Developmental Psychology: Infant Development

Developmental Psychology

• Explores how biological, physical, cognitive, emotional, and social abilities develop throughout childhood.
• Key debates include stability vs. change, continuity vs. discontinuity, nature vs. nurture, and critical vs. sensitive periods.
• Studying development helps understand adult minds, clinical conditions, and typical abilities.

Infant Development

• Human development begins in utero.
• Gestation period is roughly 38-40 weeks (9 months).
• Infant brains are similar in structure to adult brains but smaller (about a quarter the size).
• By 6 months, a baby's brain has reached 50% of its adult size.
• Neural structures aren't fully myelinated or connected at birth.
• Myelination and synaptogenesis occur until around age 2.
• Unused synapses are pruned throughout development.
• Neural plasticity diminishes with age.

Infant Development: Prenatal Influences

• Prenatal damage can affect infant brain development.
• Teratogens are substances that cause atypical development with prenatal exposure.
• Examples include air pollution, PVC elements, and alcohol.
• Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD) lead to physical, mental, and behavioral impairments.
• FASD impacts manifest across different ages, from infancy to adulthood.

History of Developmental Psychology

• Industrial Revolution increased the demand for an educated workforce.
• Initial focus was on cognitive development for better education and learning.
• Later research expanded to emotional and social development, and adult development.
• Early researchers include John B. Watson, Charles Darwin, and Wilhelm Preyer.
• By 1880, there were 47 empirical studies on development in Europe and North America.
• Key figures of the 20th century: Piaget, Vygotsky, and Bowlby.

Piaget's Stages of Cognitive Development

• Piaget's theory describes children's cognitive development passing through stages.
• Stages: Sensorimotor (0-2 years), Preoperational (2-7 years), Concrete Operational (7-12 years), and Formal Operational (12 years-adulthood).
• Sensorimotor: Infants sense, move, but cognition is limited; Lack of object permanence is a key characteristic.
• A-not-B error: Infants persist in searching for objects in the first location they saw them, even when the object was moved.
• Preoperational: Egocentrism is present; Children have difficulty seeing things from other perspectives. (Three mountain task)
• Concrete Operational: Children can solve concrete problems; using operations to solve concrete problems, but abstract thinking is limited.
• Formal Operational: Children can think systematically and abstractly (scientific reasoning).
• Piaget viewed children as actively constructing their understanding of the world (Constructivism).

Vygotsky's Social Constructivism

• Vygotsky believed social interaction guides cognitive development.
• Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD): The difference between what a child can do independently and with guidance.
• Social Referencing is crucial, children use social cues to guide their actions.

Emerging Cognitive Abilities in Infancy

• Infants mimic facial and motor gestures (innate or early developed ability).
• Motionese is used by adults to help infants process information.
• Object permanence emerges earlier than Piaget proposed.
• Infants show understanding of the contact principle.
• Infants display causal reasoning.

Theory of Mind

• Theory of Mind (ToM): Understanding that others have their own desires, beliefs, and mental states.
• False Belief Tasks demonstrate this understanding (e.g., Angela and the chocolate).
• Implicit measures (e.g., looking time tasks) suggest ToM develops earlier than explicit tasks.

Executive Functions

• Executive Functions: Cognitive abilities enabling voluntary actions.
• Three components: Inhibition, Working Memory, Shifting.
• Examples: Marshmallow task; A-not-B error.
• Executive functions are tested in a "hot" (emotional response involved) or "cool" (no emotional response) manner.

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)

• ASD involves impairments in social skills, communication, and restricted/repetitive behaviors.
• Children with ASD often struggle with theory of mind, executive functions, and imitation.
• Mirror neurons are hypothesized as potentially contributing factors.
• Eye-tracking studies indicate limitations in using gaze direction to predict intentions in ASD.

This quiz delves into the stages of infant development from prenatal influences to the growth and changes in brain structure. It addresses key concepts like myelination, synaptogenesis, and the impact of teratogens. Understanding these aspects is vital for grasping the nuances of human growth in early childhood.