chapter 11: the development of body, thought, language Flashcards
developmental psychology
the study of changes that occur in people’s abilities and suppositions as they grow older
how much spent do men release in each ejaculation
about 250 million
where is the egg when it’s impregnated
in the Fallopian tube which connects the ovaries to the uterus (womb)
three phases of the prenatal period
zygotic (germinal), embryonic, foetal
how long is the zygotic phase
the first two weeks
how many zygotes don’t survive the earliest phase of development and how many of those don’t survive later stages
40% early stages, 1/3 spontaneous abortion
when do embryo’s major organ systems develop
in the embryonic phase
when does the embryonic phase happen
from the third to about the eight weeks after conception
how does the embryo receive nutrition from the mother’s blood stream
via the umbilical cord and placenta
when does the foetal phase happen
from about 9 weeks until the birth (38 weeks after contraception)
what happens in the foetal phase
growth and refinement of organs and body structure
what are the sizes of the foetus at 3 months
it’s about 2.5 inches long and weighs about half an ounce
how large is the baby when it’s born
about 20 inches long and about 7.5 pounds
what percentage makes the head for a baby and for an adult?
20% for a baby and 12% for the adult
cephalocaudal development
change in proportion, with the development progressing essential from head to foot
what happens by the end of 12th week
all the organs are formed and are in the same proportion to each other as in a full-term newborn, just smaller
when does external genitalia begin to differentiate between males and females and when is it fully developed
differentiates at 9 weeks, fully formed at 12
when does the embryo begin to move, when does the activity increase and when do women start feeling it move
begins to move at 8 weeks, activity increases at 12, women feel it in the 5th month
when do infants start responding to their mothers’ heart beats and voice
by 6 months
what are teratogens
environmental agents that cause harm during prenatal development, most are in the form of substances that get into the baby’s system through the umbilical cord - weed, cocaine, heroin, antibiotics, antidepressants, sex hormones, alcohol, tobacco
in what period can teratogens affect the course of development of organs the most
between the 3rd and 8th week
what happened with the drug thalidomide
it was prescribed in the 1960s for morning sickness, woman who took it between 3rd and 8th week had children with deformed limbs and damage to other organs, but women who took it later in pregnancy didn’t
what happens to babies whose mothers had poor diets during pregnancy
tend to have low birth weights, but then grow up to become overweight or obese during childhood - thrifty phenotypes storing more fat than children whose prenatal diets were more nutritious
what characteristics do children who were prenatally exposed to higher levels of stress hormone have?
higher anxiety, fearfulness, temperamental difficulty, impulsitivity, reduced executive functions, reduced executive functions, impaired attention, higher aggression, risk taking