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Psychology
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A. What happens during prenatal development & what are its affects on the
newborn?
1. Conception: all eggs in woman at birth (1/500 mature and be
released), males produce sperm;
a. The sperm releases digestive enzymes to dissolve the egg’s
protective layer. The egg will block other sperm out once one sperm
penetrates the protective layer. Fingerlike projections will sprout
around the sperm and full it in. By the end of the day, they will fuse
2. Prenatal Development
a. Zygotes are fertilized eggsIn the first week, the cell divides to
produce a zygote of about 100 cells
b. After the first week, the cell will differentiate and specialize in
structure and function
c. After ten days, the zygote will attach to the mother’s uterine wall
d. The placenta and the embryo are then formed
e. After nine weeks, the embryo is known as the fetus
f. After six months, the organs like the stomach will be able to
function and perform
g. The fetus starts to respond to noise during the sixth month
h. Both genetic and environmental factors can affect the prenatal
development
i. Fetal Alcohol Syndrome is usually seen with children born with
mental as well as physical deformities. Over 1 in 750 kids are born
with this syndrome; FAS is the leading cause of mental retardation
j. Pregnant women who have been stressed during their pregnancy
have children who are less competent in motor skills, emotional as
well as learning deficiency. Increased proclivity of depression
3. The Competent Newborn
a. rooting reflex is when newborns are prompted to open their mouth
and turn towards the nipple when touched on the cheek
b. William James presumed that newborns experiences where similar
to that of buzzing confusion
c. Janine Spencer and Paul Quinn did a study which revealed that 4
year olds like adults focused on the faces of animals. (cat and dog
experiment)
4. Close Up: Research Strategies for Understanding Infants’ Thinking
B. What occurs during infancy & childhood?
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Carolyn Lieberman
Psychology
Wright
1. Physical Development
a. Over 23 billion neurons were produced in the child by birth; From
age 3-6, the brain’s neural system starts to grow in the frontal
lobes, enabling rational planning
b. Maturation sets the basic course of development. It is the
genetically designed biological growth process. Maturation is
uninfluenced by experiences while genetic growth tendencies are
inborn
c. The order in which physical coordination occurs like crawling before
walking is due to the maturing of the nervous system and has
nothing to do with imitation
d. Individual differences in timing occur
e. Genes play a role in the timing of each coordination. Identical twins
would be able to walk more or less on the same day
f. Biological maturation includes the rapid development of the
cerebellum at the back of the brain; Experiences will not have a
major effect on the child’s physical skills until after age 1
2. Cognitive Development
a. Jean Piaget’s works revolved around the errors give by children by
each age. Before Piaget, people thought that children “simply knew
less, not differently than adults.”Later it was discovered that
“children reason in wildly illogical ways about problems whose
solutions are self-evident to adults.”
b. A child’s mind also develops through many stages; Piaget revealed
that schemas develop when the brain builds concepts. The schemas
are mental molds into which we pour our experiences.There are two
ways which we could adjust our schemas. By assimilating as well as
accommodating them.
c. When we assimilate new schemas, we interpret them into our
current schemasWhen we accommodate our schemas, we adjust
our present schemas to fit the particulars of new experiences. You
refine the category.
3. Social Development
a. Stranger Anxiety- fear of strangers, starting at around 8 months.
They have schemas for similar faces.
b. The intense mutual infant-parent bond develops by 12 months
C. What occurs during adolescence?
1. Physical Development
a. Puberty paves way to a surge of hormones, creating mood swings;
The primary sex characteristics (reproductive organs) develop
dramatically
• Menarche- first menstrual period; Spermarche-first ejaculation
b. Early developing boys become stronger and more athletic, as well
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Carolyn Lieberman
Psychology
Wright
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Carolyn Lieberman
Psychology
Wright
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Carolyn Lieberman
Psychology
Wright