psych 301 chapter 2

teratogen

an external agent that can cause damage or death during prenatal development

developmental resilience

successful development in spite of multiple and seemingly overwhelming developmental hazards

apoptosis

genetically programmed cell death

dishabituation

the introduction of a new stimulus rekindles interest following habituation to a repeated stimulus

Describe the DeCasper and Spence Cat in the Hat study. What did they ask pregnant women to do, and why? What did they examine in the newborns of these women? What were their results, and what can be learned from these results?

Cat in the Hat Study - asked pregnant women to read aloud twice a day from the cat and the hat during the last 6 weeks of pregnancy. b. the women's fetuses were repeatedly exposed to the same highly rhythmical pattern of speech sounds c. researchers tested newborns to see if they recognized the story after birth d. infants were fitted with mini headphones and given a special pacifier e. when infants sucked in on particular pattern, they heard the familiar story, and when they sucked at a different pattern, they heard a different story. f. babies quickly increased their sucking to enable themselves to hear the familiar story g. thus, the newborns recognized and found comfort in the story they heard in the womb. h. infants remember and experience auditory learning in the womb which influences what they prefer to listen to outside of the womb.

neural tube

a groove formed in the top layer of differentiated cells in the embryo that eventually becomes the brain and spinal cord

habituation

a simple form of learning that involves a decrease in response to repeated or continued stimulation

Describe the newborn's states of arousal.

a. Quiet sleep - 8 hours, same as active sleep - non- REM sleep- quiet sleep state, characterized by the absence of motor activity or eye movements. b. active sleep - 8 hours, same as quiet sleep - REM sleep- associated with dreaming in adults. - characterized by quick, jerky eye movement under closed lids. - distinct pattern of brain activity - infants spent most time in REM sleep but then declines when they get older, 50-20% when they turn 3 or 4. - twitching may help infants develop sensorimotor maps c. drowsing - one hour d. alert awake - 2.5 hrs, same as active awake e. active awake - 2.5 hrs, same as alert awake f. crying - two hours, crying increased and peaks around 6-8 weeks old. - crying decreased around 3 or 4 months of age when infant has more control of environment

Describe the four major developmental processes underlying the development of a fetus: cell division, cell migration, cell differentiation, and apoptosis. For each process, provide an explanation of what occurs during the process as well as an example of the process. Be sure to specify when during the development of the fetus each process comes into play.

a. cell division - cell division is known as mitosis - within 12 hours after fertilization, the zygote divides into two equal parts, each containing a full complement of genetic material. - these 2 cells then divide into 4, those 4 into 8, those 8 into 16, and so on. - through continued cell division over the next 38 weeks, the barely visable zygote becomes a newborn with trillions of cells. b. cell migration - occurs during the embryonic period - the movement of newly formed cells away from their point of origin - among the many cells that migrate are the neurons that originate deep inside the embryonic brain, and then, like pioneers settling in, travel to the outer reaches of the developing brain. c. cell differentiation - initially, all of the embryo's cells, referred to as embryonic stem cells, are equivalent and interchangeable, none has any fixed fate or function. - after several cell divisions, however, these cells start to specialize in terms of both structure and function. - one key determinant deciding which cells becomes what is which genes in the cell are switched on or expressed. another determinant is the cell's location, because its future development is influenced by what is going on in neighboring cells. example of cell differentiation- frog embryos, if the region of a frog embryo that would normally become an eye is grafted onto its belly area early in fetal development, the transplanted region will develop as a normal part of the belly. d. apoptosis - death - genetically programmed cell death -enables prenatal development example of apoptosis- hand development, the formation of fingers depends on the death of the cells in between the ridges in the hand plate.

Describe the multiple-risk model and how it applies to the association between poverty and birth outcomes.

a. risk factors tend to occur together b. example- a woman addicted to alcohol, cocaine, or heroin, that she continues to abuse the substance even tho she's pregnant is likely to be under a great deal of stress and unlikely eat well, take vitamins, or earn a good income. c. the likelihood of developing a disorder is slightly elevated for the child of parents who fight a lot, but if the child's family is also poor, the father engages in criminal behavior, and the mother suffers emotionally, the child's risk multiplies nearly tenfold. d. the more risk factors, the worse the potential outcomes e. the existence of multiple risks is strongly related to socioeconomic status f. children growing up in poverty are disproportionately drawn from racial and ethnic minority groups that have historically faced barriers to economic success.

premature

any child born at 37 weeks after conception or earlier ****book says 37, notes say 37, quiz said 35 once******

infant mortality

death during the first year after birth

newborn states of arousal

quiet sleep, active sleep, drowsing, alert awake, active awake, crying

REM sleep

rapid eye movement sleep, an active sleep state associated with dreaming in adults. characterized by quick, jerky, eye movements under closed lids, irregular heart rate and breathing.

fetus

the developing human organism from 9 weeks after conception to birth

A couple with a newborn cannot agree on how much their new baby knows about his new world. The baby's mother insists that he does not recognize anything and that he would not know the difference if he were suddenly transported to a different planet, complete with different sights, sounds, smells, and so forth. The baby's father, however, argues that the baby learned a lot while in the uterus and thus recognizes many features of his new world. Identify which parent is more accurate and discuss at least four pieces of evidence to support that parent's view.

the father is the most accurate. a. the sensory structures are present relatively early in prenatal development and play a vital role in fetal development and learning b. fetus experience tactile stimulation as a result of its own activity. c. tastes the amniotic fluid so when out of the womb, will respond to the foods the mother ate while the child was In utero. d. smells the amniotic fluid so will respond to cells outside the womb. e. responds to sound from at least 6 months of gestation so will be able to recognize voices of mother and father outside the womb. f. will not be able to see because it's dark in utero, so visual experience will not be stimulated.

embryo

the name given to the developing organism from the 3rd to 8th week of prenatal development

cephalocaudal development

the pattern of growth in which areas near the head develop earlier than areas farther from the head

sensitive period

the period of time during which a developing organism is most sensitive to the effects of external factors; prenatally, the sensitive period is when the fetus is maximally sensitive to the harmful effects of teratogens

conception

the union of an egg from the mother and a sperm from the father