Lecture 10Outline of Last Lecture I. Vygotsky II. Sociocultural theoryIII. Culture and languageIV. Comparing theories of cognitive developmentOutline of Current Lecture I. Introduction to pregnancy and prenatal developmentII. Threats to developmentIII. Infant developmentIV. Theoretical considerations of infancyCurrent LectureI. Introduction to pregnancy and prenatal development- Women have a chance of getting pregnant during a time in her life known as “fertile time” which is generally in their 20’s. Pregnancy lasts on average about 40 weeks. It is measured from the first day of the last menstrual cycle. Fertilization generally occurs around 2 weeks after last menstrual cycle. Pregnancy is divided into three trimesters. The first one begins at fertilization to 13 weeks of development. The second trimester occurs from 14 weeks to 27 weeks. The thirdtrimester occurs from 28 weeks until birth. A full term is typically 37 weeks long. Babies who areborn between 39 and 41 weeks are generally healthier. Babies who are born earlier than 37 weeks are considered to be pre-term. If birth occurs after 24 weeks it is considered the point at which a baby has a 50/50 survival rate. - There are three stages of prenatal development. The first stage is the germinal stage. This is the shortest stage of prenatal development and takes place during the first two weeks of conception. The second stage is the embryonic stage which marks the start of life. It starts after 2 weeks until 8 weeks old after fertilization occurs. The last stage is the fetal stage which starts 8weeks after conception. II. Threats to development- There two periods during pregnancy known as critical and sensitive periods. A critical period is when irregularities in development results in major defects or even death. For example, exposure to teratogens which are anything harmful to the fetus. Or, for example the Thalidomide exposure which was a medicine prescribed to pregnant women dealing with morning sickness. The medicine was effective in dealing with the morning sickness but lead to deformities or death of the baby. A sensitive period is irregularities in development resulting in non-normative but non-life-threatening issues in development. For example, exposure to teratogens or vision/language development. - Threats to development include teratogens which are factors that potentially affect fetal development and produce birth defects. A mother’s nutritious diet calls for less complications, PSY 200 1st Editioneasier labor, and a healthy baby. The mother’s age plays a role in possible complications. Women aged in their 30’s and 40’s are more likely to have a complicated pregnancy and the possibility of a premature birth, low birth weight and disabilities. A mother’s health, including good food, appropriate weight and exercise also all contribute to the end result of a healthy infant. Diseases such as STD’s or depression can affect the developing fetus. Also, the father’s behavior towards the mother can have a negative effect on the infant. Postpartum depression can also affect the infant after birth. Alcohol use is the most common cause of retardation/birth defects in the U.S. Alcohol use also leads to a low birth weight and fetal alcohol syndrome. Symptoms attributed to FAS includes a small body and brain, heart defects, hearing loss, flattened faces, shorter adult height, and mild mental retardation. Nicotine/secondhand smoke can lead the infant to having a low birth weight, respiratory problems, SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome) or even ADHD. Marijuana, Cocaine and Methamphetamine can cause a miscarriage, birth defects, low birth weight, withdrawal symptoms, neurological disorders, attention disorders and learning problems in the infant. - There is some protection available against certain teratogens researched by the Embryo Protection Hypothesis (Profet, 1992). This hypothesis recognized that morning sickness prevents mothers from consuming teratogens. If women feel sick they are less likely to take teratogens. For example, the smell of alcohol may make a pregnant women nauseous which is positive because it makes her avoid the teratogen. In a way, morning sickness protect the embryo. III. Infant development- There are two patterns of growth, cephalocaudal and proximodistal. Cephalocaudal growth is the development that proceeds from head to the feet. Proximodistal growth is development that proceeds from the center to the extremities. - An infant is born with certain reflexes that stay their entire life or disappear as they grow older. Sucking is when the infant begins sucking when anything touches the roof of their mouth and this reflex never disappears. Swallowing is when the infant begins to ingest food immediately and this never disappears. Rooting is when the infant turns their head toward anything that strokes their check, they open their mouth and turns their head to search for object to put in their mouth. This reflex disappears after about 3 weeks of age and may have been used for breastfeeding. Stepping is when the infant attempts to walk when the soles of their feet touch aflat surface. This reflex disappears after about 2 months of age. Swimming is when the infant is placed face down in a pool of water they will paddle and kick. This reflex disappears after about 4-6 months of age. Moro is the reaction in which the legs and head extend while the arms jerk outwards, the arms are then brought back into the body with hands clenched and the baby will begin to cry. This reflex disappears after about 6 months of age. Babinski is when the infant’s toes will fan out when the bottom of their foot is stroked. This reflex disappears after 8-12 months of age. Startle is when the infant responds to a surprising event and this does not disappear with age. Galant is when the infant turns toward a tough or stroke along the side of their back. This reflex disappears after about 4-6 months of age. Palmar grasp is when the infantgrasps anything that touches or strokes across their palm. This reflex disappears after about 5-6 months of age.- Newborn infants require about 16-17 hours of sleep within a 24 hour period. Sleep is important for physical recuperation, growth, immune system, brain development, learning and interacting/socializing. There are issues and controversies regarding infant and parents sleep patterns. Some people keep the crib in a separate room while some parents co-sleep with