PSY210: 2. Prenatal Development and the Newborn Flashcards
Prenatal Development
fetus has its own environment in which it behaves, experiences, remembers
newborn capacities + what it has yet to achieve
Prenatal Development
Development begins at conception
Conception occurs when ovum + sperm form zygote
(fertilized egg)
5 days, the zygote floats down the fallopian tube
Prenatal Development
5th day after conception zygote implants itself in the uterine wall
From implantation until 49th day after conception, the organism is called an embryo
From the 8th week until birth, the organism is called a fetus
Three Trimesters
Prenatal Development
change starts at conception
embryo phase: how much fundemental growth happen - organ, major systems, most rapid development
if something goes wrong, they are the most detrimental
speed is a safeguard: short window for hazardous time period
Prenatal Development
period of fetus: 1st - connect + organize systems, 2nd - nervous system development, 3rd - myelination, causes the brain to increase in weight exponentially causing the brain to turn upside down in preparation in birth
Zygote
2 weeks
Fertilization
Implantation “Start of placenta
Embryo
6 weeks
“Arms, legs, face, organs, muscles all develop
“Heart begins beating
Fetus
30 weeks
“Growth and finishing”
World of the Fetus
it behaves - moving, practicing moving, breathing
it experiences smell, hearing
remembers it after born
Fetal Behaviour
fetus is an active contributor to its own development.
Swallowing amniotic fluid promotes normal development of palate + aids in maturation of the digestive system
Fetal Behaviour
By 12 weeks after gestation, most of movements that will be present at birth have appeared
prenatal to postnatal continuity
kicking, grasping, baby steps, touching mouth, suck thumbs
practicing behaviours they need later on
Fetal Behaviour
fetus breath in amniotic fluid to develop lungs
byproducts is tasting + smelling amniotic fluids
behaviours exist in fetus continues to exist when its born
the only thing that changes is the environment
Behavioural Cycles
Rest-activity cycles become stable during second half of pregnancy
Circadian rhythms are also apparent
when is it most active?: fetuses active in squirts
circadian rhythms develops later on
Behavioural Cycles
Near end of pregnancy, fetus’s sleep + wake states similar to those of the newborn
fetus responds to movement of its mother
adjusting its behaviour to environment - to fit its mother behaviour
Fetal Experience
sensory structures present relatively early in prenatal development + play vital role in fetal development + learning
Prenatal visual experience is negligible
Fetal Experience
Fetus experiences tactile stimulation as result of its own activity + tastes + smells amniotic fluid
responds to sounds from at least the
6th month of gestation.
experience through its senses
Fetal Experience
no perceptual light in womb - no visual experience
tactile is fully developed - informs fetus that it is separate from others
touch gives them a double touch - feel it on hands + face with hand
Fetal Experience
touching others: it is not me i’m touching - there’s me + everything else
preference for flavours: what they’re mom’s eat
preference for sweet taste, fetal swallowing increases when increased sweetness of amniotic fluid
Fetal Learning
As early as 32 weeks, fetus decreases responses to repeated or continued stimulation, a simple form of learning called habituation.
they remember because they demonstrate habituation
Fetal Learning
reduction in response to given stimuli
reduction in heart rate = paying attention - goes back to normal
as soon as they learned that sound they stop paying attention
Fetal Learning
Newborn infants have been shown to recognize rhymes and stories presented before birth.
Newborns also prefer smells, tastes, and
sound patterns that are familiar because
of prenatal exposure
Fetal Learning
sucked in a specific pattern, mother played cat in the hat, what they had heard before
they can recognize the poems
orientate toward it when they recognize it from being a fetus
Environmental Influences
Teratogens environmental agents that have the potential to cause harm during prenatal development.
Timing is a crucial factor
in the severity of the
effects of potentially
harmful agents.
! Many agents cause
damage only if
exposure occurs during
a sensitive period in
development.
Environmental Influences
if present during certain time period (early on) it is more likely to be damage
fundamental development - more dangers
Sensitive Periods
darker the green, more likely to cause harm if teratogens are present
all bars are present during embryonic
CNS vulnerable through all stages - brain is complex
Teratogens
Most teratogens show a dose-response relation
Increases in exposure to potential teratogens are associated with greater probabilities of fetal defects and with more severe problems.
Teratogens
we don’t have no evidence on how much of the teratogens
there are several teratogens, we don’t know how they interact
Cigarettes
Cigarette smoking during
pregnancy is linked to
retarded growth and low
birth weight.
Smoking related to mild and severe psychiatric morbidity
underweight, less progressed
Cigarettes
smoking related more likely to be described antipsychotics + antidepressants
reduces oxygen she intakes which is what provides fetus with oxygen
nicotene crosses placenta - brain is developing with presence of nicotene
as adolescents, they have to be prescribed things for those who are trying to quit smoking
their brains are used to nicotene
Alcohol
Fetal Alcohol Syndrome is a set of physical, mental, and neurobehavioural birth defects associated with alcohol consumption during pregnancy and is the leading known and preventable cause of mental retardation
Alcohol
decrease intelligence
reduce oxygen, fermentation requires extra oxygen
developing in alcohol rich environment
only seen in mothers who consumed it excessively throughout
State of Arousal
infant’s level of arousal + engagement in environment
Ranges from deep sleep to intense activity
Six States of Arousal
Active sleep Quiet sleep Crying
active: 8 hours, moving
quiet: isn’t moving 8 hours
crying: 2 hours
Six States of Arousal
Active awake Alert awake Drowsing
active awake: physically awake 2.5
alert awake: still, but they follow with eyes 2.5
drowsing: state between awake + asleep 1 hour
there is variability, they switch all the time
Newborn States
Develop before birth
! Give evidence of some important principles of human behaviour:
human behaviour is organized
human beings are not passive
Newborn States
they aren’t born with random behaviour
organized from birth - even prior
we are not inherently passive - choosing for themselves
adjust to environment over time
Sleep
Newborns sleep twice as much as young adults
The pattern of two different sleep states changes dramatically
sleep is important - REM: eyes moving, moving, we associate with dreaming, more rem
NREM: non active
Sleep
REM (rapid eye movement) sleep: an active sleep state associated with dreaming in adults and is characterized by quick, jerky eye movements under closed lids
! Non-REM sleep: a quiet or deep sleep state characterized by the absence of motor activity or eye movements and by regular, slow brain waves, breathing, and
heart rate
Proportion of REM and non- REM Sleep Across the Life Span
REM sleep constitutes 50% of a newborn’s total sleep time and declines rapidly to 20% by 3 or 4 years of age.
