DEVELOPMENTAL PSYCHOLOGY

• Nature vs Nurture- the way you were born vs the way you were raised
• Physical Development- focus on our physical changes over time

Prenatal Development

• Conception begins with the drop of an egg and release of 200 million sperm
• Sperm seeks out egg and attempts to penetrate eggs surface
• once sperm penetrates egg, we have a zygote
• Zygote- first stage of prenatal development; lasts about 2 weeks and consists of rapid egg division; less than half of all zygotes survive first 2 weeks; in 10 days the zygote will attach to uterine wall; outer part of zygote becomes placenta
• Embryo- develops from zygote after 2 weeks; lasts about 6 weeks; heart begins to and organs begin to develop
• Fetus- by 9 weeks; fetus by about the 6th month, the stomach and other organs have formed enough to survive outside of mother

Teratogens- chemical agents that can harm prenatal development such as alcohol, STDs and HIV

Healthy Newborns- turn head towards voices, see 8-12 inches from their faces , gaze longer at human like objects

• Reflexes- inborn automatic responses
• Rooting (cheek)- newborn infant is touched on cheek; the infant will turn its head towards the source of stimulation
• Sucking
• Grasping- if object is placed in baby's palm, the baby will try to grasp the object
• Moro (startle)- when startled, a baby will fling his/her limbs out then quickly retract them
• Babinski- baby's foot is stroked, he or she will spread their toes

Maturation- physical growth processes that enable orderly changes in behavior, regardless of environment

Cognition- all mental activities associated with thinking, knowing, and remembering

Cognitive Development- Jean Piaget

Schemas- ways we interpret the world around us (concepts)

Assimilation- incorporating new experiences into existing schemas

Accomodation- changing an existing schema to adapt to new information

4 Stages of Cognitive Development

• Sensorimotor (0-2)- experience world through senses; object permanence develops around 6-8 months
• Preoperational (2-7)- begins to use language to represent objects and ideas (think in symbols); egocentric- cannot look at the world through anyone's eyes but their own; conservation- quantity remains the same despite changes in appearance
• Concrete Operational (7-11)- can demonstrate concept of conservation; learn to think logically; understanding of reversibility
• Formal Operational (12+)- abstract reasoning

Social Development

• in about a year, infants develop stranger anxiety
• Attachment- a bond with a care giver
• Konrad Lorenz discovered some animals form attachment through imprinting
• Origins of Attachment- Harry Harlow and monkeys- showed monkeys needed touch or body contact to form attachment
• Critical Period- shortly after birth when an organism's exposure to certain stimuli or experiences produce proper development

3 types of Attachment

1. Secure Attachment- children show some distress when parent leaves, seek contact at the reunion, explore when parent is gone; play and greet when parent is present
2. Stranger Anxiety- fear of strangers that infants commonly display; beginning by about 8 months of age
3. Separation Anxiety- distress the infant shows when object of attachment leaves; peaks between 14-18 months

3 Parenting Styles

1. Authoritarian- strict standards for children's behavior
2. Permissive- gives freedom, lax parenting, no rules consistently
3. Authoritative- encourage independence; willing to bargain

Stage Theorists

• these psychologists believe we travel from stage to stage throughout our lives
• Siegmund Freud- we all have libido (sexual desire) that travels to different areas of our body throughout development

-Oral Stage (0-1)- seek pleasure through mouth

-Anal Stage (1-3)- libido focused on controlling and expelling waste

-Phallic Stage (3-6)- children first recognize gender

-Latency Stage (6-11)- libido is hidden; cooties stage

-Genital Stage (11+)- libido is focused on their genitals; experience sexual feelings towards others

Adolescence/ Adulthood

• Adolescence- transition period from childhood to adulthood
• Puberty- period of sexual maturation during which a person becomes capable of reproducing
• Landmarks for puberty- Menarche for girls and first ejaculation for boys
• Adulthood- all physical abilities essentially peak by mid twenties
• physical milestones- menopause- the natural ending of a woman's ability to reproduce; men do not experience anything like menopause 

Types of Intelligence

• Crystallized-accumulated knowledge and increases with age
• Fluid- ability to solve problems quickly and think abstractly 

5 Stages of Death

1. Denial
2. Anger
3. Bargaining
4. Depression
5. Acceptance

LOBES

THE BRAIN

Cerebrum: 
The cerebrum or cortex is the largest part of the human brain, associated with higher brain function such as thought and action.

Cerebellum: 
The cerebellum, or "little brain", is similar to the cerebrum in that it has two hemispheres and has a highly folded surface or cortex. This structure is associated with regulation and coordination of movement, posture, and balance.

Lymbic system:
The limbic system, often referred to as the "emotional brain", is found buried within the cerebrum. Like the cerebellum, evolutionary the structure is rather old.

Thalamus:
a large mass of gray matter deeply situated in the forebrain The structure has sensory and motor functions. Almost all sensory information enters this structure where neurons send that information to the overlying cortex. 

Hypothalamus:
The structure is involved in functions including homeostasis, emotion, thirst, hunger, circadian rhythms, and control of the autonomic nervous system. In addition, it controls the pituitary. 

Amygdala:
located in the temporal lobe; involved in memory, emotion, and fear.

Hippocampus:
 This part of the brain is important for learning and memory.

Midbrain:
It is involved in functions such as vision, hearing, eye movement, and body movement.

Pons:
 It has parts that are important for the level of consciousness and for sleep, movement and facial expressions. 


Medulla Oblongata:
between the pons and spinal cord. It is responsible for maintaining vital body functions, such as breathing and heart rate 

Thalamus:
every sense except smell.

Hypothalamus:
controls body temperature, thirst, hunger , endocrine system and hunger

Hemispheres:
Left- logic and sequential task
Right-aptail and creative tasks

Motor cortex:

sends signals controlling body movements

Broca's area

responsible for controlling muscle that produce speech

aphasia-unable to make movement or talk

Frontal lobe:

Concerned with reasoning, planning, parts of speech and movement (motor cortex), emotions, and problem-solving.

Parietal lobe:

Concerned with perception of stimuli such as touch, pressure, temperature and pain.

Temporal Lobe:

Concerned with perception and recognition of auditory stimuli (hearing) and memory (hippocampus).

Occipital lobe:

Located at the back of the brain, behind the parietal lobe and temporal lobe.

Concerned with many aspects of vision.