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1. Western Michigan University Developmental Psychology Discussion Post
Western Michigan University Developmental Psychology Discussion PostORDER HERE FOR
ORIGINAL, PLAGIARISM-FREE PAPERS ON Western Michigan University Developmental
Psychology Discussion PostMUST HAVE TAKEN DEVELOPMENTAL PSYCHOLOGY TO DO
THIS ASSIGNMENT!!! Use the powerpoints provided to answer the discussion question. I
will provide for you the 3 chapters of info to write about in attached ppts.Discussion
Question:Covering our entire class material, choose three pieces of information that were
new to you to share and discuss why these were interesting and important to study in our
course. Provide examples and relevant details to emphasize your points.Remember to tie
into the coursebook and outside resources used in your project to further enhance your
discussion.Western Michigan University Developmental Psychology Discussion
Postattachment_1attachment_2attachment_3Unformatted Attachment PreviewCore
Concepts Video: Infancy Click the screenshot in presentation mode to view the video. Click
again to pause playback. Growth and Stability Motor Development The Development of the
Senses Growth and Stability Height and Weight Growth Although the greatest increase in
height and weight occurs during the first year of life, children continue to grow throughout
infancy and toddlerhood. Are there gender and ethnic differences in infant weight and
length? Decreasing Proportions At birth, the head represents onequarter of the neonate’s
body. By adulthood, the head is only one-eighth the size of the body. Why is the neonate’s
head so large? Principles of Growth • • • • Cephalocaudal principle Proximodistal principle
Principle of hierarchical integration Principle of independence of systems Can you give an
example of each of these? Nervous System and Brain: Foundations of Development Nervous
system comprises the brain and the nerves that extend throughout the body. Neurons are
the basic cells of the nervous system. The Neuron Quick Check Neurons Dendrites Axons
Neurotransmitters Synapses How great brains grow! Birth: – 100-200 billion neurons –
Relatively few neuron-neuron connections During first two years: – Billions of new
connections established and become more complex NEURON NETWORKS Over the first 2
years of life, networks of neurons become increasingly complex and interconnected. Why
are these connections important? Source: From The Postnatal Development of the Human
Cerebral Cortex, Vol I–VIII by Jesse LeRoy Conel, Camevebridge, Mass.: Harvard University
Press, Copyright © 1939, 1975 by the President and Fellows of Harvard College. Use it or
lose it! Synaptic pruning • Western Michigan University Developmental Psychology
Discussion PostInvolves elimination of unused neurons Myelin • Includes fatty substance
that provides protection and speeds transmission of nerve impulses • Allows established

2. neurons to build more elaborate communication networks with other neurons •
Development of nervous system proceeds most effectively through loss of cells • Is an
outgrowth of a glial cel. Form and Function: Brain Growth Neurons reposition themselves
with growth, becoming arranged by function – Cerebral cortex – Subcortical levels Shaken
Baby This CAT scan shows severe brain injury in an infant suspected of being abused by
caretaker shaking. Source: Malung, Bilo, Kuba & van Rijn, 2011. Environmental Influences
on Brain Development Plasticity Sensitive period Do you know? What are some cultural or
subcultural influences that might affect parents’ childrearing practices? What do babies do
all day? Life Cycles of Infancy Wake Defecate Sleep Eat Rhythms and States Rhythms –
Repetitive, cyclical patterns of behavior State – One of major body rhythms – Degree of
awareness infant displays to both internal and external stimulation – Change in state alters
amount of stimulation required to get infant’s attention Sleep: Perchance to Dream Sleep is
major state – 16-17 hours daily (average); wide variations Different than adult sleep – 2
hour spurts; periods of wakefulness – Cyclic pattern – By 16 weeks sleep about 6
continuous hours; by 1 year sleep through night (See table 3-2) Infants sleep in spurts, often
making them out of sync with the rest of the world. Primary Behavioral States Source:
Adapted from Thoman & Whitney, 1990. Primary Behavioral States Source: Adapted from
Thoman & Whitney, 1990. REM Sleep • Involves period of active sleep • Occurs when closed
eyes begin to move in a back-and-forth pattern • Takes up around one-half of infant sleep As
we age, the proportion of REM sleep increases as the proportion of non-REM sleep declines.
In addition, the total amount of sleep falls as we get older. Source: Adapted from Roffwarg,
Muzio, & Dement, 1966. • May provide means for brain to stimulate itself through
autostimulation Do babies dream? Did you find examples in the text that suggest that
cultural practices affect infants’ sleep patterns? SIDS Sudden infant death syndrome •
Leading cause of death in children under 1 year of age • Back-to-sleep guidelines (AAP)
Hypotheses about cause • Undiagnosed sleep disorders • Suffocation • Nutritional
deficiencies • Problems with reflexes • Brainstem abnormalities • Undiagnosed illness
Actual cause of SIDS remains elusive! Declining Rates of SIDS In the United States, SIDS rates
have dropped dramatically as parents have become more informed and put babies to sleep
on their backs instead of their stomachs. Source: Western Michigan University
Developmental Psychology Discussion PostAmerican SIDS Institute, based on data from the
Center for Disease Control and the National Center for Health Statistics, 2004. SIDS is found
in children of every race and socioeconomic group and in children who have had no
apparent health problems. Back-to-sleep is important! The major principles of growth are
the cephalocaudal principle, the proximodistal principle, the principle of hierarchical
integration, and the principle of the independence of systems. The development of the
nervous system first entails the development of billions of neurons and interconnections
among them. Later, the numbers of both neurons and connections decrease as a result of
the infant’s experiences. Infants integrate their individual behaviors by developing
rhythms—repetitive, cyclical patterns of behavior. The sleep of infants often comes in fits
and starts initially coming in spurts of about two hours, followed by periods of wakefulness.
Because of this, infants are “out of sync” with the rest of the world, for whom sleep comes at
night and wakefulness during the day. The __________ principle states that growth begins with

3. the head and proceeds down to the rest of the body; the __________ principle states that
development proceeds from the center of the body outward. a. cephalocaudal;
proximodistal b. proximodistal; cephalocaudal c. hierarchical integration; independence of
systems d. independence of systems; hierarchical integration The process of synaptic
pruning allows established neurons to build stronger networks and reduces unnecessary
neurons during the first 2 years of life. • True • False Although brain development is largely
genetically predetermined, it is also susceptible to environmental experiences; the ability of
the brain to be modifiable by the environment is called (a) __________. a. plasticity b. synaptic
pruning c. sensitive period d. critical period What evolutionary advantage could there be for
infants to be born with more nerve cells than they actually need or use? How might our
understanding of synaptic “pruning” affect the way we treat infants? Motor Development
Reflexes: Inborn Physical Skills Reflexes: • learned, organized involuntary responses that
occur automatically in presence of certain stimuli Why do reflexes come and go? Some Basic
Reflexes in Infants Can you identify the approximate age of disappearance and describe
each of these reflexes? • Rooting reflex • Stepping reflex • Swimming reflex • Moro reflex •
Babinski reflex • Startle reflex • Eye-blink reflex • Sucking reflex HINT: Check Table 3-3! •
Gag reflex Ethnic and Cultural Differences and Similarities in Reflexes Reflexes are: –
Genetically determined – Universal Cultural variations in ways displayed – Example: Moro
reflex Serve as: – Diagnostic tool – Social function – Survival function Moro reflex Rooting
reflex Startle reflex INFANT REFLEXES Motor Development in Infancy Gross motor skills •
Young infants accomplish some kinds of movements. Fine motor skills • As infants are
perfecting their gross motor skills, such as sitting upright and walking, they are also making
advances in their fine motor skills. Milestones of Motor Development Developmental Norms
Group norms – Represent the average performance of a large sample of children of a given
age. – Permit comparisons between a particular child’s performance on a particular
behavior and the average performance of the children in the norm sample. – Must be
interpreted with caution. Brazelton Neonatal Behavior Assessment Scale (NBAS) Cultural
Influences • Norms are useful only to the extent that they are based on data from a large,
heterogeneous, culturally diverse sample of children. Cultural influences affect the rate of
the development of motor skills. • Many of the norms are based on groups of infants who
are predominantly Caucasian and from the middle and upper socioeconomic strata
Nutrition in Infancy Fueling Motor Development So what is a healthy caloric allotment for
infants? • Western Michigan University Developmental Psychology Discussion PostAbout 50
calories per day for each pound of weight • Most infants regulate caloric intake quite
effectively on their own • If allowed consume as much they seem to want and not pressured
to eat more, they will be healthy Malnutrition • More common in children living in many
developing countries • Characterized by lower growth rate • Chronically malnourished
during infancy = lower IQ score later What might be some of the reasons that
malnourishment, which slows physical growth, harms IQ scores and school performance?
How might malnourishment affect education in third-world countries? When Malnutrition
Is Severe Marasmus Kwashiorkor Nonorganic Failure to Thrive Sufficient nutrition
Symptoms Reversal “A fat baby is a healthy baby”? Is breast best? Introducing Solid Foods:
When and What? Solids can be started at 6 months but are not needed until 9 to 12 months

4. (AAFP) – Introduced gradually, one at a time – Cereal → strained fruits • Among the Ache
people of South America, infants spend nearly all their time in direct physical contact with
mothers. • Study found that differences between cultures that restrict early motor
movement and Western cultures fade by age six. • Cultural factors help determine the time
at which specific motor skills appear. Reflexes are universal, genetically acquired physical
behaviors. Among the major reflexes are the rooting reflex, the Moro reflex, and the startle
reflex. During infancy children reach a series of milestones in their physical development on
a fairly consistent schedule, with some individual and cultural variations. Goss motor skills
include rolling over, sitting, and walking. Later, fine motor skills appear, such as grasping.
Nutrition strongly affects physical development. Without proper nutrition infants cannot
reach their physical potential, and may suffer cognitive and social consequences as well. The
advantages of breast-feeding are numerous. Behavior becomes integrated through the
development of ________, which are repetitive, cyclical patterns of behaviors. a. states b.
rhythms c. REM sleep d. reflexes Which of the following is NOT one of the consequences of
malnutrition during infancy? a. Malnourished children sleep, on average, 6 to 8 hours less
than nonmalnourished children of the same age. b. Malnourished children show a slower
growth rate by the age of 6 months. c. Malnourished children score lower on IQ tests later in
life. d. Malnourished children have a lower height and weight by age 2 than
nonmalnourished children. Breastfeeding has been associated with enhanced cognitive
growth. • True • False What advice might you give a friend who is concerned that her infant
is still not walking at 14 months, when every other baby she knows started walking by the
first birthday? The Development of the Senses Learning the World Visual Perception: Seeing
the World • Newborn’s distance vision ranges from 20/200 to 20/600 • By 6 months,
average infant’s vision is already 20/20 • Other visual abilities grow rapidly – Binocular
vision – Depth perception While an infant’s distant vision is 10 to 30 times poorer than the
average adult’s, the vision of newborns provides the same degree of distance acuity as the
uncorrected vision of many adults who wear eyeglasses or contact lenses. Visual Cliff • The
“visual cliff” experiment examines the depth perception of infants. Depth perception is a
particularly useful ability, helping babies acknowledge heights and avoid falls. • Most
infants in the age range of 6 to 14 months cannot be coaxed to cross the cliff, apparently
patterned area drops several feet. Infant Visual Preference Preferences that are present
from birth – Genetically preprogrammed to prefer particular kinds of stimuli Fantz – 2- and
3-month-old infants preferred to look at more complex stimuli than simple ones. Auditory
Perception: The World of Sound Infants – Hear before birth and have good auditory
perception after they are born – Are more sensitive to certain frequencies – Reach adult
accuracy in sound localization by age 1 – Can discriminate between groups of different
sounds – React to changes in musical key and rhythm – Western Michigan University
Developmental Psychology Discussion PostCan recognize many language-related sounds
Smell and Taste in a Small World Infants – Well developed at birth – Helps in recognition of
mother early in life Infants – Have innate sweet tooth – Show facial disgust at bitter tastes –
Develop preferences based on what mother ate during pregnancy Infants’ sense of smell is
so well developed hey can distinguish their mothers on the basis of smell alone. Sensitivity
to Pain and Touch Pain • Infants are born with the capacity to experience pain. Signs •

5. Heartbeat increase, sweating, facial expressions of discomfort, and change the intensity and
tone of crying when hurt • Developmental progression in reactions The Power of Touch
Multimodal Perception: Combining Individual Sensory Inputs New area of study in infant
research • Some researchers argue that sensations are initially integrated with one another
in the infant. • Others maintain that the infant’s sensory systems are initially separate and
that brain development leads to increasing integration. Which view is correct? What can
professionals do? Persons who are born without the use of one sense often develop unusual
abilities in one or more other senses. What can health care professionals do to help infants
who are lacking in a particular sense? Exercising Your Infant’s Body and Senses • Attempts
to accelerate physical and sensoryperceptual development yield little success (yet). •
Infants need sufficient physical and sensory stimulation. Exercising Your Infant’s Body and
Senses • Carry a baby in different positions. • Let infants explore their environment. •
Engage in “roughand-tumble’ play. • Let infants touch their food. • Provide toys that
stimulate the senses What are affordances? Perceptible affordances – Exist where
information on actions that are afforded are perceptible – Are dependent on language,
culture, context, and experience and vary for different individuals Infants’ sensory abilities
are surprisingly well developed at or shortly after birth. Their perceptions help them
explore and begin to make sense of the world. Very early, infants can see depth and motion,
distinguish colors and patterns, localize and discriminate sounds, and recognize the sound
and smell of their mothers. Infants are sensitive to pain and touch, and most medical
authorities now subscribe to procedures, including anesthesia, that minimize infants’ pain.
The multimodal approach to perception considers how information that is collected by
individual sensory systems is integrated and coordinated. ______________ is the physical
stimulation of the sense organs. a. Perception b. Crying c. Crawling d. Sensation We know
that infants experience pain because their heartbeat increases, they sweat, they show
discomfort, and their crying changes tone. • True • False The ______________ considers how
information that is collected by various individual sensory systems is integrated and
coordinated. a. multimodal approach to perception b. affordance theory c. multidisciplinary
motor development cycle d. macrosystem If you were selecting a mobile as a gift for a young
infant, what features would you look for to make the mobile as interesting as possible for
the baby? Core Concepts Video: Middle Childhood Click the screenshot in presentation
mode to view the video. Click again to pause playback. The Growing Body Motor
Development and Safety Children With Special Needs See How We Grow! Slow but steady…
• Height changes • Weight changes Variations of 6 inches in height between children of the
same age are not unusual and are well within normal ranges. • Only time in lifespan when,
on average, girls taller than boys Cultural Patterns of Growth • Sufficient or insufficient
nutrition • Disease • Genetic inheritance • Familial stress Children in poorer areas of cities
such as Kolkata, Hong Kong, and Rio de Janeiro are smaller than their counterparts in
affluent areas of the same cities. Benefits of Adequate Nutrition Relationship to social and
emotional functioning • • • • • • More peer involvement More positive emotions Less
anxiety More eagerness to explore new environments More persistent in frustrating
situations Generally higher energy levels Obesity Most common causes: – Genetic factors –
Lack of physical activity – Unhealthy eating patterns – Combination of these factors Only in

6. rare cases is being overweight caused by a medical condition such as a hormonal problem.
Fat of the Land The percentage of children and adolescents who are overweight has
increased dramatically in the last 4 decades Source: Fryar, C. D., Carroll, M. D., & Ogden, C. L.
(2012). In middle childhood, height and weight increase gradually. Differences in height and
weight are influenced by both genetic and social factors. Adequate nutrition promotes
physical and cognitive development, while overnutrition and a sedentary lifestyle may lead
to obesity. Due to the sudden changes taking place during this stage, it is not uncommon in
middle school to see children of the same age who are 6 to 7 inches apart in height. •
Western Michigan University Developmental Psychology Discussion PostTrue • False Which
of the following is NOT a long-term outcome associated with childhood obesity? a. cognitive
deficits b. being overweight as adults c. greater risk of heart disease d. higher prevalence of
diabetes What are some aspects of U.S. culture that may contribute to obesity among
school-age children? Motor Development During Middle Childhood Children master many
types of skills that earlier they could not perform well, such as riding a bike, ice skating,
swimming, and skipping rope. Is this the same for children of other cultures? Gross Motor
Skills Developed from 6 and 12 Years Do boys and girls differ in motor skills? Gender
differences in gross motor skills became increasingly pronounced during middle childhood
– Boys outperform girls – Little or no difference when equal participation in
exercise/activities – Influenced by societal expectations Fine Motor Development •
Necessary for wide range of schoolrelated tasks • Influenced by increase in amount of
myelin →speeds up electrical impulses between neurons Health and School-agers Middle
childhood is period of robust health • Routine immunizations have produced considerably
lower incidence of lifethreatening illnesses. • More than 90 percent of children in middle
childhood have at least one serious medical condition, but most are short term illnesses.
Asthma • Asthma is among the diseases that have shown a significant increase in prevalence
over the last several decades. • More than 15 million U.S. children suffer from the disorder,
and worldwide the number is more than 150 million. • Racial and ethnic minorities are
particularly at risk for the disease. Accidents GunMotor Fires and related vehicles burns
deaths Bikes Drowning Safety in Cyberspace • • • Newest threat to t …Western Michigan
University Developmental Psychology Discussion Post