Introduction to psychology
Chapter 9: Human Development
Developmental Psychology: the study of changes, over the life span, in physiology,
cognition, emotion, and social behavior.
9.1 What Factors Shape Infancy?
LEARNING OBJECTIVES:
Describe how the prenatal environment can affect development.
Explain how dynamic systems theory illuminates the ways biology and environment
work together to shape development.
Summarize key research findings on infant learning and infant memory.
Describe the different types of attachment infants have to their caregivers.
Human physical development follows a predictable progression for the most part.
Prenatal Period: begins with conception and ends with birth.
Infancy: beings at birth and lasts 18-24 months.
Childhood: begins at the end of infancy and lasts until somewhere between ages 11
and 14.
Adolescence: begins at the end of childhood and lasts somewhere between ages 18
to 21.
Adulthood: begins at the end of adolescence and lasts until death.
Development Starts in the Womb
Brain Development
Early brain growth has two important aspects:
- Specific areas within the brain mature and become functional.
- Regions of the brain learn to communicate with one another through synaptic
connections.
By the age of 4, the human brain has grown to about 80 percent of the adult size.
Synaptic Pruning: a process whereby the synaptic connections in the brain that are
used are preserved, and those that are not used are lost.
, Nutrition also affects brain development.
Exposure to Teratogens During Prenatal Development
Teratogens: agents that harm the embryo or fetus.
Comes from the Greek for “monster makers”.
Can impair development in the womb, includes drugs, alcohol, bacteria,
viruses, and chemicals.
Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS): result of drinking alcohol during pregnancy. Symptoms
include:
Low birth weight, face and head abnormalities, fetal alcohol spectrum
disorders (intellectual disability), and behavioral and cognitive problems.
Use of recreational drugs during pregnancy can also affect a child’s development
(premature birth and other complications).
Biology and Environment Influence Motor Development
Newborns have various motor reflexes that aid survival:
Grasping Reflex
Rooting Reflex
Sucking Reflex
These reflexes pave the way for learning more complicated behavior patterns, such as
walking or feeding oneself.
Different steps of development: smile, roll over, sit up, crawl, stand, walk.
- Different child development due to culture.
Dynamic Systems Theory: the view that development is a self-organizing process, in
which new forms of behavior emerge through consistent interactions between a
biological being and cultural and environmental contexts.
Infants Are Prepared to Learn
The ability to imitate is innate, imitations is the baby’s first social interaction.
Perception
Chapter 9: Human Development
Developmental Psychology: the study of changes, over the life span, in physiology,
cognition, emotion, and social behavior.
9.1 What Factors Shape Infancy?
LEARNING OBJECTIVES:
Describe how the prenatal environment can affect development.
Explain how dynamic systems theory illuminates the ways biology and environment
work together to shape development.
Summarize key research findings on infant learning and infant memory.
Describe the different types of attachment infants have to their caregivers.
Human physical development follows a predictable progression for the most part.
Prenatal Period: begins with conception and ends with birth.
Infancy: beings at birth and lasts 18-24 months.
Childhood: begins at the end of infancy and lasts until somewhere between ages 11
and 14.
Adolescence: begins at the end of childhood and lasts somewhere between ages 18
to 21.
Adulthood: begins at the end of adolescence and lasts until death.
Development Starts in the Womb
Brain Development
Early brain growth has two important aspects:
- Specific areas within the brain mature and become functional.
- Regions of the brain learn to communicate with one another through synaptic
connections.
By the age of 4, the human brain has grown to about 80 percent of the adult size.
Synaptic Pruning: a process whereby the synaptic connections in the brain that are
used are preserved, and those that are not used are lost.
, Nutrition also affects brain development.
Exposure to Teratogens During Prenatal Development
Teratogens: agents that harm the embryo or fetus.
Comes from the Greek for “monster makers”.
Can impair development in the womb, includes drugs, alcohol, bacteria,
viruses, and chemicals.
Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS): result of drinking alcohol during pregnancy. Symptoms
include:
Low birth weight, face and head abnormalities, fetal alcohol spectrum
disorders (intellectual disability), and behavioral and cognitive problems.
Use of recreational drugs during pregnancy can also affect a child’s development
(premature birth and other complications).
Biology and Environment Influence Motor Development
Newborns have various motor reflexes that aid survival:
Grasping Reflex
Rooting Reflex
Sucking Reflex
These reflexes pave the way for learning more complicated behavior patterns, such as
walking or feeding oneself.
Different steps of development: smile, roll over, sit up, crawl, stand, walk.
- Different child development due to culture.
Dynamic Systems Theory: the view that development is a self-organizing process, in
which new forms of behavior emerge through consistent interactions between a
biological being and cultural and environmental contexts.
Infants Are Prepared to Learn
The ability to imitate is innate, imitations is the baby’s first social interaction.
Perception
