week 2 - lecture 2 Flashcards
What happens during prenatal development?
- quantitative change
- qualitative change
quantitative change
- preformationism
- spermists vs. ovists
- persistent idea until the 1800s
qualitative change
- cells multiply and differentiate
- embryology
What are the 4 major developmental processes of an embryo?
- cell division
- cell migration
- cell differentiation
- cell death
cell division
zygote divides into various cells which will soon develop into the fetus
cell migration
movement of newly formed cells to an area where they are needed
cell differentiation
- leads to different cell types
- before differentiation, they are known as stem cells
cell death
- apoptosis
- pre-programmed cell death is necessary for various things such as removing our webbed feet and hands
What are the phases of prenatal development?
- zygote
- embryo
- fetus
zygote
- 1-2 weeks
- fertilization
- implantation
- placenta formation
embryo
- 3-8 weeks
- layers of cells
- neural tube
- limbs and organs form
fetus
- 9-38 weeks
- movement
- sensory abilities
- rapid growth
- brain development
John Locke
we start out as a blank slate and we develop ourselves as we go through various experiences
Are newborns a blank slate?
- if true, when is the mind blank
- when does learning begin?
when might learning begin?
fetuses have experience with:
- sight
- motor/tactile
- hearing
- taste/smell
newborn hearing experiment
For last 1 ½ months of pregnancy, mothers read a certain book 2x a day
Babies were given pacifiers which played a certain book ready by the mother when sucked a certain way. Found that they chose to play the book their mother read during pregnancy `
newborn taste experiment
During the last month of pregnancy, mothers were randomly assigned to drink either carrot juice or water.
Less # of negative faces while eating carrot-flavored cereal to carrot juice drinkers
More negative faces to water drinkers
what are some methods to soothe a newborn that provides similarity
- swaddling
- white noise
- rocking
- skin to skin contact
Explain why studies of effects of alcohol on prenatal development are difficult to interpret.
It can be difficult to isolate the effects of alcohol from other lifestyle choices that could be potentially harming the baby. Someone who struggles with binge drinking may also have other addictions.
teratogens
- environmental agents that have the potential to cause harm during prenatal development
- most common is alcohols
sensitive period
damage most likely when exposure occurs when the structures are being formed
thalidomide
drug given to pregnant women to relieve morning sickness but ended up causing a large amount of physical disabilities in newborns
fetal alcohol syndrome
maternal alcoholism associated with facial characteristics, mental disability, attention problems, hyperactivity, etc.
