week 2: lectures 1, 2, 3

Stillbirth and Maternal Mortality

• Australia has a stillbirth rate 30% higher than other developed countries.
• Stillbirth is often not covered in developmental psychology textbooks due to the emotional sensitivity of the topic.

Maternal Mortality and Ethnic Group Disparities

• Indigenous mothers in Australia have a maternal mortality rate more than twice as high as others.
• The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander ethnic group has higher odds of stillbirth and neonatal death.

Risk Factors and Birth Outcomes

• The primary factor contributing to increased risk of preterm birth and neonatal death is socioeconomic disadvantage.
• Most births in Australia occur in hospitals.

Newborn Development and Breastfeeding

• Improved neonatal and maternal mortality rates are associated with access to healthcare services.
• Apgar score is a leading indicator of both survival and healthy development in newborns.
• The sense of smell is the most underdeveloped sense at birth in babies.
• Breast milk is the primary means of providing sustenance to newborns throughout our evolutionary history.
• The World Health Organization recommends exclusive breastfeeding for at least six months.

Infant Language and Cognitive Development

• Crying is the main form of communication for babies.
• Post-natal depression has a significant impact on mothers, affecting their ability to care for their infants.
• The principle of rapid physical growth in the first year of life is explained by the concept of rapid cell division.
• According to Piaget's theory of cognitive development, the preoperational stage occurs between the ages of 2 and 7.
• Cognitive structures are refined through the process of assimilation and accommodation in Piaget's theory.
• The formal operational stage of Piaget's theory is characterized by the ability to think logically and abstractly.
• The term "sensorimotor intelligence" describes the process of coordinating sensory information with motor activities in Piaget's theory.
• Object permanence is a major attainment during the sensorimotor stage of Piaget's theory.

Language Development and Learning Theories

• Joint attention is significant in the information processing approach as it enables social learning.
• Social learning theory emphasizes learning through observation and imitation.
• Babbling with vowels and consonants typically occurs at around 8-10 months of age.
• One of the cognitive changes that occur during the first year of life is the development of object permanence.
• Saying "mama" or "dada" typically occurs at around 12 months of age.
• Cognitive changes during the first year of life are supported by neural pruning and myelination.
• Babbling with repetitive consonant-vowel combinations typically occurs at around 6-9 months of age.
• Cooing typically occurs at around 2 months of age.
• Infants begin to intentionally reach for objects at around 8-10 months of age.
• Infants habituate quickly to repetitive stimuli.
• Infants understand that objects still exist even when out of sight at around 10-12 months of age.