Looking Back on Growing Up Midterm Exam

Herbert Spencer

Thought natural laws should have been applied to the human mind. Coined the term survival of the fittest.

Scientific Inquiry

Helped us understand development and that it happens in a direction of forwards. Can compare this to the rings of a tree, building themselves around the center of a circle.

John Dewey

Focused on the nurture. Children have powers like seeds and depending on our environment we will become different things.

child development

identifies and describes changes in the child’s cognitive, emotional, motor and social capacities and behaviors. Uncovers the processes that underlie these changes to understand how/why they occur.

Four domains of child development

Neuroscience, social sciences, arts, and humanities

formative experiences

serving to form something, especially having a profound and lasting influence on a person’s development

contexts in development

parts of a discourse that surround a word or passage that can throw light on it’s meaning. Interrelated conditions in which something exists or occurs.

Nature vs Nurture

Are developmental changes the result of innate characteristics or environmental influences. We have key periods of rapid development and there are delays to this that are seen in those who have more difficult environments and surrounding circumstances.

Continuity vs Discontinuity

Is human development a gradual and continuous process in which individuals build on previously acquired knowledge and skills or is it discontinuous, involving a series of stages. Involves the pattern of developmental change.

Stability vs Change

As individuals develop, do their characteristics remain stable over time or do they change.

Early vs Later life experiences

Do early childhood experiences have the greatest impact on development or are later in life experiences just as important. We are the result of our upbringing but we do have some say as to how we end up moving through our lives.

Preconception Health in Pregnancy

Folic acid supplements and folic acid rich foods. Tested for STIs. Manage overall health issues. Make sure vaccinations are up to date.

Average incidence of infertility

15% globally ! can affect both mothers and fathers

Factors that affect fertility

STIs, age, nutrition, libido, smoking, and lifestyle factors

Assisted reproductive technology (ART)

Procedures that sometimes use donor eggs, donor sperm, or previously frozen embryos, could also involve a surrogate or gestational care (IVF is most common)

Miscarriage and Abortion

Occurs in around 30-40% of pregnancies. These typically occur before the woman is aware of the conception. Most common cause of spontaneous abortion during the first trimester is chromosomal abnormalities.

First Trimester: 1-3 months

This is the peak of morning sickness at 10 weeks. It takes 6 weeks for the ventricles and heartbeat to form. Bad habits and teratogens are most effective during this stage of pregnancy. Fetal DNA testing can occur at 11 weeks. Major organs are formed during this time, eyes and ears in position. At 12 weeks the baby is 3 inches long and < 1 oz.

Hormonal Changes in the first trimester

For the first 10 weeks the corpus luteum secrete HCG which supports pregnancy. As the placenta develops progesterone is secreted. Estrogen develops throughout the pregnancy. Both of these hormones decrease right before labor.

Second Trimester 4-6 months

Mom starts to feel more energetic. Movement can be felt around 8-20 weeks. Hearing develops 14-24 weeks. Essential organs begin to function, fingers are developed and the fetus can suck their thumb. Baby is 1.5 lbs and 12 inches long at 24 weeks.

Third trimester 7-9 months

Baby processes sights and sounds 24-36 weeks. The baby is ready to be born around 37-41 weeks. Brain and lungs continue to mature until birth. Baby gains half a pound per week.

Age of infant viability?

24 weeks

Prenatal care

Routine checkups: once a month until 28 weeks, twice a month 36 weeks, once a week until delivery. Bloodwork, nutrition etc.

Foods to avoid during pregnancy

Unpasteurized juice and dairy, processed deli meat, sushi, raw eggs, mercury, excessive caffeine (over 2 cups), alcohol

Teratogens

Toxic chemicals that lead to functional defects, malformations, and growth restriction if exposed to the infant. Examples are substances, medications, mercury, infections, nutritional deficiency etc

Fetal Alcohol Syndrome

Mother ingesting alcohol during pregnancy that can lead to hyperactivity, low IQ, developmental delay, and poor social cues. Physical deformities include flat nasal bridge, upturned nose, thin upper lip etc

Zika Virus

An environmental teratogen; infection from mosquitos during pregnancy. Parents may transmit to fetus within 6 months of infection. Can lead to the fetus having a smaller head and facial abnormalities.

Epigenetics

Functional changes to the genome not caused by changes in the actual DNA sequence

Developmental origins of health and disease

A theory that calls attention to the importance of the prenatal period in shaping risk for emergence of later disease

Inter partner violence (IPV)

Pregnancy is an increased risk but also a good opportunity to reach women at risk. This can cause poor health outcomes, delays in prenatal care, low birth weight, premature birth etc

Impacts on development in the womb

Maternal stress, malnutrition, rest, and physical health

Average first pregnancy stats

Labor is around 14-20 hours and pushing goes for 50 minutes

Premature births

Over half a million premature births exist each year in the US. Different outcomes occur statisically based on the number of weeks premature. The youngest baby ever born was 21 weeks 5 days (128 days)

Evidence based interventions in the NICU

Skin to skin contact, quiet and dark climate controlled environment, music therapy, sucrose, early intervention testing, and breastmilk

mother and baby feedback loop

The mother and child create a loop that helps production/expression of milk. The first milk is colustrum which is thicker/yellow and is high in nutrients.

Benefits of breastfeeding

Short term digestion, immune benefits against common infections, long term nutritional benefits, helps mother recover from birth

Post partum depression

80% of new parents experience the baby blues. 10-25% of mothers actually experience PPD. This contains mood liability, irritability etc

Post partum psychosis

More extreme and found in .1-.2% of mothers. Occurs within 2 weeks and is sever dysfunction and hallucinations.

Baby states of awareness 0-3 months

Awake and alert, Sleep, and Distress (babies spend majority of time in sleep)

Examples of baby reflexes present at birth

Rooting, stepping, grasping, swimming, moro, babinski, startle, eye blink, sucking, and gag

Infant temperament categories and percentages

Easy (40%), Difficult (10%), Slow to warm (15%), and Mixed (35%)

infant brain

triples in weight during the first 2 years of life. Social, emotional, cognitive, and motor systems make huge advances in the first year of life.

Visual system of an infant

They prefer faces and specifically their mother’s face. Visual acuity at close range. Depth perception is not great .

Infants smell and taste

Babies have an innate sweet tooth. At 2 weeks old they can distinguish their mother by smell. Taste preferences can start in the womb with the mothers diet.

Infant language

More susceptible to motherese/infant directed speech. First expressive words are generally around 10-14 months.

Basic learning processes for infants

classical conditioning, operant conditioning, habituation, and imitation and social learning

Basic emotions

infants are born to display these through imitation, smiling, social referencing, and development of the self

infantile amnesia

lack of adult memory for experiences younger than 3 years old

John Bowlby

creator of attachment theory. Physical needs motivating attachment was the predominate early 20th century belief.

Attachment

An inborn system in the brain that evolves in ways that influence and organize motivational, emotional, and memory processes with respect to significant caregivers. Emotional bond that promotes the protection and survival of children during the years that they are most vulnerable.

Key ingredients for successful attachment

warmth and responsiveness. Affection, touch, nurturing gestures. Responsiveness is sensitive back and forth with the child.

Secure base

Caregivers who are available and responsive to their infant’s needs establish a sense of security . Infant knows the caregiver is dependable.

Attachment system

Motivates an infant to seek proximity to primary caregivers. Plays a role in amplifying a child’s positive emotional states and modulating negative states.

Earliest attachment formed

7 months. Nearly all infants become attached, these bonds are only formed to a few people.

processes impacted by attachment

cognitive development, emotion regulation, social relatedness, access to autobiographical memory, and development of self reflection and narrative

Secure attachment

shows signs of missing parent during separations, on reunion they seek physical contact

Insecure avoidant

fails to cry on separation from the parent, actively avoids them

insecure ambivalent

may be wary or distressed even prior to separation with little exploration

Disorganized attachment

disorganized and or peculiar behaviors in the parents presence, abuse

Attachment percentages

secure = 60-65%, insecure avoidant = 20%, insecure ambivalent = 10-15%, Disorganized = 14-24%

child effect critique

potentially overstates the parent’s influence and understates the child’s parent child relationships are reciprocal, temperament is relevant

Adult attachment interview

Parent’s pattern of narrating the story of their own early family life correlated with their children’s Strange Situation classification. A narrative assessment of an adult’s state of mind with respect to attachment.

Grice’s 4 maxims of discourse

Quality, Quantity, Relation, and Manner

Coding of the AAI results in only 3 attachment classifications

secure (58%) insecure diminishing (23%) and insecure preoccupied (19%)

Controversy with AAI

Heavy reliance on western language norms. European samples closely track the norms

Bowlby on attachment over time

He believed that attachment was very stable and hard to change

Attachment and Biobehavioral Catchup (ABC)

Intervention to improve outcomes for at risk infants/children. Three components of nurturance, following child’s lead, and avoiding frightening behavior

Outcomes of ABC

More secure attachment, better stress regulation, and better executive function/emotional control

Love across the lifespan: Infancy/toddlerhood

Caregiver and attachment

Love across the lifespan: childhood

kids start to explore and form relationships with others

Love across the lifespan: adolescence

friends become main priority

Love across the lifespan: adulthood

creating your own family

Love across the lifespan: late adulthood

significance of social relationships is downplayed

Maslow

physiological needs → safety needs → love and belonging → esteem → self actualization

self love and self esteem: Erik erikson

Autonomy vs shame and doubt (toddlerhood), initiative vs guilt (preschool), and Industry vs inferiority (school age)

secure attachments correlate with

relationships that have high self esteem.

Carl Rogers

Self love is knowing and validating one’s own thoughts feelings, and values (ultimate healing force). Unconditional positive regard : help one repair their self esteem by being their mirror.

Do we need to love ourselves before we can love others?

Erikson would say yes

human development

the way people grow and change across the lifespan

embryology

study of animal development between the fertilization of the egg and the time when the animal is born

neurobiology

study of cells of the nervous system and the organization of these cells into functional circuits that process information and mediate behavior.

Triad of interpersonal biology

Mind, Brain, Relationships

What is the human mind?

Human soul, intellect, a functional entity, based upon the physical processes but with complex processes of its own

Brain architecture is comprised of?

Billions of connections between individual neurons across different areas of the brain. In the first few years of life, more than 1 million new neural connections form every second.

Neuroplasticity

The brain’s ability to change in response to experiences. Decreases with age as it requires a large amount of effort to make changes. Change in cognition and behavior to facilitate caregiving.

Neuroplasticity moderated by trauma?

maternal sensitivity is dampened in trauma survivors. Associated with poorer outcomes for infants, perpetuating cycles in infancy.

Broca and Wernickes Aphasia

broca = comprehension is good but speech is poor, wernicke = comprehension is poor but speech is more fluent

prefrontal cortex

regulates bodily functions, attunement, emotional balance, pausing before action, calming fear, insight, empathy, morality, and intuition

Gene

A portion of DNA located at a particular site (locus) on a chromosome that codes for the production of a certain kind of protein.

Allele

An alternate form of a gene, typically there are 2 one inherited from the mother and one from the father

Genotype

Particular set of genes a person inherits from his/her parent

Phenotype

Visible expression of the person’s particular physical and behavioral characteristics. Created by an interaction of a person’s genetic makeup with the environment

Types of inheritance

dominant/recessive, co dominance, sex linked inheritance, imprinting, and polygenic

Single gene inheritance

A particular genotype at one location is both necessary and sufficient for the character to be expressed. Usually reflect disorders that are closely related to primary gene action. Sickle cell anemia and PKU.

Autosomal dominant genetic abnormalities

Tuberous sclerosis and huntingtons

Autosomal recessive disorders

Cystic fibrosis, PKU, sickle cell

Huntingtons Disease

If you have one parent that has Huntingtons, there is a 50% chance of having that gene in the offspring and they will develop the disorder. Duplicate DNA. Symptoms can occur around the age of 30

Sickle Cell Anemia and Malaria

Blood cells are sickle shapes meaning that they are unable to compress leading to them getting stuck in smaller arteries and veins. Why sickle cell is still prevalent is because it is evolutionary advantageous to have sickle cell because it reduces the possibility of contracting malaria.

Parental Age and chromosomal disorder

Chromosomal disorders are not passed from parent to child. Relationship between maternal age and chromosomal disorders: as one ages they are more likely to have chromosomal abnormalities.

Sex linked disorder

X linked inheritance in hemophilia for example. Female offspring can carry one affected allele but not have it because the extra X, male child would be affected.

Co-dominance inheritance

Blood type example