life span development notes-chapter 2

7/29/2019 Life Span Development Notes-Chapter 2

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DevelopmentalPsychology

Chapter 2 (66-74)


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Prenatal Diagnostic Tests

iological Beginnings

Ultrasound Tests

often conducted 7 weeks into pregnancy

Prenatal medical procedure in which high-frequency sound waves are directed into the pregnant

womans abdomen

Can detect many structural abnormalities in the fetus (including microencephaly)form of

mental retardation involving an abnormally small brain

Gives clues to babys sex

Determine the number of fetuses

Fetal MRI

Diagnose fetal malformations

Provide more detailed images than ultrasound

Can indicate possible abnormality (MRI) and then use fetal MRI to obtain clearer detailed image

Detect better than ultrasound sonography

Chorionic Villus Sampling (CVS)

10th-12th weeks of pregnancy

Detect genetic defects and chromosomal abnormalities

Small sample of placenta is removed

Takes 10 days of diagnosis

Small risk of limb deformity

Allows abortion decision to be made sooner, near the end of first 12 weeks

Amniocentesis15th-18th weeks of pregnancy

Sample of amniotic fluid is withdrawn by syringe and tested for chromosomal or metabolic

disorder

Amniotic fluid found within the amnion

Ultrasound sonography used during amniocentesis so syringe can be placed precisely

The later amniocentesis is performed, the better its diagnostic potential

Takes two weeks for enough cells to grow and get test results

Brings small risk of miscarriage

Maternal Blood Screening

16th-18th weeks of pregnancy

Identifies pregnancies that have an elevated risk for birth defects such as spina bifida (defect in

spinal cord) and Down syndrome

Triple Screening: blood test that measures three substances in mothers blood

Noninvasive Prenatal Diagnosis (NIPD)

Focused on the isolation and examination of fetal cells circulating in the mothers blood and

analysis of cell-free fetal DNA in maternal plasma


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Infertility and Reproductive Tech


In vitro fertilization (IVF)

Success rate depends on mothers age

In vitro fertilization twins have a slight increased risk of low birth weight

In vitro fertilization singletons have a significant risk of low birth weight

AdoptionThere is a shift in diversity of adoptive parents; first half of 20 th century, most of adoptive

parents were non-Latino White, middle/upper socioeconomic status backgrounds, married and

does not have disabilities.

Increased Diversity of Adopted Children and Adoptive ParentsIncreasingly, US couples adopted a much wider diversity of children from other countries or

children with mental or physical disabilities

Now adoptive parents come from more diverse backgrounds as there are no longer an income

requirement

Outcomes for Adopted Children

Children who are adopted very early in their lives are more likely to have positive outcomes than

children adopted later in life

Infant adoptees had fewest adjustment difficulties than those adopted after they were 10 years

old

Adopted children and adolescents are more likely to experience psychological and school-related

problems than non-adopted children

Adopted children more likely to have learning disabilities

BUT, adopted children are less likely to be withdrawn and engaged in more prosocial behavior

such as being altruistic, caring and supportive of each other

No difference in the self-esteem of adopted and non-adopted children

No difference between transracial and same-race adoptees

Adopted children fare much better than children in llong-term foster care or in an institutional

environment


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Behavior Genetics


Behavior Genetics is the field that seeks to discover the influence of heredity and

environment on individual differences in human traits and development

Figure out what is responsible for the differences among people

To what extent do people differ because of differences in genes, environment or

combination of both

Twin Studies

behavioral similarity of identical twins is compared with the behavioral similarity

of fraternal twins

Conduct problems were more prevalent in identical twins than fraternal

Environments of identical twins are more similar than those of fraternal twins

Adoption StudyDiscover whether the behavior and psychological characteristics of adopted

children are more like their those of their adoptive parents or more like their

biological parents

Behavior GeneticsPassive Genotype-Environment Correlations

Biological parents who are genetically related to child provide a rearing

environment for child

Musically inclined parents provide musically friendly environment for child

Evocative Genotype-Environment Correlations

Childs characteristics elicit certain types of environments

Happy outgoing child elicits smiles and friendly responses from others

Active (niche-picking) Genotype-Environment Correlations

Occur when children seek out environments that they find compatible and

stimulating

They seek out things that corresponds to their interest and talents and thus in

accord to their genotype

- Passive genotype-environment correlations are more common in the lives of

infants and young children than they are for holder children and adolescents


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Shared and Nonshared

Environmental Experiences


Shared environmental experiences: siblings common experiences such

as their parents personalities and intellectual orientation, the familys

socioeconomic status, and the neighbourhood in which they live

Nonshared environmental experiences: childs unique experiences, both

within the family and outside the family, that are not shared with a sibling

Robert Plomin (2004):

Shared environment accounts for little of the variation in childrens

personality or interest

Heredity influences the nonshared environments of siblings through the

heredity-environment correlations

Judith Harris:

Nurture Assumption: what parents do does not make a difference in

their childrens and adolescents behavior

Genes and peers are fare more important than parents in childrens and

adolescents development

Does not take into account the complexity of peer contexts and

developmental trajectories

Wrong to say that parents dont matter, parents DO matter


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Epigentic View (GxE) Interaction


Epigenetic View: development is the result of an ongoing, bidirectional

interchange between heredity and environment

-Not a heredity to environment relationship, it is bidirectional

Gene x Environment (G x E) Interaction:

individuals who have short version of genotype (5-HTTLPR) only have an

elevated risk of developing depression if they ALSO have stressful lives

(gene x environment)

5-HTTLPR is a gene involving the neurotransimitter serotonin

Adults who experienced parental loss as young children were more likely

to have unresolved attachment as adults only when they had the short

version of the 5-HTTLPR gene

Long version of the serotonin transporter gene provided some

protection and ability to cope better with parental loss

Pharmacognetics:

Field of study for gene-environment interaction involving the individuals

genotype and drug treatment

Discover if certain drugs are safer or more dangerous to use if the

individuals genotype is unknown

life span development notes-chapter 2

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