You can probably remember the frustration of being short to reach the sink or a light switch; what it was

like to imagine your own magical world of play, in which everyday objects became whatever you wanted
them to be ; and joys of learning and friendship you discovered in school. Such memories remind us that
over the years, we all change tremendously in many ways physically, cognitively, and socially. Such
change is the basic theme of this presentation and we will be review some of the major findings of the
field of development psychology the branch of psychology that focuses on the many ways we change
throughout life.

Well concentrate on childhood the years between birth and adolescence.

Well be concentrating the changes occurring during adolescences and adulthood.
We will be considering physical, cognitive and social development.

Your life as an individual began when one of the million sperm released by your father during sexual
intercourse fertilized an ovum deep within your mothers body.
The product of this union was barely 1/175 of an inch in diameter smaller than the period of this
sentence.
Yet packed within this tiny speck were the genetic blueprints that guided all your subsequent physical
growth.
Each of posses 23 pairs of chromosomes , each pair containes a chromozone from our mother and
father. And these pairs determine our sex.
Female possessing two XX chromosomes
Male possessing one X and one Y

The prenatal period

After fertilization, the ovum moves through the mothers reproductive tract until it reaches the
mothers womb or uterus . This takes several days, and during this time the ovum divides frequently.

10 14 days after fertilization the ovum becomes implanted on the walls of the
uterus. Instead if the ovum becomes implanted in the oviduct the tube connecting the
ovary and uterus an ectopic pregnancy results. This can be life threatening because
the oviduct can burst as a result of developing embryo.
For the next six weeks it is known as an embryo and rapidly develops.

3rd week the embryo bcomes one fifth on an inch (one-half centimeter) and the region
of the head is clealy visible.
End of the Eight week the embryo is one inch long face as well as arms and legs are
present. By this time all the internal organs have begun to form such as sex glands are
already active.
Eight and the Ninth Week Nervous system and Simple reflexes begin to develop.
During the Next Seven Months the developing child called as the Fetus shows an
increasing human form. The Fetus grows from Head to trunk.
During the Twelfth Week the sex organs tend to develop so the sex of the fetus could
be identified. Additionally the fingernails grow and eyelid opens and closes.
End of Twelfth Week the Fetus is 3 inches (7.6 cm) long and weighs about ounce (21
gram).
Twenty Fourth Week the neurons will be present in the brain.
Finally during last three months the fetus gains about 8 ounces each week. So at birth it
weighs more than 7 pounds on average and are about 20 inches (50.8cm) long.

Prenatal Influences on Development.

Many environmental factors can damage the fetus and interfere with the normal pattern of growth.
Such factors are called Teratogens.
Some of them are ;
Infectious Agents
The blood supply of the fetus and that of its mother come into close proximity in the placenta, a
structure within the uterus that protects and nourishes the growing child. As a result the disease
producing organisms present in the mothers blood can sometimes infect the fetus.
Diseases with have minor effect on mother can be extremely dangerous for the child.
Rubella, chickenpox, mumps, tuberculosis, malaria, syphilis, and herpes, genital herpes and AIDS.
Over the counter drugs
Excessive use of aspirins harms the fetus respiratory system.
Cocaine, alcohol,smoking

Plasticizers A potential Risks to Infants

Recent finding suggests that Plasticizers - chemicals added to plastic toys to make them softer may act
as carcinogens(cause of cancer) and may disrupt infants hormonal system.

Physical Development during our early Years

Physical growth is rapid during infancy.
Assuming that infant have gained good nutrition, it can almost triple in weight and increase in body
length by 1/3 by the first year alone.
Although infants are capable of eating immediately, they cant hold too much of food in their stomach,
so compensate it by eating small frequent meal every 2.5 to 4 hours.
But frequent feeding in a rigid schedule and they dont learn to respond to hunger cue and may lead to
obesity.
At birth the babies cant regulate their own body temperature so it is important to keep them warm by
dressing them up in cold environment and dressing them down in hot environment.
Reflexes
At birth the newborns possess several simple reflexes inherited responses to stimulation in certain
areas of the body.
If these reflexes are present that means the babys nervous system is intact and working, else it is a sign
that something is seriously wrong.

Moro Reflex is triggered by a loud sound or sudden dropping back of the infants head. It involves a
series of action in which the baby throws out his or her arms, then fans their fingers and lets out a cry
before bringing the arm back over to their chest.
Palmar Grasping reflexes which is reflected by stroking the plams of the newborns hand. The closes
its hand and holds tight. This reflex helps the baby to cling to their mother as the mother moves.
Rooting Reflex when the cheek is touched or stroked, baby turns toward touch; moves the lips and
tongue to suck.

Babinski Reflex when the babys foot is stroked from heel to toe, the toe fans out.

Loco Motor Development

All of us have observed that the infants have limited maneuverability at birth. This situation changes
rapidly because the baby becomes mobile within few months after birth.
5-10 months babies sit and crawl
14 15 months old babies tens to walk
The Motor development starts from the head towards the limbs.
So the babies first can hold up their head, then lift their chest, then sit and so on.
After the growth spurt in the first year the physical growth rate slows considerably.
The rate then accelerates during adolescence and both sexes experience growth spurt which
last about 2 years.
Concurrently the inner body also tends to develop. The brain expands rapidly through 18
month of life, more than 1/2 of adult brain during this period.(dendrites, axon and glial cells(gives
nutrients to neurons) develops).
Fascinatingly, motor development doesnt solely rely on maturation cross cultural studies show
that it can be speeded or slowed by various child rearing practices.
For instance in Uganda and Kenya, mothers start early to teach their babies to sit, and babies
tend to learn to do so at an earlier age in comparison to Western Countries. In addition to that people in
West Indies tend to massage their babies regularly and exercise motor development skills.
In Contrast the Paraguayans tend to carry their baby everywhere, so this impedes their Motor
Development and most Paraguayans tend to walk at the age of 2.

Perceptual Development
How do infants perceive the World?
Development Psychologists state that if infant show different reaction to different stimuli, then they can
indeed distinguish between them, at some level.
For an example, if an infant have seen a visual stimulus several times, they spend less time looking at
them and rather looking for new visual stimulus.

Studies based on reasoning have found that the infants can distinguish between colors, odors, tastes
and sound.
Infants who are few month old can tell the difference between their name and the other names even
the name with the same number of syllables.
Supprisingly , they can differentiate the sound of their own cry and that of another infant. Proven by the
study conducted by Dondi, Simon, and Caltran (1999). Infants showed greater response for others crying
rather than their own.
Even an infant two days old can distinguish their mothers face from a strangers.
Piagets theory
Sensorimotor 0-2yr The Child develops the basic cause and effect and object permanence.
Preoperational 2-7yr The child begins to represent the world symbolically.
Concrete Operations 7-12yr The child gains understanding of principles such as conversation; logical
though emrges.
Formal Operations 12 yr adult The adolescent becomes capable of several forms of logical thought.

Temperament is a set of in-born traits that organize the childs approach to the world. They are
instrumental in the development of the childs distinct personality. These traits also determine how the
child goes about learning about the world around him.

ALEXANDER THOMAS AND STELLA CHESS TEMPERAMENT

Temperament Types
These traits combine to form three basic types of temperaments. The other 35 percent of children are a
combination of these patterns.

Easy or flexible (40%) children are generally calm, happy, regular in sleeping and eating habits,
adaptable, and not easily upset. Because of their easy style, parents need to set aside special
times to talk about the child's frustrations and hurts because he or she won't demand or ask for
it. This intentional communication will be necessary to strengthen your relationship and find out
what your child is thinking and feeling.

Difficult, active, or feisty(10%) children are often fussy, irregular in feeding and sleeping habits,
fearful of new people and situations, easily upset by noise and commotion, high strung, and
intense in their reactions. Providing areas for vigorous play to work off stored up energy and
frustrations with some freedom of choice allow these children to be successful. Preparing these
children for activity changes and using redirection will help these children transition (move or
change) from one place to another.

Slow to warm up or cautious (15%) children are relatively inactive and fussy, tend to withdraw
or to react negatively to new situations, but their reactions gradually become more positive with
continuous exposure. Sticking to a routine and your word, along with allowing ample time to
establish relationships in new situations, are necessary to allow independence to unfold.

60% of your babies metabolic energy is used while their brain grows.
A study found that at around 9 months, babies begin to attach memories with events,
which is why they cry so much when removed from their parents.
Babies who grow up speaking two languages grow up having a higher executive function.
This means that as they get older, they're better at interpreting conflicting perceptual
or representational features of a problem.
A baby's brain is hardwired to prefer its mother's scent.
Much of the infant-mother bond is based on scent and touch.
Babies that have developed normally will be born with 100 billion neurons.
That's twice the number that adults have.
The brain grows faster than any other body part. It doubles in volume within 90 days. [birth - 3YR]
Babies who receive physical touch and affection often have stronger neuronal connections and wellbeing.