physical bond, between parents and the newborn in the period shortly after birth/instantaneous strong feelings of affection for newborn

Bonding

T or F: Newborns must have close contact/bond with the mother in the first few days of life to develop optimally

False

Over the first 2 years of life, height increases by ___%

75

Over the first 2 years of life, _____ quadruples

weight

T or F: body fat increases during the first year of life and then decreases

T

Top-down growth pattern

Cephalocaudal trend

Center-outward growth (arms and legs grow ahead of hands and feet")

Proximodistal trend

At birth, head takes up ___% of body length, legs take up ___%. By age two, the head takes up ___%, and the legs ___%

25, 33. 20, 50

At birth, the brain weighs ___-___ grams (1/4 of adult weight)

300, 400

What is one observable indicator of brain growth in babies?

Head circumference

Head circumference at birth: ___cm

Head circumference at 1 year: ___cm

34, 46

T or F: Erratic increase in head circumference (rapid brain growth) during the first year of life may predict later autism diagnosis

T

T or F: Growth in brain weight starts to plateau after 1 year of life

F, 2 years

Fill in the blanks for the ways the cortex continues to develop after birth:

-Neurons increase in ___ and become more ____ in structure

-_______ (until adolescence)

-_______ (proliferation, pruning), influenced by _____

-Increase in _____ between brain regions

-______: specialization of _____

-______: capacity for different areas of the brain to take on new functions

size, complex. Myelination. Synaptogenesis, experience. connections. Lateralization, hemispheres. Plasticity

the biological process in which a fatty layer called a myelin sheath forms around the axons of neurons, acting as electrical insulation to speed up signal transmission

Myelination

the natural brain process that eliminates weak, redundant, or inactive synapses (connections between neurons) so that frequently used neural pathways can grow stronger and more efficient

Synaptic pruning

the tendency for certain cognitive, behavioral, and neural functions to be more dominant or specialized in one hemisphere of the brain (the left or the right) rather than equally shared

Lateralization

Order the following brain areas in order of when they first develop (via synaptogenesis/myelination), first being functional at birth: cerebral cortex, brainstem, prefrontal cortex

brainstem, cerebral cortex, prefrontal cortex

What was compared to molding a living sculpture in lecture?

Brain development

Production and migration of neurons in the auditory and visual areas of the cerebral cortex peaks from ~___-___ months old

2-5

Production and migration of neurons in the language areas of the cerebral cortex (e.g. Wernicke’s and Broca’s) peaks from ~___-___ months old

8-10

Production and migration of neurons in the frontal lobes of the cerebral cortex peaks at ~___-___ years old

1-4

When does myelination begin and when does it peak?

~2 months before birth, from birth to a few months old

T or F: Different regions of the brain myelinate at the same time and rate

F

What are the neural pathways that myelinate first and rapidly responsible for?

basic survival and sensory functions

What are the neural pathways that myelinate more slowly responsible for?

complex thinking, attention, and decision making

Why can the adult brain process complex executive functions faster and more efficiently than the adolescent brain?

Myelination is a massive long-term process that refines insulation well into young adulthood.

Theory of the relation between brain development and psychological (cognitive) development: brain development constrains cognitive activity (skill level), which in turn influences brain development

Neuroconstructivism

Neuroconstructivism emphasizes ____ influence between ____ processes and _____ experiences.

bidirectional, biological, environmental

Malnutrition can lead to:

-fewer ____

-Affect ____ and ____ of neurons

-Affect ___ and ___ of myelination

-Affect the ____ of _____ formation

Neurons. structure, size. extent, speed. complexity, synapse.

What are the three circumstances in which mothers should not breastfeed?

-If she is infected with AIDS/any infectious disease that can be transmitted through breastmilk

-Has active tuberculosis

-Is taking any drug that may not be safe for the infant

Has research supported or contradicted the following potential benefits to breastfeeding?

-appropriate weight gain

-reduced risk of childhood obesity

-reduced risk of SIDS

-fewer gastrointestinal infections

-fewer respiratory tract infections

Supported

Has research supported or contradicted the following potential benefits to breastfeeding?

-protects against allergic sensitization in early childhood

-protects against allergy-related disease at 7 years old

-benefits to cognitive development

-benefits to cardiovascular functioning

-facilitates the development of an attachment bond between mother and infant

Contradicted

Capacity of a system for molding in response to environmental influence or injury

Plasticity

_____ brain exhibits a much greater degree of plasticity than the ____ brain.

developing, mature

Built-in, adaptive reactions to stimuli

Reflexes