7: Developmental 3 Flashcards
Where do environmental influences begin?
From conception
- food preferences start in womb
- malnutrition, schizophrenia, and antisocial personality disorder can all start
What is a teratogen?
A Teratogen is a factor or influence that can influence the development of the embryo
They can include:
- Biological (things like viruses)
- Chemical (smoking cigarettes, alcohol)
- Physical (ex/ radiation)
What’s an example of physical developments infants are born with? What can they mean?
All infants are born with reflexes - inborn responses to stimuli
- rooting reflex (turn towards touch)
- sucking reflex (finding the nipple)
- Moro reflex (reflex to break child’s fall)
They appear at birth and disappear 4/5 months later.
If they start coming back, there may be some underlying issues.
How does our brain develop as a child? what are we born with? What happens after birth?
We are born with all our neurons (100-200 billion) but they’re aren’t densely connected to each other
- neural blooming: Incredible growth in neuron ends
- neural pruning: Getting rid of neurons and connections that we don’t need
Do animals and humans imprint:
Animals do (think baby ducks). Humans do not. We develop long standing connections or bonds with others.
- starts around 6 months old.
How do children attach to their parents?
Social reflexes: Crying, laughing, cooing, eye-contact
- The child will also use their parents as a safe space (think dad pre and post shave example)
- How they attach depends on how their parents interact with them
Ex/ The stranger situation paradigm (parents leave room, parents come back, observe behavior)
What are the four response types to the stranger situation paradigm?
- Secure: Child recovers when parent returns. Normal.
- Ambivalent: Happy that their mother is back but angry at same time. Due to inconsistent treatment.
- Avoidant: A bit more calm, but avoids parents.
- Unorganized: Erratic, runs away from parents (child has been abused).
What are the pros of attachment to your parents and what are the cons of being anxiously attached?
Pros:
- better academic performance
- higher self esteem
- more trusting
Cons of being anxiously attached:
- more likely to suffer depression
dreams about rejection
Summarize the development of self-concept. What can a positive self-concept do?
If you point a red dot on face and put in front of mirror…
- A child < 18 months old will reach for “child in mirror”
- Around 18 months old, child reaches for themselves, not red dot
They will point to themselves in a picture at around 2-3 years old
Around 6 years old, they identify as part of a group
Positive self concepts…
- greater confidence
- better performance in school
- more independent
- more willing to try new things
Name the 4 parentings styles:
Authoritarian:
- Strict and tightly monitors kid
Permissive:
- kid runs the show and anything goes. Loving and nurturing, but not enough demands/limits
Uninvolved:
- Indifferent, uninvolved, neglectful
Authoritative:
- reasonable demands and expresses warmth and affection
Can you train parents?
You can indeed train parents.
Ex/ the graph on slides shows that the trained parents grew much more securely attached vs the non-trained parents.
