Human Development
Psychology 31
Dr. Stone
Wed, October 6, 2021
CHAPTER 4 –
Infancy –
Objectives (10)
1.
Growth Patterns
2.
Brain Development
3.
Sleeping
4.
Nutrition & Mortality
5.
Motor Development
6.
Sensory Development
7.
Cognitive Development
8.
Attention/Memory
9.
Assessment
10. Language
CHAPTER 4 –
Growth
Patterns
Newborn
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•
•
•
•
6 Months
1 Year
Babies grow at a faster rate in their first year than at any later time in life – Birth weight doubles
by 5 mos, Triples by end of 1st year.
Babies accumulate fat in early months to maintain constant body temperature
Height increase from 20 inches to 30 inches in the first year approx. 1 inch per month (growth
spurts)
Cephalocaudal growth – From Head to Body (Big headed babies – need to support the head
and neck)
Proximodistal growth – From Middle of Body outward – Trunk and Arms grow faster than
hands and fingers.
CHAPTER 4 Newborn to 1
Year Video
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HEhJALv1Bm0
 Brain is immature at birth
CHAPTER 4 –
Brain
Development
 We come out when we do
because our brains would be
TOO big to fit through the
birth canal
 Brain Growth-
 Neurons by Week 7 – MOST
of billions of neurons will be
produced by the middle of
prenatal development
 Neonate brain size is 20% of
adult brain but 70% by 2
years old.
 First year is peak time for the
development of connections among
neurons.
CHAPTER 4 –
Brain Growth
 Neurons DIFFER from other cells in
the body – they are not connected.
They are separated by tiny gaps called
SYNAPSES.
 Neurons communicate through the
release of Neurotransmitters. The
Axon releases neurotransmitters and
Dendrites receive them.
 Vast sprouting of dendrites and
axons continue at peak speed
during first year called
Overproduction or Synaptic
Exuberance.
CHAPTER 4 –
Neuron
Growth
 Speed of communication across
neurons increased due to
myelination – white fatty
substance (myelin sheath) wraps
around the axon during 3rd
trimester (prenatal)
 Use it or Lose it – synaptic
connections that are used become
stronger AND unused wither away
in a process call SYNAPTIC
PRUNING.
 Brain divided into three regions:
hindbrain, midbrain, and
forebrain.
 Hindbrain – perform basic
biological functions: lungs
breathing, heart beating, and
bodily movements balanced.
CHAPTER 4 –
Brain
Specialization
 Forebrain – two main parts –
limbic system and cerebral cortex.
 Limbic System - hypothalamus,
thalamus, and hippocampus.
 Hypothalamus – monitoring and
regulating hunger, thirst, body
temperature, sexual desire, and
hormone levels.
 Thalamus – receiving and transfer
center for sensory information
from body to brain.
 Hippocampus – crucial in memory
especially long term memory.
CHAPTER 4 –
Brain
Specialization
Continued
 Cerebral Cortex – Accounts for 85% of
the brain’s total weight. And where
most of growth takes place after birth.
Is the basis for ability to speak,
understand language, and solve
complex problems.
 Two Hemispheres – Left and
right and connected by Corpus
Callosum – allows the two
hemispheres to communicate.
CHAPTER 4 –
Cerebral Cortex
 Laterization – Left hemisphere
is specialized for language and
right hemisphere is specialized
for spatial reasoning and
processing information in an
integrated way.
 Four Lobes – Frontal, Parietal,
Occipital lobe, Temporal.
CHAPTER 4 - Lobes of the Brain (Text)
CHAPTER 4 –
Lobes of the
Brain
CHAPTER 4 –
Plasticity
(Neuroplasticity)
 Plasticity – highly responsive to
the environment.
 PLUS - If the brain is damaged
during infancy, other parts can
take over the function of the
damaged portion. BUT also
more probable earlier in
development before
specialization.
 MINUS – Environmental
deprivation can have permanent
effects.
 https://www.youtube.com/watc
h?v=ELpfYCZa87g
 Neonates – 16 -17 hours in
periods of a few hours in REM
50% of time.
CHAPTER 4 –
Sleeping
 3-4 Months – Sleep for longer
periods, 6-7 per night in REM
40% of time.
 6 Months – Americans sleep 14
hrs/day, Kenya 12 hrs/day, Dutch
16 hrs/day – CULTURAL
INFLUENCE.
 SIDS (Suddent Infant Death
Syndrome) risk is highest at 2 – 4
months.
 Co-sleeping research and
Culture.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RF98bY8eiUo
CHAPTER 4 –
Physical
Development
 During the first year of life nutritional
needs are greater than any other time
of life per pound of body weight.
 Malnutrition is the norm in developing
countries where mother is not able to
produce adequate milk supply.
 Infant mortality – worldwide – the
first year of life has the highest risk of
death than any other period in the
entire life span.
 Disease – major cause of infant
mortality (diarrhea) – lack of
medication.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bqEIcMMmj5M
CHAPTER 4 –
Physical
Development
Continued
 Gross Motor Development – due to
genetics, maturation of brain, and
assistance from adults, and
practices.
 Fine Motor Development –
evolutionary development that
makes humans anatomically
distinctive is the opposable thumb –
basis for fine motor development.
 Learning to coordinate reaching
and grasping is the basis for further
development of fine motor skills.
 By 9-12 Months, infants learn the
pincer grasp which allows them to
feed themselves.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hp8gRvPepP8
 Binocular vision – begins to
develop by about 3 months of
age.
CHAPTER 4 –
Sensory
Development
 The ability to discern the
relative distance of objects in
the environment contributes
to depth perception.
 Intermodal Perception – the
integration and coordination
of information from the
various senses develops over
the first year of life.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sqYgU6CjGds
 Researcher (Piaget) - Stages of Cognitive Development (1896 –
1980) – MOST INFLUENTIAL.
 By the end of the first year, behaviors become intentional rather
than reflexive.
CHAPTER 4 –
Cognitive
Development
 Understanding of OBJECT PERMANENCE – objects continue to
exist even when we are not in direct sensor or motor contact with
them (Between 8 – 12 months)
 Habituation – gradual
decrease in attention to a
stimulus after repeated
presentations.
CHAPTER 4 –
Attention &
Memory
 Dishabituation - is revival of
attention when a new
stimulus is presented
following several
presentations of a previous
stimulus.
 Memory – Expands greatly
during the first year of life for
both short tem and long term
memory.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BxdS1j27Cbc
CHAPTER 4 Milestones of
Infant Language
Development
CHAPTER 4 –
Emotional &
Social
Development
 Infants are born with certain
tendencies toward behavior
and personality
development.
 Primary Emotions – Babies
are born with basic
emotions such as anger,
sadness, fear, disgust,
surprise, and happiness.
 Secondary Emotions –
require social and cultural
learning between 1 & 2
years old such as
embarrassment, shame,
and guilt.
 Social smile at 4 months
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9WjNPw9QMec
 Erik Erikson – Eight stage
theory
CHAPTER 4 –
Social
Development
Researchers
 Because infants require
others to provide for their
needs, they must have
someone who can be
trusted to care for them
and to be a reliable source
of nourishment.
 John Bowlby – Attachment
theory
 Believed the quality of the
first social relationship
influenced emotional and
social development.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=apzXGEbZht0
 GROUP Assignment Create a personalized baby with a birth
story – PPT must include:
GROUP
Assignment
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
Growth patterns
Brain Development
Neuronal function
Neuronal Growth
Brain specialization
Lobes of the brain
Neuroplasticity
Please add pictures and examples of everything that you’re
describing.
9. The best and most creative PPT will serve as presentation for
the class
10. Points – 10 points
11. Each group will upload the same PPT to blackboard for grading.

GROUP
Assignment
GROUP Assignment Create a personalized baby with a birth story – PPT must include:
1.
Growth patterns
2.
Brain Development
3.
Neuronal function
4.
Neuronal Growth
5.
Brain specialization
6.
Lobes of the brain
7.
Neuroplasticity
8.
Please add pictures and examples of everything that you’re describing.
9.
The best and most creative PPT will serve as presentation for the class
10.
Each group will upload the same PPT to blackboard for grading.
11.
Points – 10 points
Group 1
Group 2
Group 3
Abdelmalak,Samira
Abdullayeva,Sona
Baffo,Alexandra
Group 5
Group 6
Abraham,Alexis Victoria Alexander,Nicoleta
Alexis,Beatrice
Aruz,Angelina Christina
Barmin,Nichole Alison
Berg,Katie Grace
Brown,Nigel
Butler-Worley,Dyamond Chin,Sally
Dinoro,Christensen
Fisher,Matthew
Fowler,Emily
Gonzalez,Mayelin Giselle
Gray,Alexis Nicole
Ianniello,Nicole
Inniss,Chloe
Islam,Somaiya
Khamrokulova,Shohsanam Ladovsky,Daniel Alec
Latif,Arwa
Mila,Amaya
Morales,Damari
Mustafa,Maryiam
Neary,Alanna Rose
Lozano,Wilburt Neil C Lynch,Carley
Group 4
Hawkins,Damira
Ooi,Jasmine
Osei Tutu,Ama Pinamang Oteng,Priscilla
Pierre,Lindsey
Pope,Aziza
Prelvukaj,Nora
Ramos,Justice
Rijo,Yamilet
Roker-White,Kaila
Rollerson,Lavasha Toni
Singh,Gina
Smith,Allinda C
Sorensen,Sorin
Tyson,Madison Mae
Vishnevskiy,Emily Isabella Yu,Emily
Zafarani,Sarine
Homework
Assignment
Individual baby
story –
including
information
from chapters
1–4
(100 points)
 INDIVIDUAL Assignment Create a personalized baby with a
birth story – PPT must include:
1.
2.
3.
4.
Information from all four chapters
Brain Information
Neuronal Development
Genetic information – What does your baby look like? Who
were his parents? What characteristics does he/she have?
5. Rubric will be sent on Friday, Oct 7 – to guide how the points
will be distributed
6. Length – At least 10 slides
7. Pictures and examples are a MUST
8. Points = 100 points
9. Due – Oct 13 before class at 6:00pm
10. Assignment will be available on Friday, Oct 8 by 12pm.
Next
Week
 Read Chapter 5 for next week
 Review for first exam 1 – 5 during second half of class
 EXAM #1 – OCT 12, 2021