1. Development Over the Lifespan (Chapter 14)
Lecture Outline:
Prenatal Development
Infant development
Jean Piaget’s stage theory
Videotape on infant skills (Magna M10)

3. Early neurological development
90% of neural growth completed by age 6
At birth, brain stem developed but cerebral cortex is immature
Brain growth influenced by diet: vitamins and fat
Early brain trauma, seizures, or reflex difficulties indicate neurological abnormalities

4. Six months gestation: Nervous system and crucial internal organs

5. Last three months: Body weight, surface features (hair, skin)

6. Prenatal problems German measles: eyes, ear, heart
X-rays, toxins, Pb, Hg: attention, IQ
Sexually transmitted diseases: Herpes, Aids
Cigarette smoking: low birthweight, SIDS
Binge or chronically excessive alcohol use: FAS, learning and attention problems

7. What can neonates do?
John Locke tabula rosa,and James “blooming, buzzing confusion”
We now think infants can do much more:
visually: focal length, tracking, preference for “face” and contrast
auditory: Moro or startle, respond to voice contours
gustatory: sucking reflex; sweet and own mother’s breast milk smell; don’t like sour
touch: rooting, grasping; but why stepping reflex?

9. Basic Developmental Questions
Maturation vs. learning; hair color is canalized (high nature); writing is not (high learning)
Example: Nature-Nurture debate over intelligence
Example: Cultural variation in child-rearing practice
Continuity vs. discontinuity; Stages occur in sequence, rapid transition, behavior organized
locomotion, butterflys, sexual maturity, swim badges
at what age do these transitions happen?
Example: Does cognitive development occur in a stages?

11. Jean Piaget’s Theory
Coherent problem-solving underlies children’s thought and progresses through a series of stages
Schemas, are mental frameworks that allow children to adapt to their environment
Assimilation: New information fits existing schemas: bang spoons and sticks on pots;
Accommodation: New information does not fit -- schema must change: squeeze “Teddy” but not the dog

12. Stages of development
Sensorimotor: birth to age 2; reflexive actions are used to provide sensations
egocentrism, object permanence, and representational thought by 2
Pre-operational: age 2 to 7; representational thought and verbal communication
intentional experimentation with objects and language through play
Conservation: physical properties of objects can remain the same even when form or appearance changes

13. Conservation of number
Most young children would agree that both rows have the same # of cows
Preoperational children age 2-7 would think there were more cows
in the top row
Children who have reached the Formal Operations stage of cognitive development (age 7-11 years) will recognize that the number of cows has not changed even though they appear to take up more space due to the increased distance between them.

14. Videotape: Overview of cognitive milestones in infancy