Introduction to Psychology
Suzy Scherf
Lecture 3: How Did We Get Here?
Ontogeny
Important Concepts for Human
Ontogeny
1. Human behavior, motivation, and cognition change
predictably throughout life.
2. Human infants are good at harvesting resources
from adults.
3. Human abilities develop when they are needed and
not before.
Important Concepts for Human
Ontogeny
4. Neotney -
5. Infants’ immaturity may be functionally important
6. All over the world children’s behavior is held to
different standards than is adults’.
Important Concepts for Human
Ontogeny
7. Development is not just an inevitable period of
immaturity.
Ecology of Human Development
Keeping the ecology of human development in
mind will help understand the relevant tasks and
problems that the developing person has to solve.
Ecology of Human Development
1. Prenatally -
2. Neonatally and during Early Childhood-
3. Later Childhood and Adulthood-
Ecology of Human Development
Relevant Conflicts:
1. Prenatally 2. Neonatally and during Early Childhood-
3. Later Childhood and Adulthood-
Prenatal Development
• What happens from conception to birth?
• Major developmental task of prenatal fetus is -
Prenatal Development
1. 0-2 wks - Ovum Stage
2. 3-8 wks - Embryonic Stage -
Prenatal Development
3. 8-40 wks - Fetal Stage
Prenatal Development
Sex Determination - Prenatal Wk. 12
• Without testosterone
• Testosterone in the womb does two things:
A. Defeminize
B. Masculinize
Prenatal Development
• Disorders related to prenatal sex development
1. XY Female/Androgen Intolerance -
Prenatal Development
• Disorders related to prenatal sex development
2. Adrenogenital Syndrome -
Prenatal Development
• Homosexuality and prenatal sex development
Preliminary evidence:
• Birth order effect –
• Moms building antibodies to Y-linked factors
Prenatal Brain Development
Prenatal Development
Conflict between developing fetus and mother for
resources:
• Fetus has evolved hormonal means of manipulating
the mother
• Conflict can lead to -
Prenatal Development
Prenatal Risk Factors:
Prenatal Risk Factors
Mom’s nutrition:
• No folic acid =
• No Iodine =
• Not enough protein =
Prenatal Risk Factors
Mom’s ingestion of drugs:
• Drugs (including heroine, cocaine, and marijuana)
can cause
• Smoking can cause
Prenatal Risk Factors
Mom’s ingestion of drugs:
• Alcohol can cause
Prenatal Risk Factors
Mom’s exposure to stress and illness:
• Chronic stress -
• Rubella • Chicken pox -
Prenatal Risk Factors
Mom’s exposure to stress and illness:
• Gonorrhea -
• Chlamydia • HIV -
Neonatal Development
Major developmental task of neonatal infants to
recruit sufficient resources from parents that
support early physical, emotional, social and
cognitive development.
Neonatal Development
Developmental changes in the brain:
1. Programmed cell death -
2. Aborization -
Newborn Brain Development
Arborization
Neonatal Development
Developmental changes in the brain:
3. Pruning of processes -
4. Myelination -
Neonatal Development
Organized and Selective Set of Behaviors:
1. Survival reflexes 2. Complex reflexes 3. Ability to detect contingencies
4. Ability to imitate
Neonatal Organized and Selective
Set of Behaviors
Neonatal Organized and Selective
Set of Behaviors
Neonate imitating facial expressions
Neonatal Development
Organized and Selective Set of Behaviors:
5. Some controlled eye movements
6. Poor visual acuity 7. No depth perception -
8. Keen sense of smell
Developing Visual Acuity
Depth Perception and the Visual Cliff
Neonatal Development
Organized and Selective Set of Behaviors:
9. Can differentiate sweet/sour tastes
10. Great hearing 11. Categorical perception
Phoneme Sensitivity
Categorical Perception
Consonant Change
Neonatal Development
Organized and Selective Set of Behaviors:
12. Are sensitive to facial expressions of others within
first few months
13. Know the difference between happy and fearful
facial expressions by 5-6 months
14. Show temperamental profiles early in infancy -
Preference for faces from very beginning
Neonatal Development
Human babies evaluating the resources available to
support development and setting up facultative and
obligate responses to local environment.
What kinds of facultative mechanisms might
babies be setting up in response to their local
environment?
Neonatal Development
What kinds of facultative mechanisms might
babies be setting up in response to their local
environment?
1.
2.
Neonatal Development
What kinds of facultative mechanisms might
babies be setting up in response to their local
environment?
3.
4.
Neonatal Development
What kinds of obligate mechanisms might babies
be setting up as a result of input from their local
environment?
1.
2.
Neonatal Development
What kinds of obligate mechanisms might babies
be setting up as a result of input from their local
environment?
3.
Neonatal Development
How might timing of experiences in the local
environment affect the development of facultative
and obligate traits in infants?
Critical Period Effects:
1. Facultative Traits -
Neonatal Development
How might timing of experiences in the local
environment affect the development of facultative
and obligate traits in infants?
Critical Period Effects:
2. Obligate Traits -
Later Childhood Development
Essential developmental tasks:
1. Develop a self-concept -
2. Peer relations -
Later Childhood Development
Essential developmental tasks:
3. Play -
4. Setting Social Clock -
Later Childhood Development
Essential developmental tasks:
5. Develop an understanding of causality -
6. Develop a sense of morality -
Later Childhood Development
Essential developmental tasks:
7. Developing sense of gender roles -