Child Development Chapter 3Mr. Bermudez

Theme

•The principles of development help us better understand not only children, but our own behavior

Heredity and Environment

•Developmental psychology: The study of progressive changes in behavior and abilities

•Heredity (nature): Genetic transmission of physical and psychological characteristics from parents to their children

•DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid): Molecular structure shaped like a double helix that contains coded genetic information

Genes

•Specific areas on a strand of DNA that carry hereditary information

▫Dominant: The gene’s feature will appear each time the gene is present

▫Recessive: The gene’s feature will appear only if it is paired with another recessive gene

Polygenic Characteristics

•Personal traits or physical properties that are influenced by many genes working in combination

Temperament and Environment

•Temperament: The inherited physical “core” of personality; includes sensitivity, irritability, distractibility, and typical mood (Kagan, 2000)

•Environment (Nurture): All external conditions that affect a person, especially the effects of learning

Sensitive Period

•A period of increased sensitivity to environmental influences; also, a time when certain events must occur for normal development to take place

Prenatal Influences

•Congenital problem: A problem or defect that occurs during prenatal development; “birth defect”

•Genetic disorder: Problem caused by inherited characteristics from parents (e.g., cystic fibrosis)

Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS)

•Caused by repeated heavy alcohol consumption during pregnancy

• Infants:▫Have low birth weight, a small head, body defects, and

facial malformations

▫Lack cupid’s bow, the bow-shaped portion of the upper lip (look in the mirror to see)

Child Poverty

•https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dK_RnxYdrqU

Plan of Action

•Based upon the video from last class,▫Write a reflection paragraph describing the

video from last class

▫Address the issue

▫Draft a plan of action to deal with the crisis

▫Create 5 essential questions addressed to the class

▫Discuss the opinions with your classmates.

Warm up

•Many people seek thrills by doing things that cause them to be scared.

•What are some of these fear-inducing activities, and why do people engage in them if they cause them to be frightened?

•What does it physically feel like to be scared, and why might people be attracted to those feelings?

• •How would you classify different types of fear?

Why are we afraid?

•http://learning.blogs.nytimes.com/teaching-topics/teaching-topics-halloween/?_r=0

Question

•Why do people often enjoy participating in activities that frighten them; relate their beliefs about ghosts and other elements of the supernatural.

•Create a survey regarding beliefs in ghosts and other supernatural beings and forces.

•As a class, brainstorm the questions that students would like their respondents to answer.

•Write down all of the questions to give to you or to another student to create the actual survey.

Warm Up

•What are some factors which can lead to birth defects?

Teratogens

•Anything capable of directly causing birth defects (e.g., narcotics, radiation, cigarette smoke, lead, and cocaine)

Environments: Deprivation and Enrichment

•Deprivation: Lack of normal stimulation, nutrition, comfort, or love

•Enrichment: When an environment is deliberately made more complex and intellectually stimulating and emotionally supportive

Grasping Reflex

• If an object is placed in the neonate’s palm, she’ll grasp it automatically

•All reflexes are automatic responses (i.e., they come from nature, not nurture)

Rooting Reflex

•Lightly touch the infant’s cheek and he’ll turn toward the object and attempt to nurse; helps infant find bottle or breast

• If a baby’s position is abruptly changed or if he is startled by a loud noise, he will make a hugging motion

Moro Reflex

Maturation

•Physical growth and development of the body, brain, and nervous system

• Increased muscular control occurs in patterns; order of maturation is almost universal

Emotional Development

•Basic emotions: Anger, fear, joy; appear to be unlearned

•Social smile: Smiling elicited by social stimuli; like seeing a parent’s face

The Newborn Baby

•Open up to page 90

•Answer the questions on the worksheet

Warm Up

•How does ones environment impact their development?

Social Development

•Development of self-awareness, attachment to parents/caregivers, and relationships with other children/adults

Contact Comfort (Harlow)

•Pleasant and reassuring feeling babies get from touching something warm and soft, especially their mother

Attachment•Emotional attachment: Close emotional bond that

infants form with parents, caregivers, or others

•Separation anxiety: Crying and signs of fear when a child is left alone or is with a stranger; generally appears around 8-12 months

•Separation anxiety disorder: Severe and prolonged distress displayed by children when separated from parents/caregivers▫Children usually grow out of this

Harry Harlow-Motherless Monkey•https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s0UyT

hOc4OY

•https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ryhj_SGjfAQ

Reflection

•In your group discuss the following

•What is the objective of this experiment?

•How was this experiment conducted?

•What conclusions did Harlow arrive at?

•What are the ethical/moral issues of this experiment?