1. Unit 2: Development across Lifespan
Infancy to Childhood

2. Developmental Psychology
Focus on how people grow and change throughout their lifespan
How does heredity and environmental influences contribute to human development
Maturation – the automatic & sequential process of development that results from genetic signals.
Infant sits up
Crawls before stands
Stands before walks

3. Physical growth Infancy – birth to 2 years old
Development of body and brain –
Infants double birth weight in 5 months, triple it in a year
Grow about 10 inches in the first year
Malnutrition – body doesn’t get enough nutrients
If prolonged it causes permanent physical and brain development defects
Growth is stunted, severely under weight, decaying teeth, slow reactions, swollen stomach, muscle weakness, problems with organ function
Every 6 seconds, a child dies of malnutrition

4. Reflexes
Reflex – involuntary reaction or response. Example: breathing, pooping
Born with reflexes
Some are essential to our survival, others are temporary
Grasping reflex – placing finger in center of babies palm, they grab it.
Doctor/nurse tests this moments after birth
Rooting reflex – babies turn their head toward stimuli that touch their cheek or corners of their mouth. Once found, they start to suckling.
Important to survival!
Moro (startle) reflex – pull up their legs and arch back in response to sudden sounds or bumps
Attempt to withdraw from pain
Babinski reflex – raise big toe when sole of feet are touched

5. Perceptual Development
Process by which infants learn to make sense of sights, sounds, tastes, and other sensations
5 – 10 week old infants prefer visual complex patterns (they like the variety & complexity)
15 – 20 weeks infants begin to prefer patterns that look like human faces.
Nature vs. Nurture – the influence of nurture is shown by preference for faces
Visual cliff – set up to give the illusion of a cliff
Infants are unafraid when placed near the age
At 9 months, they seem afraid of the edge

6. attachment Attachment - Emotional ties between people
Essential to survival of infants
Children try to stay with people with whom they are attached
At first infants prefer to be held by anyone, rather than be left alone. At 4 months, the preference for specific people develops.
Stranger Anxiety – fear of strangers (8 months)
Separation Anxiety – cry or express fear if mothers are away (8 months)
Contact comfort – instinctual need to touch or be touched by something soft (skin/fur)
Attachment grows from bodily contact, not feeding
Harlow monkey experiment

7. Imprinting For many animals, attachment is instinct
Ducks, geese, & some other animals attach to first moving object they see
Imprinting – process by which some animals immediately attach
Humans do not imprint, it takes months for children to become attached to caregivers
Secure attachment – (affectionate/reliable caregivers) cry when separated/happy when return
Insecure attachment – (unreliable/unresponsive caregivers) don’t care when parents leave, cry when picked up (as if angry)

8. Parenting Styles
Authoritarian Family – parents that believe in obedience for it’s own sake.
Strict guidelines that must be followed without question
Children become either resistant to people or dependent
Don’t do as well in school
Less friendly
Less spontaneous
Authoritative/Democratic Family – parents combine affection with age appropriate rules & responsibility.
Children are often more independent and achievement oriented
Feel good about themselves
Combination of affection with demands for responsible behavior usually works well.

9. Types of Child Abuse Domestic Violence – physical battery or assault
Sexual Abuse – sexual victimization of a child by another child, adolescent or adult (80% of victims know their attacker)
Neglect – failure to provide adequate food, shelter, clothing, emotional support, or schooling.

10. "Existing research suggests that individuals whose parents espoused authoritarian attitudes toward parenting (e.g., valuing obedience to authority) are more likely to endorse conservative values as adults."

11. Exit Ticket What are two things you did not know before this class?
What was the most interesting thing you learned today? Explain.
Is there anything you learned today, that you would discuss with someone outside this class? Why or why not?