PSYC 250 1st Edition Lecture 6Outline of Last Lecture I. The evolutionary perspectiveII. Genetic foundations of developmentIII. Reproductive challenges and choicesIV. Heredity and environment interaction: the nature-nurture debate Outline of Current Lecture II. Physical growth and changeIII. BrainIV. SleepV. HealthCurrent LectureII. Physical growth and change- Cephalocaudal pattern: the sequence in which the fastest growth always occurs at the top-the head. Physical growth in size, weight, and feature differentiations gradually works its way down from the top to the bottom- Proximodistal pattern: the growth sequence that starts at the center of the body and moves towards the extremities.- Infancyo Newborns double their birth weight by the age of 4 months nad nearly triple it by their first birthdayo Growth slows in the second year; by age 2, children average 32-35 inches in heighto Growth patterns vary individuallyo Much of the variation is due to heredity and environmental experiences- Middle and late childhood (6-11 years): o Slow, consistent growth averaging 2-3 inches a yearo Muscle mass and strength increase; baby fat decreaseso Improved muscle toneo Bones continue to hardeno Changes in proportions are among the most pronounced physical changes in middle and late childhood.These notes represent a detailed interpretation of the professor’s lecture. GradeBuddy is best used as a supplement to your own notes, not as a substitute.- Adolescence: puberty- a period of rapid physical maturation- Hormonal and bodily changes occur in adolescenceo Determinants of puberty: not the same as adolescenceends long before adolescence is over Is the most important marker for the beginning of adolescence There are wide variations in onset and progression Precocious puberty: the very early onset and rapid progression of pubertyo Hormones: powerful chemical substances Secreted by the endocrine glands and carried thru the body by the blood stream Secretion of key hormones is controlled by the interaction of the hypothalamus, the pituitary, and the gonadso Growth spurt Occurs approximately 2 years earlier for girls than for boys Mean beginning of the growth sputt in the U.S is age 9 for girls and 11 for boyso Early-maturing girls more likely to: smoke, drink, be depressed, have an eating disorder, have older friends, earlier dating and earlier sexual experiencesIII. Brain - The neuro-constructivist view: theory of brain development emphasizingo Biological processes and environmental conditions influence the brain’s developmento The brain has plasticity and is context dependento The development of the brain and the child’s cognitive development are linkedo Emphasizes the importance of considering interactions between experience and gene expression in the brain’s development, much in way the epigenetic view proposes. - Structure and function: has 2 hemisphereso Frontal lobe: voluntary movement, thinking, personality, and intentionality or purposeo Occipital lobe: visiono Temporal lobes: active role in hearing, language, processing and memoryo Parietal lobes: important roles in registering spatial location - Infancyo Development occurs extensively during the prenatal periodo The brains development is also substantial during infancy and later- Early experience and the brain o Children who grow up in deprived environment may also have depressed brain activity.o The brain demonstrates both flexibility and resilienceo Neuroscientists believe that what wires the brain-or rewires it is repeated experience o Myelination occurs: process of encasing axons with myelin sheath - Adolescence: brain undergoes significant structural changeso Corpus callosum thickens and this improves ability to process inoV. Sleep- Rem sleepo Eyes flutter beneath closed lidso About half of infants sleep is in REMo Often begin sleep cycle with rem sleepo Large amount of REM sleep may provide infants with added self stimulations - Infancy sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS)o Condition that occurs when infants stop breathing, usually during the night, and die suddenly without apparent cause o Highest cause of infant death in the US- Childhoodo Good nights sleep is important aspect of a child’s developmento Most young children sleep through the night and have one daytime napo Important to get uninterrupted sleep- Adolescenceo There has recently been a surge of interest in adolescent sleep patternso Interest focuses on the belief that many adolescents are not getting enough sleep, that there are physiological underpinnings to the desire of adolescents, especially older ones, to stay up