Human Development: Major Issues

• Nature/Nurture– Genes/Environment

• Continuity and Stages– Stage Theorists: Piaget, Kohlberg, Erikson

• Stability/Change– Born Outgoing, Always Outgoing?

Prenatal Development

• Question 1 on study guide

• 1 cell becomes 100 trillion!

Zygote (germinal)

Embryo

Fetus

Teratogens

• Congenital Infections-HIV, Rubella, Syphilis

• Chemicals, Drugs and Medications -Alcohol, Street Drugs, Cigarettes

• Physical Agents -X-Ray

• Maternal Factors -Maternal Diabetes

Early Development

36 hours after conception

46 Chromosomes

Zygote moves from fallopian tubes to uterus

Principles of Human Development Cephalocaudal = Head to Tail

Proximodistal = Center Out

4 Weeks

Menstrual Cycle Stops

Day 21 Hearbeat

Spinal Cord grows fast-tail like

Week 7

Facial Features

Embryo is reactive to environment Week 8

Own Blood typeMajor Organs

Hair follicles, Knees, Elbows.

Weeks 9-12

Heart rate can be heard

Face well formed, eyes close until 28th week

Fetus can make a fist

Testosterone is produced

13-16 Weeks

Brain fully developed

Fetus feels pain

Suck, swallow, irregular breathing sounds

Transparent skin

Bones become harder

Kicks and somersaults

20 Weeks

Quickening Recognize Mother’s voice

Lanugo Sex Organs visible on Ultra Sound

Finger and Toe Nails Appear

Vernix Covers Skin Practice Breathing

Fetus has startle reflex Eyes Open/Close

Prints are forming 90% survival rate

24-28 Weeks

Weeks 29 – 32 Body Fat

SLEEP!

95% Survival Rate

38-40 Weeks

Infancy: Physical Development• Reflexes: born with many reflexes to help them survive

Babinski Reflex

Video’s of Infant Reflexes

• Swimming Reflex

• Swimming Baby

• Infant Reflexes

• Moro Reflex

Infancy: Physical Development

• Growth rate declines throughout infancy but is faster than during any other postnatal period.

• Neural pathways strengthened and weakened.

• Brain plasticity best when young

• Motor development = Nature + Nurture

• Maturation

Infancy: Motor Development• LIFT HEAD • ROLL OVER• SIT PROPPED UP• SIT WITHOUT SUPPORT• BEGINS TO STAND WHILE HOLDING ON

TO THINGS FOR SUPPORT• BEGIN TO WALK WITH SUPPORT• MOMENTARILY STAND ON OWN W/O

SUPPORT• STAND ALONE WITH MORE CONFIDENCE• BEGIN WALKING W/O SUPPORT

Sensorimotor period: Birth -2

• Schemas / stranger anxiety• Assimilation/Accommodation

– Categorization/Classification

• Object Permanence• Rooting Reflex• Circular reaction reflexivity

non reflexive motions• The infant interacts with the

world thru sensory and motor activities.

Infancy: Cognitive Development

• Preferences for faces

• Visual Cliff experiments-– Depth perception

Preoperational Stage (ages 2-7)

• Egocentrism• Symbol Acquisition-

language• Pretend Play/Social

Learning Theory• The child represents

objects with words and mental images

Concrete Operational (ages 7-11)

• Reversibility- puppy lab, lab puppy

• Conservation- matter doesn’t increase/decrease because it changes form.

• The child shows more logical thinking.

• Mathematical transformations

• Child can think logically about concrete events.

Formal Operational (ages 11 & up)• Abstract thinking emerges• Hypothetical thinking emerges

– Concrete objects no longer need to be present• Readiness for adult intellectual tasks.• Metacognition• Can take others’ perspectives• Thinking through hypotheses• Not all adolescents/adults achieve formal

operational thinking.

Six Sensorimotor Substages

• Exercising reflexes – 0-1 month

• Developing schemes – 1-4 months

• Discovering procedures – 4-8 months

• Intentional behavior – 8-12 months

• Novelty and exploration – 12-18 months

• Mental representation – 18-24 months

Preoperational Thought• Appearances overwhelm preschoolers

– 2-3-year-olds do not easily discriminate what things look like from what things are

• Centration • Lacks reversibility • Learning becomes strategic• Language becomes instrumental • Misconceptions about Causality

– Artificialism (sun) natural phenomena created by peeps

– Animism (dolls) inanimate objects have human attributes

Concrete Operational Thought

• Reversibility: Hallmark move to Concrete Thinking

– Compensation, Reciprocity, Inversion, Negation

• Classification and class inclusion

• Number skills and knowledge

• Understanding of conservation

Children’s cognitive development from 4-10 years reveals:

• Better conceptual relations

• More controlled strategies

• Greater awareness of thinking

• Better causal reasoning

• Better understanding of other people

Thought in Childhood and Adolescence

Child Adolescent• Limited to what is Considers possibilities

• Limited to present Considers abstract concepts and ideas

• Haphazard testing Planned testing

• Own view Perspective of others

Formal Operational Thought

• Thinking about possibilities

• Thinking abstractly

• Thinking through hypotheses

• Thinking about thinking

• Considering the perspective of others

– Imaginary audience – Personal fable