Chapter 3Development –

Infancy and Childhood

Development Psychology Womb to tomb

Study of age-related changes in behavior and mental processes

Nature vs NutureBiggest debate in psychology

Nature – what you were born with

Nuture – how you are raised and affected by your environment

NewbornsAt birth – can see, hear and respond

Grasping ReflexClinging response when hand is touched

Rooting ReflexWhen touched around mouth baby will turn toward

touch and suck

SIDSSudden Infant Death Syndrome

#1 cause of death during first year

Theory – nervous system fails to turn reflex into voluntary action to breath

Back to sleep campaign

Physical DevelopmentAve. birth weight – 7.3lbs (5.5lbs – 10 lbs)

14lb baby born in Mexico (Jan 2007) “Super Tonio”Biggest Ever – 23 lbs. (1879) Died shortly after birth

Perceptual DevelopmentPrefer human faces

and patterns

Benefit from parents touch

Visual Cliff Experiment

Language DevelopmentDebate is it learned or inherited

Critical PeriodA window of opportunity for learning a skillImpriniting

Language DevelopmentImprinting

Process that occurs at a preset time in development, when the brain is ready

Mama Dada

Language Development

1 yr – Babbling

2 yrs - vocab 500-1500 words

Telegraphic SpeechWords are left out but meaning is clear

Some grammar“Daddy goed”

Genie: “The Wild Child Turn to page 69 in your

book

Read about Genie