developmental psychology
examines our physical, cognitive, and social development across the lifespan; with a focus on 3 major issues:
nature and nurture*
How does our genetic inheritance (our nature) interact with our experiences (our nurture) to influence our development?
continuity and stages*
What parts of development are gradual and continuous, like riding an escalator? What parts change abruptly in separate stages, like climbing rungs on a ladder?
stability and change*
Which of our traits persist through life? How do we change as we age
-Temperament is seen as very stable; this is why out of control 3 year old are likely to be teen smokers, criminals, gamblers
stages of prenatal development
conception, germinal/zygote, embryonic, and fetal
conception
Sperm (23 chromosomes) meets the egg (ovum) (23 chromosomes) and creates a zygote; that is process of conception
germinal period
14 days, weeks 1-2
embryonic phase
weeks 3-8
fetal phase
weeks 9-40
-development of organs, limbs, body structures(bones, muscles etc)
development of senses
-lots of brain development
-6th month, stomach develop, giving chance of survival for premature
teratogen
“monster maker”
damage influences by:
why are infants helpless
- hypothesized due to trade off of head size and birth canal - related to bipedalism; called the obstetrical dilemma
obstetrical dilemma
trade off of head size and size fo brith canal related to bipedalism
-eg, gorilla has much wider opening in bony structure; but they walk poorly on back legs
age and brain size
2 year old brain 55% of size
6 year old brain 90% of size
brain development
-do not create new brain cells; we create new neural pathways/connections between cells
blooming
period of rapid neural growth in brain
pruning
period where neural connections are reduced
happens continuously and helps to make more efficient connections
infant reflexes
rooting
-If you brush their face they will turn to side being brushed and open mouth; important for feeding
grasping
-if you touch palm they will close hand
startle reflex
-when arms and legs spring out, quickly followed by fist clenching and loud crying
senses at birth
not fully developed
preferential looking time
we infer babies spend more time looking at things they prefer
habituation
decrease in responding with repeated stimulation
informs us if the baby can perceive differences between novel and old stimuli
change detection paradigm
- like the monkey things when sounds change
fine motor skills
muscle in fingers, toes, eyes
-important for coordination of small actions like holding spoon or writing
gross motor skills
focus on large muscle groups and large actions, like kicking a ball, maintaining balance, running etc
fine and gross motor skills develop at different times
maturation
biological growth processes that enable orderly changes in behaviour, relatively uninfluenced by experience
maturation (nature) sets basic course of development; experience (nurture) adjusts it; genes and scenes interact