Prenatal development

Chapter 03Psyc311Jen Wright

as you are coming in…

• If your group is covering topic #1, please sit together in class today.

• MAKE SURE you have arranged to meet together and/or to work on your arguments by email so that EVERYONE in the group has a chance to contribute to them by Friday’s class.

me!

G1   G5

G9   G13

     

door    

developmental process

• Cell division – from 1 cell to trillions of cells by birth

• Cell migration – stem cells move from point of origin to other areas of developing child

• Cell differentiation – once migrated, stem cells change to become “brain cells” and “bone cells”, etc.

• Cell death (apoptosis) – programmed cell “suicide” part of developmental process.

The baby’s first

environment

the womb… the perfect classroom?

• Can babies learn inside the womb?– Many people and companies make claims about

prenatal learning.

• BabyPlus children have an intellectual, developmental, creative, and emotional advantage from the time they are born.

prenatal learning

• How might we track prenatal learning?

• One technique – habituation.– What is

habituation?

prenatal learning

• Another technique – preferential learning.– What is preferential

learning?• So, we can document

prenatal learning if we can show:– Recognition of a

particular stimulus– Preference for a

particular stimulus

tools for learning: fetal senses

• Touch – Fetuses respond to movement/touch

• Taste – Fetuses drink more amniotic fluid when sweetener is added

• Smell – Fetuses respond to new and familiar odors

• Hearing – Fetuses develop preferences for certain sounds by 6+ mos

• Sight – Fetuses will respond to light shown through belly wall.

prenatal learning

• Fetuses learn their mother’s (but not their father’s) voices. – A mother's voice reaches the uterus with very

little distortion. – A father’s voice does not.

• They also begin to learn their native language.– Babies will prefer to watch people who are

speaking their native language.– Babies will prefer to play with items handed to

them by a native speaker.

DeCasper, 1980

• Mothers read the Dr. Seuss story, The Cat In the Hat, at regular intervals before birth.

– At birth, babies were hooked up to recordings which they could select by sucking on a non-nutritive nipple.

– After a few trials, babies sucked at whatever speed was necessary to obtain their mother's voice reading “The Cat in the Hat” but not their mother’s voice reading a different children’s story.

• Likewise, musical passages repeated regularly are identified and preferred immediately after birth.

Firstart method

• Mothers listened to tapes of classical music from 28 week to birth (attached around belly).– Progression from simple to complex melodies

• Newborns were significantly better than a control group at– Gross and fine motor coordination

• Hand-mouth coordination– Visual tracking and anticipation behavior– Object exploration

• Object permanence– Babbling– Facial (and movement) imitation

Venezuelan study

• Stroking fetus through belly• Soft/melodious sounds• Talking with fetus• Light on belly• Vibrations on belly

• “Every time a brain is stimulated in an adequate way new neuronal connections are being made. The more connections, the more neurons integrated; this determines intelligence, social and emotional skills.”

Birth experience

25th day

3 years

4 yrs: Stanford-Binet/McCarthy

5 yrs: Weschler IQ

6 yrs: Weschler IQ