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Understand development from conception through infancy.
Reading short version (2 min)
Conception to Birth: Development from fertilization through birth.
Prenatal Stages: - Germinal stage (weeks 1-2): Fertilization, cell division, implantation - Embryonic stage (weeks 3-8): Organ formation, differentiation - Fetal stage (weeks 9-birth): Growth, maturation
Teratogens: Substances that harm prenatal development - Alcohol (Fetal alcohol spectrum disorders) - Tobacco (Low birth weight, respiratory issues) - Drugs, infections, malnutrition
Genetic Factors: Chromosomal abnormalities, single-gene disorders, multifactorial inheritance.
Apgar Score (0-10): - Appearance, Pulse, Grimace, Activity, Respiration - Assessment at 1 and 5 minutes
Neonatal Behavioral Assessment Scale (NBAS): - Habituation, orientation, motor performance, range of state, regulation of state, autonomic stability - Predicts developmental outcomes
Brazelton Neonatal Behavioral Assessment Scale (BNBAS): - Habituation, orientation, motor range, state regulation, range of state, regulation of autonomic stability - Better for evaluating high-risk infants
Newborn Reflexes: Sucking, rooting, grasping, Moro, stepping, palmar grasp, Babinski, tonic neck.
Perception Development: - Vision: Poor at birth, rapid improvement (acuity by 6 months, depth perception by 7 months) - Color vision by 3-4 months - Object permanence by 8-12 months - Hearing: Prenatal auditory experience, newborn response to sounds
Memory Development: - Deferred imitation (6 months): Remembering actions after delay - Recognition memory: Familiar vs. unfamiliar objects
Information Processing: Preference for novel stimuli, habituation, attention to salient features
Piaget's Sensorimotor Stage: Birth to 2 years.
Prelinguistic Communication (0-12 months): - Crying, cooing, laughter - Eye contact, facial expressions - Gestures, joint attention - Babbling (6-12 months)
First Words: Typically 10-12 months - Vocabulary spurt: 18-24 months
Language Milestones: - Reduplicated babbling (6-9 months) - Jargon (12-18 months) - First word combinations (18-24 months) - Telegraphic speech (24+ months)
Importance of Responsive Interaction: Joint attention, turn-taking, linguistic scaffolding.
Reflexive Period (0-4 months): Predominantly reflexive movements.
Primary Circular Reactions (1-4 months): Repetitive body-centered movements.
Secondary Circular Reactions (4-8 months): More varied movements incorporating external objects.
Sitting, Crawling, Standing (6-12 months): Postural control and locomotion.
Walking (10-15 months): Independent locomotion.
Fine Motor Skills: Grasping precision, pincer grasp, self-feeding, early scribbling.
Motor Sequences: Cephalocaudal (head to tail), proximal-distal (center to outward).
4 questions to test your understanding of this topic
Berk, L. E. (2018). Development Through Lifespan. Pearson (7th ed.).
Moore, K. L., & Persaud, T. V. N. (2016). The Developing Human: Clinically Oriented Embryology. Saunders (10th ed.).
Santrock, J. W. (2021). Child Development. McGraw-Hill (15th ed.).
Piaget, J. (1952). The Origins of Intelligence in Children. International Universities Press.
Baillargeon, R. (2004). Infants' Reasoning About Hidden Objects: Evidence for Event-General and Event-Specific Expectations. Developmental Science, 7(4), 391-424.
Spelke, E. S. (2000). Core Knowledge. American Psychologist, 55(11), 1233-1243.
Rothbart, M. K. (2011). Becoming Who We Are: Temperament and Personality in Development. Guilford Press.
Thelen, E., & Smith, L. B. (1994). A Dynamic Systems Approach to the Development of Cognition and Action. MIT Press.
Kuhl, P. K. (2004). Early Language Acquisition: Cracking the Speech Code. Nature Reviews Neuroscience, 5(11), 831-843.
Thompson, R. A. (2006). The Development of the Person: Social Understanding, Relationships, Self, Conscience. In W. Damon & R. M. Lerner (Eds.), Handbook of Child Psychology.
Social-Emotional Development
Attachment Formation: Secure attachment establishes foundation for relationships.
Emotional Expressions: - Social smiling (2 months) - Stranger anxiety (6-8 months) - Full emotional range (6-12 months)
Social Referencing: Using caregiver as secure base to explore.
Temperament: Individual differences in reactivity and self-regulation - Thomas & Chess classification: Easy, difficult, slow-to-warm-up - Effortful control, negative affectivity.
Emotion Regulation: Co-regulation with caregiver, developing self-regulation.