Chapter 11: The Developing Mind- Life-span Development- Babies as young as 18 months can recognize themselves in a mirror- White Americans access more autobiographical memories from earlier ages and provide more episodic details of these memorieso Because of white American children showing more “emotional knowledge”What does it mean to develop?- The study of human development considers changes in behavior that correlate with growth or maturationNew ideas about development- Sigmund Freud and Jean Piaget- believe that many important developmental changes had already occurred once an individual reached puberty- Brain is not a finished product until a person’s mid 20s- Early thinkers believed that babies didn’t have organizing principles at birth and were dependent on experience- Contemporary psychologists believe that human infants are born with a lot of capabilities, including ways to organize their sensory experiences, learn language, and develop a personalityDevelopmental Themes- Physical development, cognitive development, and social and emotional development are constantly interactingNature and Nurture Intertwined- Epigenetics- the study of DNA that makes up our genes is turned on or off by thte surrounding chemical tags that accumulate through lifeo Diet, nurture, and stress can “tag” our DNAo Not constant across the life span- In prenatal development, most of the chemical tags that influence gene expression come from within the developing organism with some external influence from the mother’s diet and her stress hormones- After birth, internal signals continue to be important in driving physical growth but the child is not exposed to a wider array of environmental influences including diet, social interactions, and physical activity- Epigenetics plays an increasingly dominant role over the life span- Because younger children have had less time for epigenetic interactions between their genes and experience to take place, they have more in common with each otherat any particular age than do older adultsContinuity or Discontinuity- Gradual approach has things merging from one to the next with no set separations- Discontinuity approach views development as a staircase to be climbedUniversal or Ecological Development- Psychologists taking the universal approach to development look for age-related behaviors that are found across entire human species- Psychologists taking an ecological view ask questions about the impact of culture and environment on developmento Most contemporary psychologists take this approachHow do we change prenatally?- Zygote- the term used to describe a developing organism immediately following conception until the embryo stage, or the first 2 weeks following conception in humanso Completes its journey through the mother’s fallopian tube to the uterus where it implants in the liningo During first week, zygote differentiates into 3 germ layers: ectoderm, mesoderm, and endoderm Ectoderm- nerve tissue and skin Mesoderm- muscle and bone Endoderm- source of body’s soft tissue like organ and digestive tract- Embryo- the term used to describe a developing organism between the zygote and fetus stages, or between 3 and 8 weeks following conception in humanso 4th week nervous system has differentiated into forebrain, midbrain, hindbrain, and spinal cordo 7th week cells that will for the cerebral cortex begin their journey from lining of neural tube to ultimate destinationso Heart, stomach, liver, and other organs are formed hereo Initial differentiation between male and female internal se organs occurso 2 months: fetus is 1 inch long weight 1 gram- Fetus- the term used to describe a developing organism between the embryo stage and birth, or between 8 and approximately 40 weeks following conception in humans.o By 7th month, majority of brain’s cells have been formedo Myelination of the nervous system begins at 6 months Allows neurons to communicate faster and more efficientlyo 7th month: REM sleep- Fetus’s ability to hear noise outside the mother’s body is quite good during the last few months of pregnancy- Newborn babies show an immediate preference for their mother’s voice- We begin learning food preferences before birth- When pregnant women consume carrot juice their infants subsequently chose to eat more cereal prepared with carrot juice than did infants whose mothers did not consume carrot juice- Babies born between 37 and 42 weeks are normal birthso 12% are born prematurelyo 2% are born before 32 weekso Term infants average 7 lbs. and 20 inchesGenetic Risks to Development- Older mothers have increased probability of errors in the development of eggs and sperm- A woman’s eggs are first formed when she is in her own prenatal periodo Each egg has 46 chromosomes only half of which wil be passed along to her child- It takes little over 2 months for a man to produce a sperm cell, which reduces the chances of the cell’s exposure to harmful influences- Down syndrome or trisomy 21 results from the child’s receiving three copies of the 21st chromosome instead of 2o Results in intellectual disability, a pattern of mild physical abnormalities, and a probable life span of only 40 to 50years o Chances of giving birth to a down syndrome baby are 1 out of 2000 when 18 but 1 out of 30 when 45o Approximately 30% of fetuses with Down syndrome in the US are abortedo 85 % in FranceEnvironmental Risks to Development- Placenta- an organ attached to the wall of the mother’s uterus that provides the fetuswith nutrients and oxygen- Teratogen- a chemical agent that can harm the zygote, embryo, or fetuso Commonly used antidepressant medications cross the placenta to the fetus, resulting in dosages to the fetus that are about the same as that of the mothero Causes higher rates or premature birth and complications- Fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS)- a condition resulting from alcohol consumption by the mother during pregnancy that produces physical abnormalities and cognitive and behavioral problems in her childo Growth retardation, skin folds at the corners of the eyes, nose and mouth abnormalities, and small head circumference, as well as cognitive and behavioral problems, including reduced IQ, attention problems, and poor impulse control- A mother’s use of alcohol, tobacco, marijuana, or cocaine, during pregnancy significantly reduces the volume of gray matter of her child’s brain- Pregnant women need additional nutrients to meet the needs of