4.1; 4.4-4.7
4.1- Humans Develop in Three Key Areas Starting in the Prenatal Period
Developmental Psychology- how humans change over the lifespan, from conception through infancy, childhood, adolescence, and
adulthood.
Nature and nurture both influence these changes in three developmental ways:
● Physical- growth of body, changes in the brain, sensory and motor skills, levels of hormones
● Socio-emotional- how we understand ourselves, interact with others, and experience and regulate emotions
● Cognitive- How our mental processes and ability to think and communicate change over time
Germinal Period:
● Conception - two weeks after
● Zygote divides rapidly and implants into the uterine wall
Embryonic Period:
● Three - eight weeks after conception
● Brain, spine, major organs, and bodily structures begin to form
Fetal Period:
● Nine weeks after conception - birth
● Brain continues developing, body structures are refined
● Fetus grows in length and weight
Physical Changes:
Brain Changes- as infants and children develop, the brain changes in two critical ways
● Neurogenesis
● Neural Pruning
-Over time with experience, the synaptic connections are refined to preserve the most important and helpful connections
● Proper brain development during infancy requires an enriching and stimulating environment with supportive caregivers
● Under stimulated brains will be less able to process complex information, solve problems, or develop advanced language
Inborn Reflexes- babies come into the world hardwired with basic motor reflexes that aid survival
● Rooting reflex
● Sucking reflex
● Grasping reflex
Motor Skills-
● Maturation- physical development of the brain and body that prepares an infant for voluntary movement, such as rolling over
sitting, and walking.
● The fact that not all babies crawl is an example of how nurture also affects maturation
,Sensory Development-
● An infant obtains information from the world by hearing, seeing, smelling, tasting, and perceiving
● Some of these sensory abilities are more fully developed at birth than others
-newborns prefer sweet tastes
-newborns can hear very well
-newborns have poor vision
4.4- Infants and Children Change Socially and Emotionally
Attachment- an enduring emotional connection that can motivate care, protection, and social support.
Infants have a fundamental need to emotionally bond with those that care for them- early attachment
Early Attachment Experiments- during the late 1950's, psychologists generally believed that the care an infant needed was based
primarily on getting food from the mother
● Harlow monkey attachment experiment changed his belief- they stayed with the comfort mother about 80% of the time; only
left to get food
● Infants need physical closeness with and comfort from caregivers to develop socio-emotionally
Separation Anxiety- when babies cannot see their attachment figures or are left with babysitters or strangers they don't know, they
often show signs of distress
● Secure Attachment- infants that are comfortable enough to play in an unfamiliar environment as long as the caregiver is prese
and who are readily comforted by the return of the caregiver
-related to better socioemotional functioning in childhood, better peer relations, and successful adjustment at school
● Avoidant Attachment- infants who do not look at the caregiver when they leave or return and who play happily with the
stranger in the caregiver's absence
-no trust to the caregivers, don’t find comfort in them
● Ambivalent Attachment- infants who seem to have mixed feelings about the caregiver- they cry when the caregiver leaves th
room, but they both seek out and reject the caregiver when they return
Avoidant and Ambivalent are the two insecure attachments.
4.5- Infants and Children Change Cognitively
Assimilation- the process we use to incorporate new information into existing schemas
Accommodation- the process we use to create new schemas or drastically alter existing schemas to incorporate new information that
would otherwise not fit it
Piaget's Four Stages to Cognitive Development:
Schemas:
4.1- Humans Develop in Three Key Areas Starting in the Prenatal Period
Developmental Psychology- how humans change over the lifespan, from conception through infancy, childhood, adolescence, and
adulthood.
Nature and nurture both influence these changes in three developmental ways:
● Physical- growth of body, changes in the brain, sensory and motor skills, levels of hormones
● Socio-emotional- how we understand ourselves, interact with others, and experience and regulate emotions
● Cognitive- How our mental processes and ability to think and communicate change over time
Germinal Period:
● Conception - two weeks after
● Zygote divides rapidly and implants into the uterine wall
Embryonic Period:
● Three - eight weeks after conception
● Brain, spine, major organs, and bodily structures begin to form
Fetal Period:
● Nine weeks after conception - birth
● Brain continues developing, body structures are refined
● Fetus grows in length and weight
Physical Changes:
Brain Changes- as infants and children develop, the brain changes in two critical ways
● Neurogenesis
● Neural Pruning
-Over time with experience, the synaptic connections are refined to preserve the most important and helpful connections
● Proper brain development during infancy requires an enriching and stimulating environment with supportive caregivers
● Under stimulated brains will be less able to process complex information, solve problems, or develop advanced language
Inborn Reflexes- babies come into the world hardwired with basic motor reflexes that aid survival
● Rooting reflex
● Sucking reflex
● Grasping reflex
Motor Skills-
● Maturation- physical development of the brain and body that prepares an infant for voluntary movement, such as rolling over
sitting, and walking.
● The fact that not all babies crawl is an example of how nurture also affects maturation
,Sensory Development-
● An infant obtains information from the world by hearing, seeing, smelling, tasting, and perceiving
● Some of these sensory abilities are more fully developed at birth than others
-newborns prefer sweet tastes
-newborns can hear very well
-newborns have poor vision
4.4- Infants and Children Change Socially and Emotionally
Attachment- an enduring emotional connection that can motivate care, protection, and social support.
Infants have a fundamental need to emotionally bond with those that care for them- early attachment
Early Attachment Experiments- during the late 1950's, psychologists generally believed that the care an infant needed was based
primarily on getting food from the mother
● Harlow monkey attachment experiment changed his belief- they stayed with the comfort mother about 80% of the time; only
left to get food
● Infants need physical closeness with and comfort from caregivers to develop socio-emotionally
Separation Anxiety- when babies cannot see their attachment figures or are left with babysitters or strangers they don't know, they
often show signs of distress
● Secure Attachment- infants that are comfortable enough to play in an unfamiliar environment as long as the caregiver is prese
and who are readily comforted by the return of the caregiver
-related to better socioemotional functioning in childhood, better peer relations, and successful adjustment at school
● Avoidant Attachment- infants who do not look at the caregiver when they leave or return and who play happily with the
stranger in the caregiver's absence
-no trust to the caregivers, don’t find comfort in them
● Ambivalent Attachment- infants who seem to have mixed feelings about the caregiver- they cry when the caregiver leaves th
room, but they both seek out and reject the caregiver when they return
Avoidant and Ambivalent are the two insecure attachments.
4.5- Infants and Children Change Cognitively
Assimilation- the process we use to incorporate new information into existing schemas
Accommodation- the process we use to create new schemas or drastically alter existing schemas to incorporate new information that
would otherwise not fit it
Piaget's Four Stages to Cognitive Development:
Schemas:
