Chapter 5 Developing Through the Life Span Developmental psychology a branch of psychology that studies physical cognitive and social change throughout the life span Development psychologists How do we change How do we stay the same Prenatal development old age In class exercise o Ideal age average for both men and women is 32 o Worst age middle school 90 no friends social circle broken 70 health fails o How old do you feel mid thirties o When does old age begin men late 60s and women 70s o If you could freeze time and live in good health at any age what age would you pick 18 24 say 27 25 29 say 31 30 39 say 37 40 49 say 40 50 64 say 44 65 say 59 Nature vs Nurture Continuity or stages is development gradual or does it happen in distinct stages Stability or change do we change a lot Do we stay mostly the same Prenatal Development and the Newborn Conception Woman s ovary releases a mature egg as big as a period 200 million or so deposited sperm begin their race upstream approaching the egg 85 000X bigger than the sperm A few reach the egg and release digestive enzymes that eat away the egg s protective As soon as one sperm begins to penetrate and is welcomed in the egg s surface blocks coating out the others Before a day elapses the egg nucleus and the sperm nucleus fuse Millions of sperm I fertilizes the egg conception Prenatal Development The fertilized egg is called the ZYGOTE It enters a 2 week period of rapid cell division and develops into an embryo Cell division differentiation specialization into structures The zygote s inner cells become the EMBRYO 10 days after conception the zygote attaches to the mother s uterine wall The developing human organism from about 2 weeks after fertilization through the second month Over the next 6 weeks organs begin to form and function the heart begins to beat During the 6 month organs such as the stomach have developed enough to allow a 9 weeks after conception FETUS prematurely born fetus a chance of survival At each stage genetic and environmental factors affect our development Placenta formed from the zygote s outer cells attaches to the mother s uterine wall transfers nutrients and oxygen from mother to fetus also screens out many potential harmful substances some slip through such as teratogens harmful like viruses and chemicals and can cause harm to the fetus Drinking alcohol during pregnancy can influence the child s alcohol consumption Persistent heavy drinking fetus as risk for birth defects and later intellectual or developmental disabilities In 1 800 infants the effects are visible as FETAL ALCOHOL SYNDROME FAS Small disproportioned head and lifelong abnormalities Germinal stage 1st 2 weeks zygote starts multiplying Embryonic stage 2 weeks to 2 months most vital organs systems start to form now called an embryo 1 inch long and looks human very vulnerable at this stage most miscarriages occur during this stage Fetal Stage 2 months to birth rapid growth organs function now called fetus brain cells multiply rapidly in the last 3 months Age of viability 22 26 weeks or 6 months The Competent Newborn escape pain Equipped with automatic responses suited for survival example withdraw limbs to We are born preferring sights and sounds that facilitate social responsiveness as newborns we turn our heads in the direction of human voices More examples in the book page 139 Having a heartbeat birth Sucking birth Looking at things birth but bad vision Getting bored birth irritable Reaching for objects 3 months gets better with age Turning their head 5 months Crawl and move around 1 yr Infancy and Childhood Physical Development How does the brain and motor skills develop Brain development Motor development MD From ages 3 6 most rapid growth was in the frontal lobes which enables rational planning explains why preschoolers display a rapidly developing ability to control their attention and behavior The association areas linked with thinking memory and language are the last cortical areas to develop MATURATION biological growth processes that enable orderly changes in behavior relatively influenced by experience Decrees many of our commonalities such as standing before walking etc Severe deprivation or abuse can retard development ample experiences of talking and reading with parents sculpt neural connections The genetic growth tendencies are inborn Maturation sets the basic course of development experience adjusts it The developing brain enables physical coordination The sequence of physical motor development is almost universal example babies roll over before they sit unsupported crawl on all 4s before they walk There are individual differences in timing page 141 for statistics Genes play a major role in MD identical twins typically begin sitting up and walking on nearly the same day Maturation including the rapid development of the cerebellum creates our readiness to learn walking at about the age of 1 Experience before that time has no effect potty training is unsuccessful before the necessary muscular and neural maturation needed for bowel and bladder control So neither pleading nor punishment would work in training Gaining coordination or control of reflexes Timing may differ back to sleep position increases the time required to learn motor coordination but tis safer for infants to sleep on their backs sleeping on the stomach suffocation Genes play a major role identical twins similar time Follows logical progression Roll over sitting up crawling walking 1 yr Maturation and infant memory We can remember stuff after the age of 3 infantile amnesia cannot remember anything that happened before the age 4 4 5 years of age remembered experiences Even in to adolescence the brain areas underlying memory continue to mature Infants can learn and remember Evidence of early processing tying the mobile to the infant s leg kicking the leg moving the mobile the infants learnt the connection experiment details on page 142 Mobile kicking experiment Cognitive development From the perspectives of Piaget and of today s researchers how does a child s mind develop Stage theory periods when certain behaviors or capacities are exhibited Assume that people Progress in order Advance with age Major shifts and crises transitions COGNITION refers to all the mental activities associated with thinking knowing remembering and communication changes in thinking reasoning remembering problem solving Jean Piaget child s mind is not a mini model of an adult s children reason
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