03/31/14 Developmental Psychology

• Developmental Psychology- The study of you from womb to tomb. How we change physically, socially, cognitively.
• Nature v. Nurture
• Nature is the way you were born.
• Nurture is the way you were raised.
• Prenatal Development
• Conception begins with the drop of and the release of about 200 million sperm.
• The sperm seeks out the egg and attempts to penetrate the eggs surface.
• Once the sperm penetrate the egg- we have a fertilized egg called the zygote. 
• Zygotes- less than half of all zygotes survive first two weeks.
• About 10 days after conception, the zygote will attach itself to the  uterine wall.
• The outer part of the zygote becomes the placenta (which filters nutrients)
• After two weeks, the zygote develops into an embryo.
• Lasts about 6 weeks.
• Heart begins to beat and the organs begin to develop.
• Fetus
• By nine weeks we have a fetus.
• THe fetus by about the 6th month, the stomach and other organs have formed enough to survive outside of the mother.
• At this time the baby can hear (and recognize) sounds and respond to light.

• Teratogens
• Chemical agents that can harm the prenatal environment.
• Alcohol (FAS)
• Other STD's can harm the baby.
• HIV
• Herpes
• Healthy Newborns
• Turn head toward voices,
• See 8 to 12 inches from their faces.
• Gaze longer at human like objects right from birth.