1. PSYC 206
Lifespan Development
Bilge Yagmurlu

2. Chapter Overview Physical Growth Sensing the Environment
The Organization of Behavior
Becoming Coordinated with the Social World
Temperament

3. Physical Growth In 12 weeks, infants Gain weight Grow
Expanding head circumference
Growth charts

4. Brain Development The brain at birth
Contains most of the neurons it will ever have.

5. Brain Development Growth in brain size as a result of:
Neuronal connections
Synaptogenesis
Synapse: Site where a nerve impulse is transmitted from one neuron to another.

6. A nerve cell, or a neuron, consists of many different parts.
Brain Development
A nerve cell, or a neuron, consists of many different parts. 6

7. Brain Development Myelination
Insulates axons and speeds transmission of impulses 7

8. Central Nervous System
Brain, brain stem and spinal cord

9. Central Nervous System
Spinal cord: extends from below the waist to the base of the brain.
Brain stem: controls reflexes as blinking and sucking and vital functions such as breathing.

10. Central Nervous System
Cerebral cortex: outermost layer and center for perception of patterns, decision making, speech, planning and execution of complex motor sequences 10

11. Development of the Brain
Two major classes of development:
Experience-expectant process
Experience-dependent process 11 11

12. Development of the Brain
Experience-expectant process
Under genetic controls, occur in any environment
Exuberant synoptogenesis
Species-universal experiences are required for fine-tuning neural connections.
Synaptic pruning

13. Development of the Brain
Experience-expectant process
Species-universal experiences are required for fine-tuning neural connections.

14. Development of the Brain
Experience-dependent process
Initiated in response to experience
These processes have evolved to allow the organism to take advantage of new and changing information in the environment. 14

15. Development of the Brain
Experience-dependent process
Example: work on enriched environments by Rosenzweig and colleagues.
Impoverished
environment
Rat brain
cell
Enriched 15

16. Development of the Brain

17. Sensing the Environment
Newborns’ sensory systems
Variations in functioning show importance of systems for survival
Indications of sensation
Habituation
Dishabituation

18. How to measure sensory reactions?
Measure reaction to stimuli
Does a baby turn her head in the direction of a sound?
Habituation paradigm: relies on infants’ tendency to pay less and less attention to a repeatedly presented stimulus
dishabituation

19. Sensing the Environment
Newborns’ sensory systems
Variations in functioning show importance of systems for survival
Indications of sensation: perceiving an object or event

20. Early Sensory Capacities
as opposed to the views of earlier century thinkers (e.g., John Locke’s tabula rasa), babies enter the world with some well-organized behaviors
sensory capacities: visual, auditory, taste-related, and tactile capacities are all functioning but, some capacities are more mature than others
looking, sucking, and crying are 3 behaviors that, unlike reflexes, are often not elicited by a discrete, identifiable stimulus

21. Early Sensory Capacities

22. Hearing Sensitivity to phonemes
2-month-olds can perceive distinctions used in all the world’s languages
By about 6 to 8 months of age, only the sounds made in the language(s) they hear

23. Hearing
Infants can distinguish the sound of the human voice from other kinds of sounds, and seem to prefer it.
Are particularly interested in speech with the high pitch and slow, exaggerated pronun- ciation

24. Vision Newborns are very nearsighted Visual acuity for one foot away
Newborns are able to:
scan their surroundings
perceive patterns and distinguish among forms.
show a preference for faces
distinguish their mother’s face

25. Vision: an artist’s conception

26. Perception of Faces

27. Taste and Smell Responses to Sweet tastes and smells
Example: breast milk
Sour, bitter, and salty tastes

28. Taste sensitivity to taste may be present before birth
newborns prefer sweet substances than plain water-- suck longer with fewer pauses

29. Intermodal Perception
The simultaneous perceiving of an object or event by more than one sensory system

30. The Organization of Behavior
Behavioral organization is important for
Interacting more effectively and adaptively with their surroundings
Increasing physical control and coordination
Smiling in response to the smiles of others
Performing deliberate actions

31. The Organization of Behavior
Reflexes
Highly organized specific involuntary responses to specific types of stimulation
Building blocks for action
Some are adaptive, temporarily or permanently
Unusual patterns may be informative about development

33. Grasping Reflex
When a finger or some other object is pressed against the baby’s palm, the baby’s fingers close around it

34. Piaget’s Theory of Developing Action
Sensorimotor Stage
Perspective
Infants gain knowledge largely by coordinating sensory perceptions and simple motor responses

35. Becoming Coordinated with the Social World
Infants’ survival depends on:
Responsive caregivers
Coordinate their own actions with those of caregivers

36. Crying Primitive means of communication The effects of infant crying:
Evokes a strong emotional response in adults
Warning that something may be wrong
Certain distinctive patterns may indicate difficulties

37. Temperament Individual differences in infants Traits
both genetic and environmental bases
Traits
Consistent across situations
Some stability over time 37 37

38. Temperament
constitutionally based individual differences in emotional, motor, and attentional reactivity and self-regulation”
constitution: biological make-up.
interaction of heredity, maturation and experience
It refers to general disposition and overall behavioral style 38 38

39. Classifying Temperament
Chess and Thomas classified babies as one of following:
Easy babies
Difficult babies
Slow-to-warm-up babies 39 39

40. Temperament Problems with general profiles:
Example: Difficult temperament 40 40

41. Classifying Temperament
Rothbart and colleagues’ 3 dimensions:
Reactivity
Affect
Self-regulation 41 41

42. Measurement of Temperament
Lab Observation
expose children to strangers or toys and note child’s responses. Widely used and reliable measure
Some problems/limitations:
researcher can examine limited range of behaviors
lab setting may elicit atypical expressions of temperament
child’s behaviors can be influenced by transient factors such as mood 42 42

43. Measurement of Temperament
Questionnaire
Researcher asks adults who know the child well
Provides rich source of data on child’s temperament 43 43

44. INFANT BEHAVIOR QUESTIONNAIRE M. K. Rothbart
Temperament dimensions:
Activity Level
Smiling and Laughter
Distress and Latency to Approach Sudden or Novel Stimuli
Distress to Limitations
Soothability
Duration of Orienting 44

45. INFANT BEHAVIOR QUESTIONNAIRE M. K. Rothbart
Activity Level Child’s gross motor activity, including movement of arms and legs, squirming and locomotor activity.
Smiling and Laughter Smiling or laughter from the child in any situation.
Distress and Latency to Approach Sudden or Novel Stimuli The child’s distress to sudden changes in stimulation and the child’s distress and latency of movement toward a novel, social, or physical object. 45

46. INFANT BEHAVIOR QUESTIONNAIRE M. K. Rothbart
Distress to Limitations Child’s fussing, crying, or showing distress while: a) waiting for food; b) refusing a food; c) being in a confining place or position; d) being dressed or undressed; or e) being prevented access to an object toward which the child is directing her/his attention.
Soothability Child’s reduction of fussing, crying, or distress when soothing techniques are used by the caretaker of child.
Duration of Orienting The child’s vocalization, looking at, and/or interaction with a single object for extended periods of time when there has been no sudden change in stimulation. 46