Human Development

Human Development

• Nature vs Nurture– Nature is from genetics– Nurture is from your environment

• Frued believed that early learning and experience is most important time in life, first 6-8 years

• Frued used a lot of ink blots to determine whether people were in tune with society or not in tune.

• Frued also used word association– First word that came into your head after he said a

word. – Most people do not use it anymore

Conception and Birth

• 5 weeks of gestation is determining what sex the baby is going to be

• 16-18 weeks is when we can tell on ultrasound what you are having

• Premature - born early, if born at 6 months then development is that of a 6 month old

• Preterm - born usually on time but development is behind where it should be

• Preterm baby is more serious than a premature baby.

• Dads role in pregnancy is to be in delivery room. Very important!

• Bonding period begins here.• Support to the mother as well, mother

generally requires less medication if dad is present. She is more relaxed, and bonding of mom and dad is stronger also.

Newborn• Average 5-9lbs and 20” long• If mother is diabetic or she has gestational

diabetes then the baby will generally be much larger.

• Kidney function is also very important during pregnancy, toxic kidneys do not function well enough to get rid of moms and babies waste.

• First 12 months is most growing period in life, probably triple weight

• Growth is in spurts.

Infant• Motor skills grow as well– First swipe at something,– Next hit and knock down– Next is grasping– Around 9-10 months is when they start using

opposing thumb• Walking around 12 months• Running by age of 2

• By age 4-5 babies should be able to gallop • 5-6 girls can skip, boys are a little slower

physically• Secular Trend – we are getting bigger and

taller and larger feet with each generation.– Child usually wears a shoe size one size larger than

the same sex parent– May be due to hormones in meat and milk– Could be due to better healthcare – Better nutrition also

Secular Trend

• Menarche – beginning of period• Girls begin periods much earlier than before– Use to be 13 – Then it was 12– Now it is around 10 ½ years old

• Pregnancy also starts earlier• Spermarche – first ejaculation– May happen at night during a wet dream – May be during masterbation

The Brain

• Very large changes in the brain take place during childhood

• New networks are formed between neurons with every experience ( grocery store, park, zoo)

• Deprived environment – can affect the developing brain

Cognitive Development

• Begins at birth• Piaget – talks about how children go through

stages in cognitive development– Biologist – After first child's birth his interest changed to

cognitive development in children

Cognitive Development Stages

• Stages– 1. sensorimotor – first year of life maybe up to 2

• Begin to learn right from birth – learn quickly• 4 days old can differentiate between their own mothers milk from

others• Everything goes in through the 5 senses• Everything out is motor - swipe kick cry

– Schema – an idea or a pattern that we learn– Assimilation – seeing something brown with 4 legs running

through the forest then applying memories – Accomodation – remembering the horse and seeing a zebra at

the zoo, learing that the zebra is like the horse but how is it different

Stages cont.

– 2. preoperational – 2-7 years, like to have sociodramatic play• Dress up outfit, guns, sticks• Animism – giving life like qualities to things that are not

alive• At this age children can not seriate – put things in

order, nor can they classify or catorogize

Stages cont.

– 3. concrete operations - 7-12• Can put things in order• Begin to use symbols like ABC and 123 not just

recognize but actually start using the alphabet and numbers ( a dozen eggs is 12)• Biggest thing that the concrete operators do is

conserve - llllllll ll ll ll ll which group has more pencils.

Begins to use logical thought , they need something in their hand to move and count

Stages Cont.

– 4. formal operations – 12 yrs. throughout life• Abstract thinkers • Can see both sides of the question such as abortion and

think it through and have their own thoughts and answers• Keep journals and systems to gather information.