Introduction to PsychologySuzy Scherf

Lecture 3: How Did We Get Here?

Ontogeny

Important Concepts for Human Ontogeny

1. Human behavior, motivation, and cognition change predictably throughout life.

2. Human infants are good at harvesting resources from adults.

3. Human abilities develop when they are needed and not before.

4. Neotney -

5. Infants’ immaturity may be functionally important

6. All over the world children’s behavior is held to different standards than is adults’.

Important Concepts for Human Ontogeny

7. Development is not just an inevitable period of immaturity.

Important Concepts for Human Ontogeny

Ecology of Human Development

Keeping the ecology of human development in mind will help understand the relevant tasks and problems that the developing person has to solve.

Ecology of Human Development

1. Prenatally -

2. Neonatally and during Early Childhood-

3. Later Childhood and Adulthood-

Ecology of Human DevelopmentRelevant Conflicts:

1. Prenatally -

2. Neonatally and during Early Childhood-

3. Later Childhood and Adulthood-

Prenatal Development

• Major developmental task of prenatal fetus is -

•What happens from conception to birth?

Prenatal Development

1. 0-2 wks - Ovum Stage

2. 3-8 wks - Embryonic Stage -

Prenatal Development

3. 8-40 wks - Fetal Stage

Prenatal DevelopmentSex Determination - Prenatal Wk. 12

• Without testosterone

• Testosterone in the womb does two things:

A. Defeminize

B. Masculinize

Prenatal Development• Disorders related to prenatal sex development

1. XY Female/Androgen Intolerance -

Prenatal Development• Disorders related to prenatal sex development

2. Adrenogenital Syndrome -

Prenatal Development• Homosexuality and prenatal sex development

Preliminary evidence:

• Birth order effect –

• Moms building antibodies to Y-linked factors

Prenatal Brain Development

Prenatal DevelopmentConflict between developing fetus and mother for resources:

• Fetus has evolved hormonal means of manipulating the mother

• Conflict can lead to -

Prenatal Development

Prenatal Risk Factors:

Prenatal Risk Factors

Mom’s nutrition:

• No folic acid =

• No Iodine =

• Not enough protein =

Prenatal Risk Factors

Mom’s ingestion of drugs:

• Drugs (including heroine, cocaine, and marijuana) can cause

• Smoking can cause

Prenatal Risk Factors

Mom’s ingestion of drugs:

• Alcohol can cause

Prenatal Risk Factors

Mom’s exposure to stress and illness:

• Chronic stress -

• Rubella -

• Chicken pox -

Prenatal Risk Factors

Mom’s exposure to stress and illness:

• Gonorrhea -

• Chlamydia -

• HIV -

Neonatal Development

Major developmental task of neonatal infants to recruit sufficient resources from parents that support early physical, emotional, social and cognitive development.

Neonatal Development

Developmental changes in the brain:

1. Programmed cell death -

2. Aborization -

Newborn Brain Development Arborization

Neonatal Development

Developmental changes in the brain:

3. Pruning of processes -

4. Myelination -

Neonatal Development

Organized and Selective Set of Behaviors:

1. Survival reflexes -

2. Complex reflexes -

3. Ability to detect contingencies

4. Ability to imitate

Neonatal Organized and Selective Set of Behaviors

Neonatal Organized and Selective Set of Behaviors

Neonate imitating facial expressions

Neonatal Development

Organized and Selective Set of Behaviors:

5. Some controlled eye movements

6. Poor visual acuity -

7. No depth perception -

8. Keen sense of smell

Developing Visual Acuity

Depth Perception and the Visual Cliff

Neonatal Development

Organized and Selective Set of Behaviors:

9. Can differentiate sweet/sour tastes

10. Great hearing -

11. Categorical perception

Phoneme Sensitivity

Categorical Perception

Consonant Change

Neonatal Development

Organized and Selective Set of Behaviors:

12. Are sensitive to facial expressions of others within first few months

13. Know the difference between happy and fearful facial expressions by 5-6 months

14. Show temperamental profiles early in infancy -

Preference for faces from very beginning

Neonatal Development

Human babies evaluating the resources available to support development and setting up facultative and obligate responses to local environment.

What kinds of facultative mechanisms might babies be setting up in response to their local environment?

Neonatal Development

What kinds of facultative mechanisms might babies be setting up in response to their local environment?

1.

2.

Neonatal Development

What kinds of facultative mechanisms might babies be setting up in response to their local environment?

3.

4.

Neonatal Development

What kinds of obligate mechanisms might babies be setting up as a result of input from their local environment?

1.

2.

Neonatal Development

What kinds of obligate mechanisms might babies be setting up as a result of input from their local environment?

3.

Neonatal DevelopmentHow might timing of experiences in the local environment affect the development of facultative and obligate traits in infants?

Critical Period Effects:

1. Facultative Traits -

Neonatal Development

How might timing of experiences in the local environment affect the development of facultative and obligate traits in infants?

Critical Period Effects:

2. Obligate Traits -

Later Childhood Development

Essential developmental tasks:

1. Develop a self-concept -

2. Peer relations -

Later Childhood Development

Essential developmental tasks:

3. Play -

4. Setting Social Clock -

Later Childhood Development

Essential developmental tasks:

5. Develop an understanding of causality -

6. Develop a sense of morality -

Later Childhood Development

Essential developmental tasks:

7. Developing sense of gender roles -