Growing and Developing

Introduction to Growing and Developing

• Chapter 14 addresses the intricate and diverse stages of growing and developing throughout the human life span, encompassing both infancy and old age.

• Development includes a range of processes, encompassing physiological, behavioral, cognitive, and social changes that arise from a complex interplay of genetic predispositions combined with various environmental factors, such as upbringing, culture, and life experiences.

• Chapter 14 addresses various stages of growing and developing throughout the human life span.

• Development includes physiological, behavioral, cognitive, and social changes from genetic predispositions combined with environmental factors

The Repository for Germinal Choice

• In the 1970s, Robert Klark Graham, an American millionaire, created a controversial sperm bank known as the Repository for Germinal Choice.
• Attempting to combat genetic decay, he believed human reproduction was experiencing a genetic decline, creating retrograde humans, and sought to breed the best genes.
• Graham gathered sperm samples from highly intelligent, successful individuals like scientists, entrepreneurs, athletes, and Nobel Prize winners.
• He targeted potential mothers who were married to infertile men, educated, and financially stable.
• The repository mailed catalogs with code names describing donors, such as "Mr. Grey-White" and "Mr. Fuchsia”
• Insemination happened at home after courier delivery of samples following the mother’s choice.
• By closing in 1999, the repository had 228 children births.
• Nine families who benefited from the repository were interviewed by David Plotz.
• Most offspring resembled their genetic fathers.

Challenges of Development

• Each stage of development has physical, cognitive, and emotional factors defining its uniqueness.
• Erik Erikson proposed a life-span development model to provide guidance for understanding changes throughout life.
• Each stage presents a challenge to overcome for successful development.

Conception and Prenatal Development

• Conception: when a sperm fertilizes an egg
• Human conception begins when an egg released from the mother’s ovary matures and is released into the fallopian tube.
• Ovulation is caused by hormones and happens halfway thru menstruation.
• The uterine lining thickens for egg fertilization.
• If sex occurs within 1-2 days of maturation, the egg is fertilized.
• Sperm releases enzymes to penetrate protective layer.
• After sperm enters, the egg blocks others.
• Inside the egg, chromosomes from each parent combine.
• A zygote is the fertilized ovum.
• Zygote travels to the uterus.
• Few zygotes survive.
• Viable ones attach to the uterine wall.
• non viable zygotes are flushed out.
• Zygote cells divide to create thousands of cells.
• Cells differentiate, forming the baby and its support.
• Once the zygote attaches to wall, it becomes an embryo

The Embryo

• The inner layer forms the embryo, outer layer creates protection.
• Amniotic sac is a reservoir for fluid to protect baby via cushion.
• Placenta is the organ to exchange nutrients and mother filters material to remove harmful agents
• The Umbilical cord is part of the placenta

The Fetus

• The fetal stage begins at 9 weeks w/main characteristic of growth that is significant
• The fetus develops human features, like movement, swallowing etc.
• The fetus develops senses and preferences.
• By the 3rd month you can see sexual organs.

Environmental impact on fetus

• Substances harming the fetus are called teratogens such as pollution, medicine, or drugs
• Larger amounts over time does more harm
• Critical periods are when it is likely to occur.
• Harmful substances from mother impact the child via smoking or underweight issues
• Fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) leads to defects.
• No known safe level of alcohol consumption for pregnant women. The safest approach is to avoid.
• Drug abuse is high priority concern
• The mother's environment affects infant development like homelessness, malnutrition, and stress.
• Poverty elevates risk to teratogens amplifying problems with health
• Genetic and blood tests in pregnancy months indicate health and defects like Down syndrome.

Development Facts

• Development starts when sperm meets egg.
• Development spans 9 months: cell becomes zygote, embryo, fetus.
• Umbilical cord and placenta connect fetus to mother.
• Embryo and fetus are impacted by teratogens.
• Smoking, alcohol, drug use are harmful.
• Environmental factors: homelessness and poverty stunt child development

Infancy and Childhood: Exploring and Learning

• At 38 weeks baby is born
• Fetal brain chemicals trigger the start of labor
• Rhythmic contractions occur and quicken in occurrence

Abilities of Infants

• Newborns are prepared to face the world with an array of reflexes for survival during the first few months and beyond.
• Rooting reflex: The baby turns toward a cheek stroker, preparing the feeding.
• Blink reflex: Eyes close given a light flash, protects from stimuli.
• Withdrawal reflex: Leg flexes to alleviate pin pressure.
• Tonic neck reflex: Head turns as arm raises, prepares for coordination.
• Grasp reflex: Object in palm is grasped, for learning exploration
• Moro reflex: Loud noises extend legs then grasp, protects from mothers during travel
• Stepping reflex - baby makes walking motions for moving forward and encourages development
• Babies prefer sweet food and the smell of their mothers
• Infants contribute to development via play and experiences.
• Environments with novel objects help.

The Role of Habituation

• William James thought babies had 'buzzing, booming confusion". Psychologists find babies do know more.
• One way is to measure babies reacting to a stimuli and seeing preferences.
• For the stimuli- the sounds or images they suck hardest in response to are the ones we can assume they prefer.
• Habituation is decreased response to repeated stimuli.
• A baby is shown something and video camera captures the movements.
• Over time baby habituates
• If gaze changes with change in stimulus, baby notices
• This allows to detect changes in numbers etc

Cognition during Childhood

• Childhood is when changes occur quickly and kids develop cognitive skills.
• The child learns to manipulate their environment
• Control bladder or bowels to meet requirements
• The focus on independence and competence
• Kids need to explore world and their actions result in consequences

The Piaget Model

• Swiss psychologist Jean Piaget determined how children think and learn through intelligence tests Piaget believed children’s incorrect answers revealed specific ways of thinking unique to the children’s developmental stage.
• Children actively try to learn and make sense of their worlds rather than passively absorb information.
• Schemas help remember and organize
• When children experience something they try to reconcile it to schemas
• Assimilation is incorporating new experiences
• Accommodation involves existing skills to master the environment
• Piaget's main contribution was that development happens in stages based on the ability to think about the world.

Piaget Cognition Stages

• Sensorimotor stage: birth-2 years where child interacts using senses to explore environment and realize objects exist even if you cannot perceive them
• Preoperational stage: ages 2-7 years where kids can talk about real world, and think abstractly yet can't deduce or problem solve and are egocentric, unable to appreciate the perspective of others known as "a theory of mind"
• Concrete Operational Stage: ages 7-12 children can use transitions and operations like abstract concepts of time, space and numbers. Key: conservation is created- understanding quantity/volume doesn’t depend on appearance
• Formal operational Stage: at age 11 there's ability to think abstractly as well as apply logical and philosophical thought
• Piaget contributed to the idea that children are active learners, contributing to theories of cog. Development

SocioCultural Theory of Development

• This theory says cognition develops through constant social interactions with competent others.
• Children can serve as both learners and teachers.
• This approach improves learning and responsibility via group work.

Social Skills

• Social skills are the ability to bond w/ others and understand their environments
• Knowing who are you
• This is known as self concept- a knowledge of your own traits.

Understanding The Self

• Some other animals like chimps show evidence they know who they are
• Recognition they re looking at themselves
• That develops as child self is there
• Around age 2 a child comes to realize what a boy or girl is and understand emotions.
• Starting at age 5 at school kids will compare themselves.

The Importance of Attachment

• Learning how to relate and be accepted
• Emotional bonds are referred to as attachments including love, fear et
• As late as 1930 children needed adequate care.
• Studies by Bowlby showed children need attachment to a caretaker for emotional needs, not just food.
• Psychologists Harlow and Margaret showed this w an experiment.
• A monkey raised by warm terry cloth (not food giving) over cold meal mother.
• Babies are comforted best when they feel safe via secure base.

Secure Attachment

• Ainswoth created lab test of attachment via strang situation
• Observe reactions of child with parent and stranger in different situations
• Categories of a child reaction are placed into 4
• Secure Attachment Style are those who explore and do things w mother present, but upset when mom leaves
• Ambivalent style are nervous of situations or strangers
• Avoidant style ignore mother when they leave and show little emotions
• Disorganized Attachment Styles occur when the baby has zero coping skill.
• Secure atacement results from responsiveness.
• Babies needs social and physicals needs.

Longitudal Research and Effects

• It finds out does the attachment affect your life
• Follows individuals over time
• Can measure stability and changes thru life
• Cross Sectional Research is a way to compare ages and use smaller samples with faster results to compare results quicker. Longitudal is better.

Babies and Development

• Babies are born with capabilities
• Learn by engaging enviro
• Habit technique shows learning abilities
• Assimulation/accomodation are key
• Piaget stage of sequential approach
• Social dev comes from secure exploration
• Hypotheses tested with longitudional studies

Adolescence: Independence and Identity

• Adolescence: the years between the onset of puberty and adulthood.
• Today kids are growing slower and maintaining parents longer.
• Today consider it merging w/ "Emerging Adulthood" from 18- middle, late 20s
• This results in emotions and relationships
• Stress can be there
• Most adolesweather it
• Many experiment with alcohol but not all become addicted or criminal.
• Early use however does have negative

Physical changes:

• Begins with puberty where hormonal and body changes to be sexually mature
• 9-14 for girls to reach but to 10-17 to take care of all the people in their lives

The Timing of Puberty

• The pituitary gland starts to testosterone for boys + estrogen in girls= primary characteristics as well to distinguish primary characteristics from secondary
• Menarche for girl=1st period= age 12-13 determined by genetics.
• By lifestyle + diet
• Eating lowers fat/strenuous athletics may mean to menstruate later-or not anymore after they begin.
• Some start pubic hair age 10; but not period age 15...similar w boys not till 10 after puberty start + hair.
• These have significant impacts on development earlier matures will affect the individual differently + in general way: greater risk for delinquency etc

Development of the Brain in Adolescents

• Brain builds-then cuts un-needed neurons and makes connections for solving as well as the fatty tissue=the development Slower pre-frontal cortex than the Emotional-limbic is important bc-the impulsive actions versus really
• Thinking through well if are well understood
• Leads to-egocentrism in which belief do anything + they know can do things other people will believe.
• Teens self conscious + "Imaginary Aud-" which in feel everyone is keeping eyes on them: if think much are in everyone that their parent behavior or anything about them it will all lead back around to embarrassing them

Social Development in Adolscence

Attachments move from fam to peers. As a result: family influence diminishes. Erikson says main social task to ask "who am I?" for teens. In quest need resolve id role confusion; or go neg others (identities); give up looking (altogether for identities + are not doing w; find something good).

• Question expl + commitment based on issue relate to all different kinds of behaviors. Identity status

States of Development

• Identity Diffusion - no exploration and no comm
• Foreclosure-adopt views
• Moratorium-expl options but not fully
• Id Achievement--attained to achieve.
• To aid to understand more about self.

Development of Moral Reasoning

• Indepe requires thinking + morality
• Kohlberg believes it follows pattern like Piaget + cognitive.
• Posed many dilm to teens+ all to study
• Should Heinz steal
• 3-what is right or wrong. In his stage.
• Preconvental morality=Self interest, and rewards sought.
• Conventional morality=wanting approval in situation.
• Postconvental=based in ethics rather than approval

Early/Middle Adulthood

• Erikson's life challenges are close relationships and giving to the next generation

Effective Parenting

• Kids should be hugging and getting attention. Being strict. Is one or the other better for an individual.
• Babies want those who don't drink/drug, and are conscientious mothers.
• Provide support: basic things kids require: basic goals in mother when a adolescent. Mother need more care + provide less. That + skill.

Other Relationships

• Amato found important role the father
• Parent offer diff child=interaction +guide these types depend more/less + parent Authorarian= commands without explanation. Permissiv-few and little punishment Authoritat are demanding and giving opinion Finally and Rejecting =Unresponsive

Effective Style

• Authoritative leads to effective. Best adjustment and mature kid Culture difference=most countries

Transitions

• Can parents value and see what the kids see. Have empathy for the child/both contribute. It will then impact relationship
• Physical+Cognitive changes are small compared other stages sensory ab dimininsh not compared prime years Menapause

Late transitions

• Brings gradual decline for women around 50-decreased hormones slow eggs for uterus + are then considered menapause
• Research shows variable + individual cult woman loss freedom= + look to. Western change+more in culture

Early/Mid Adulthood:

• Able/Indep for life

• different stages known social clk of "right time" for events