1. Developmental Psychology
Chapter Three

2. Development involves the processes and stages of growth
from conception across the life
span. It encompasses changes in
physical, cognitive, and social
behaviors.

3. I. Prenatal/Infant Development

4. A. Heredity-Environmental Issues
Continuity versus stages of development.
Stability versus change.
Nature versus nurture.
Nature: the result of inheritance (heredity)
Nurture: the result of what we have learned
Most people today see it as interaction between nature and nurture

6. 40 days 45 days 2 months 4 months

7. B. Prenatal Development
1. Zygote (day 1 to day 8)
The fertilized egg
Enters a 2 week period of rapid cell division
Develops into an embryo
2. Embryo
The developing human organism from 2 weeks through 2nd month
Milestones: heartbeat begins (day 25), facial features form, critical neurological development occurs
3. Fetus
The developing human organism from 9 weeks after conception to birth
Organ systems begin to function

8. 8

9. B. Prenatal Development
4. Teratogens
agents, such as chemicals and viruses, that can reach the embryo or fetus during prenatal development and cause harm
Includes alcohol, nicotine, cocaine, lead, prescription drugs, or viruses
5. Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS)
physical and cognitive abnormalities in children caused by a pregnant woman’s heavy drinking.
symptoms include facial misproportions

10. C. Infant Development
Infants can see, hear, smell, and respond to the environment.
2. Infants are also able to do quite a bit physically
3. Goes from an environment in which he/she is totally protected from the world to one which he/she is assaulted by lights, sounds, etc.
3. Born with certain inborn movements called reflexes
Grasping reflex- an infant’s clinging response to a touch on the palm of the hand (can be lifted in the air)
Rooting reflex- an infant’s response to a touch near the mouth (turns toward the source of touch)

11. C. Infant Development 3. Major motor milestones:
2 months: Lifts head up
2 ½ months: Rolls over
3 months: Sits propped up
4 months: Smile
5-6 months: Grasp objects
6 months: Sits without support
6 ½ months: Stands holding on
8-10 months: Crawling
9 months: Walks holding on
11 months: Stands alone
12 months: Walks alone
17 months: Walks up steps

12. D. Maturation 2. It is as important as learning or experience.
1. The internally programmed growth of a child.
2. It is as important as learning or experience.
Very important during the first year
3. Children normally develop according to a general schedule unless underfed, restricted in movements, or deprived of human contact
4. Children can only do such skills when their bodies are physically ready (maturational readiness)
No amount of pushing or coaching by a parent will make a child maturate before they are ready. 12

13. E. Perceptual Development
1. Infants are born with perception skills
2. Robert Fantz showed that infants different faces and discovered that they prefer looking at human faces and patterned materials the most.
Infants also benefit greatly from being touched by their parents
3. Another experiment used a visual cliff
Platform– part has a checkerboard pattern and the other part consists of a sheet of glass with a checkerboard pattern a few feet below it
Older infants (6 months and older) refused to cross over the cliff
Young infants seemed unafraid but had changes in heart rates 13

14. II. Cognitive Development14

15. A. What is Cognitive Development?
1. Process where a child’s understanding of the world changes based on their age and experience
2. Children think differently from adults in many ways
They form their own hypotheses about how the world works 15

16. B. Works of Jean Piaget 1. Swiss psychologist
2. Spent years studying the intelligence, or the ability of the child
Will develop as the child grows
3. Also spent time observing, questioning, and playing games with babies and young children
4. As children’s intelligence grows, the amount of information they know increases; the way they think also changes 16

17. C. How Toddlers Learn
Able to understand the world by the construction of schemas (mental representations of the world)
2. Assimilation
The process of fitting a new object into one’s schemas
3. Accommodation
The process where we change our schema to fit the characteristics of the new object
4. When events do not fit into existing schemas, new and grander schemas have to be created 17

18. D. The Principle of Conservation
1. Happens between ages 5 to 7
2. Means that they understand that the amount of something does not change when its appearance changes
3. Conservation is closely related to egocentrism
Means that they cannot understand someone else’s viewpoint 18

19. Preconserving child will say that one stick is longer.
Conserving child will say that they are the same length
Preconserving child will say that the long piece has more clay.
Conserving child will say that they have the same amount of clay. 19

20. E. Piaget’s Stages of Cognitive Development
Approximate Age
General Characteristics
Sensorimotor
Birth – 2 years
Behavior consists of simple motor responses to sensory stimuli; lacks concept of object permanence.
Preoperational
2 – 7 years
Lacks operations (reversible mental processes); exhibits egocentric thinking; lacks concept of conservation; uses symbols (such as words or mental images) to solve simple problems or to talk about things that are not present.
Concrete operations
7 – 11 years
Begins to understand concept of conservation; still has trouble with abstract ideas; classification abilities improve; masters concept of conservation
Formal operations
11 years – onward
Understands abstract ideas and hypothetical situations; capable of logical and deductive reasoning. 20