Summary Psychology: Parental development and the newborn period

“How Children develop”
Chapter 2 – Prenatal development and the newborn period

Prenatal development
Summary:
 Nature and nurture combine forces in prenatal development. Much of this
development is generated by the fetus itself, making the fetus an active
player in its own progress. Substantial continuity exists between what goes
on before and after birth in that infants demonstrate the effects of what has
happened to them in the womb.
 Prenatal development begins at the cellular level with conception, the union
of an egg from the mother and a sperm from the father to form a single-
celled zygote. The zygote multiplies and divides on its way through a
fallopian tube.
 The zygote undergoes the processes of cell division, cell migration, cell
differentiation, and cell death. These processes continue throughout
prenatal development.
 When the zygote becomes implanted on the uterine wall, it becomes an
embryo. From that point, it is dependent on the mother to obtain
nourishment and oxygen and to get rid of waste products through the
placenta.
 Fetal behavior begins 5 or 6 weeks after conception with simple movements,
undetected by the mother, that become increasingly complex and organized
into patterns. Later, the fetus practices behaviors vital to independent living,
including swallowing and a form of intrauterine “breathing.”
 The fetus experiences a wealth of stimulation both from within the womb
and from the external environment. The fetus learns from this experience,
as demonstrated by studies showing that both fetuses and newborns can
discriminate between familiar and novel sounds, especially in speech, and
exhibit persistent taste preferences developed in the womb.
 Epigenesis
o The emerges of new structures and functions during development


Conception
 Gametes
o Reproduction cells - egg and sperm
o Produced throughout meiosis
 "survival of the fittest" - sperm swims up to the egg
 The fertilized egg is called the zygote


Developmental processes
 Cell division - mitosis
 Cell migration
 Cell differentiation (cell specialization)
o Embryonic stem cells
 Apoptosis (cell death)
 Hormones

, Early development
 Identical (monozygotic twins) are made during the 4th day after conception
 Fraternal (dizygotic twins) result during conception
 Nerual tubes will grow and develop into the brain
 The amniotic sack is a membrane filled withclear watery fluid in which the fetus
floats
 The placenta is a rich network of blood vessels, weighing roughly one pound that
extends into the tissue of the mothers womb
 Umbilical cord connects the placenta and the amniotic sack


Fetal experience and behavior
 Movement
 Fetal movement starts 5 to 6 weeks after conception
 Emergence of hiccups, swallowing
 Movement of limbs, fingers
 Respiratory readiness for breathing independently after birth

 Behavioral cycles
 Rest-activity cycles: less activity in latter half of the prenatal periode
 Circadian rhythm apparent
 REM during active sleep

 Sight
 Minimal

 Touch
 Contact with parts of the body

 Taste
 Can detect flavors in amniotic fluid

 Smell
 Amniotic fluid takes on odor from what mother eats; phylogenetic continuity

 Hearing
 Responds to various sounds from at least 6 months
All these things are considered prenatal nurture

Fetal learning
 Habituation
 A simple form of learning that involves a decrease in response to repeated or
continued stimulation; seen at 30 weeks gestation in visual and auditory
stimuli
 Dishabituation
 Introduction of a new stimulus rekindles interest following habituation to a
repeated stimulus