prenatal and infancy

Prenatal and Infancy Development

1. Introduction to Developmental Psychology

  • Definition: Study of growth, change, and stability throughout life.

  • Focus: Considers cultural, racial, and ethnic influences on development.

2. Key Principles

  • Continuous Development: Involves both growth and decline across the lifespan.

  • Life Stages Contribution: Every stage of life adds to overall development.

  • Interaction of Heredity and Environment: Both genetic predispositions and environmental influences shape individual development.

3. Scope of Developmental Psychology

  • Physical Development: Concerns body’s makeup, including brain and sensory development.

  • Cognitive Development: Growth in intellectual abilities and behaviors over time.

  • Social Development: Evolution of social interactions from infancy to adulthood.

4. Developmental Periods

  • Prenatal: Conception to birth.

  • Infancy: Birth to age 3.

  • Preschool: Ages 3 to 6.

  • Middle Childhood: Ages 6 to 12.

  • Adolescence: Ages 12 to 20.

  • Young Adulthood: Ages 20 to 40.

  • Middle Adulthood: Ages 40 to 65.

  • Late Adulthood: Age 65 to death.

  • Emerging Adulthood: Late teens to mid-twenties; emphasizes self-focused exploration.

5. Cohorts

  • Definition: Groups born around the same time influenced by historical events.

  • Cohort Effects vs. Age-Graded Influences: Distinction between influences of being in a certain cohort versus age-specific experiences.

6. Influences on Development

  • Sociocultural Graded Influences: Factors like ethnicity and social class impacting development.

  • Non-normative Life Events: Atypical life events that can significantly affect an individual’s development.

7. Developmental Processes

  • Continuous Development: Skills build gradually over time.

  • Discontinuous Development: Development occurs in distinct stages.

8. Critical and Sensitive Periods

  • Critical Period: A timeframe where major developmental events must occur.

  • Sensitive Period: An optimal timeframe for exposure to certain stimuli, where the absence may not always lead to irreversible damage.

9. Contextual Perspective

  • Focuses on how individuals interact with their physical, cognitive, and social environments.