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REVIEWER ON DEVPSYCH
PRENATAL DEVELOPMENT
- All of the major structures of the body
are forming and the health of the mother
is of primary concern
Infancy and Toddlerhood: The first two
years of life are ones of dramatic growth
and change.
Early Childhood: referred to as the
preschool years and consists of the years
which follow toddlerhood and precede
formal schooling.
Middle and Late Childhood: The ages of
six to the onset of puberty comprise middle
and late childhood, and children's
experience at this age is connected to their
involvement in the early grades of school
Adolescence: is a period of dramatic
physical change marked by an
overall growth spurt and sexual maturation,
known as puberty. A time of cognitive
change as the adolescent begins to think
of new possibilities and to consider
abstract concepts such as love, fear, and
freedom.
Emerging Adulthood: The period of
emerging adulthood is a transitional time
between the end of adolescence and
before individuals acquire all the
benchmarks of adulthood. Continued
identity exploration and preparation for full
independence from parents are
demonstrated.
Early Adulthood: Intimate relationships,
establishing families, and work are primary
concerns at this stage of life.
life.
Middle Adulthood: The forties through the
mid-sixties is referred to as middle
adulthood. This a period in which aging
becomes more noticeable when many
people are at their peak of productivity in
love and work.
Late Adulthood: Late adulthood is
sometimes subdivided into two categories:
The young- old who are from 65-84 years
and the oldest old who are 85 years and
older.
PRENATAL DEVELOPMENT which
is divided into three periods: The germinal
period, the embryonic period, and the fetal
period.
1. GERMINAL PERIOD (about 14
days in length) lasts from
conception to implantation of the
fertilized egg in the lining of the
uterus
2. EMBRYONIC PERIOD Starting the
third week the blastocyst has
implanted in the uterine wall.
Upon implantation, this
multi-cellular organism is called an
embryo.
3. FETAL PERIOD From the ninth
week until birth, the organism is
referred to as FETUS.
● Developmental Psychology, also
known as Human Development or
Lifespan Development, is the
scientific study of ways in which
people change and stay the same,
from conception to death.
● Adulthood is a dynamic period
marked by continued cognitive,
social, and psychological
development.
● Paul Baltes identified several
underlying principles of the
lifespan perspective
PRINCIPLES OF HUMAN
DEVELOPMENT
● Development is lifelong
Lifespan theorists believe that
development is life-long, and change is
apparent across the lifespan. No single
age period is more crucial, characterizes,
or dominates human development.
● Development is multidirectional
Humans change in many directions. We
may show gains in some areas of
development while showing losses in
other areas
● Development is multidimensional
We change across three general
domains/dimensions; physical, cognitive,
and psychosocial.
the physical domain Includes changes in
height and weight sensory capabilities, the
nervous system, as well as the propensity
for disease and illness

The cognitive domain encompasses the
changes in intelligence, wisdom,
perception, problem-solving, memory,
and language.
The psychosocial domain focuses on
changes in emotion, self-perception, and
interpersonal relationships with families,
peers, and friends.
● Development is multidisciplinary.
Human development is such a vast topic of
study that it requires the theories, research
methods, and knowledge base of many
academic disciplines.
● Development is characterized by
plasticity.
Plasticity is all about our ability to change
and many of our characteristics are
malleable.
● Development is multi-contextual.
Normative age-graded influences: a
specific age group, such as a toddler,
adolescent, or senior. Humans in a specific
age grade share particular experiences
and developmental changes.
Normative history-graded influences: The
time period in which you are born shapes
your experiences
A cohort is a group of people who are
born at roughly the same period in a
particular society.
Non-normative life influences: each of us
also has unique experiences that may
shape our development.
PRINCIPLES OF HEREDITARY
TRANSMISSIONS
Genes- are the specific sequence of
nucleotides and are recipes for making
proteins. Genes are located on the
chromosomes and there are an estimated
20,500 genes
Genetics- Genetic make- up also plays a
role in the impact a particular teratogen
might have on the child.
Proteins- are responsible for influencing
the structure and functions of cells.
Normal human cells contain 46
chromosomes (or 23 pairs; one from each
parent) in the nucleus of the cells
Mitosis is defined
As the cell’s nucleus makes an exact copy
of all the chromosomes and splits into two
new cells.
Meiosis- the gamete’s chromosomes
duplicate and then divide twice resulting in
four cells containing only half the genetic
mate of the original gamete.
Monozygotic or identical twins occur
when a fertilized egg splits apart in the first
two weeks of development.
Dizygotic or fraternal twins are formed
when Two eggs or ova are released and
fertilized by two separate sperm.
Patterns of Development
1. Cephalocaudal- from head to tail
2. Proximodistal- from the midline outward
Teratogens or environmental factors that
can lead to birth defects
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The Role of Mother and Father
Most women over 35 who become
pregnant are in good health and have
healthy pregnancies. However, according
to the March of Dimes (2016d), women
over age 35 are more likely to have an
increased risk of
● Fertility problems
● High blood pressure
● Diabetes
● Miscarriages
● Placenta Previa
● Cesarean section
● Premature birth
● Stillbirth
● A baby with a genetic disorder or
other birth defects
INFANCY AND TODDLERHOOD STAGE
Physical Development - an average
newborn in the United States weighs about
7.5 pounds (between 5 and 10 pounds)
and is about 20 inches in length. For the
first few days of life, infants typically lose
about 5 percent of their body weight as
they eliminate waste and get used to
feeding.
Body Proportions- head initially makes
up about 50 percent of our entire length
when we are developing in the womb. At
birth, the head makes up about 25 percent
of our length, and by age 25 it comprises
about 20 percent of our length.

Maturation- a biological unfolding of the
individual according to species (typical
biological inheritance) and the individual
person’s biological inheritance
Learning- the process through which our
experiences produce relatively permanent
changes in feelings, thoughts, and
behavior.
Social Issues
Marasmus - refers to starvation due to a
lack of calories and protein.
Kwashiorkor- a “disease of the displaced
child”
- Playing (see picture)
Freud saw the play as a means for children
to release pent-up emotions and deal with
emotionally distressing situations
in a more secure environment.
Siblings- play an important role in the
development of social skills. Cooperative
and pretend-to-play interactions between
younger and older siblings can teach
empathy, sharing, and cooperation
INFANCY AND CHILDHOOD STAGE:
Cognitive Development
PIAGET AND THE SENSORY MOTOR
STAGE
Substage 1: Reflexes
Newborns learn about their world through
the use of their reflexes, such as when
sucking, reaching, and grasping.
Eventually, the use of these reflexes
becomes more deliberate and purposeful.
Substage 2: Primary Circular Reactions
During these next 3 months, the infant
begins to actively involve his or her own
body in some form of repeated activity. An
infant may accidentally engage in a
behavior and find it interesting such as
making a vocalization.
This interest motivates trying to do it again
and helps the infant learn a new behavior
that originally occurred by chance.
Substage 3: Secondary Circular Reactions.
The infant begins to interact with objects in
the environment. At first, the infant
interacts with objects (e.g., a crib mobile)
accidentally, but then these contacts with
the objects are deliberate and become a
repeated activity. The infant becomes more
and more actively engaged in the outside
world and takes delight in being able to
make things happen.
Substage 4: Coordination of Secondary
Circular Reactions.
The infant combines these basic reflexes
and simple behaviors and uses planning
and coordination to achieve a specific goal.
Substage 5: Tertiary Circular Reactions.
The toddler is considered a “little scientist”
and begins exploring the world in a
trial-and-error manner, using both motor
skills and planning abilities.
Substage 6: Beginning of Representational
Thought.
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The sensorimotor period ends with the
appearance of symbolic or representational
thought. The toddler now has a basic
understanding that objects can be used as
symbols.
- Schema referred to as a framework for
organizing information
- Assimilation describes how we interpret
new experiences in terms of our current
understanding, so in terms of our current
schemas.
- Accommodation describes how we later
adjust our schemas to better incorporate
new experiences
Object permanence- is the understanding
that even if something is out of sight, it still
exists
CONFORMITY: PEERS VS PARENT
JEAN PIAGET PREOPERATIONAL
STAGE- use symbols to represent words,
images, and ideas
The preoperational period is divided into
two stages:
1. The symbolic functions substage
Occurs between 2 and 4 years of
age and is characterized by the
child being able to mentally
represent an object that is not
present and a dependence on
perception in problem-solving.
2. The intuitive thought substage,
lasting from 4 to 7 years, is marked
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by greater dependence on intuitive through observation, modeling, ● Uninvolved parents are

thinking rather than just perception
ELEMENTS OF PREOPERATIONAL
THOUGHT
Pretend Play- learn and represent learning
Centration- focusing on only one
characteristic of an object to the exclusion
of others.
Egocentrism- belief that other people
have the same thoughts/perceptions they
do
Animism- attributing life-like qualities to
objects.
Operational refers to the logical
manipulation of information
Stranger anxiety- This is a fear of
unfamiliar people.
Separation Anxiety- Recurrent and
excessive distress about anticipating or
being away from home or loved ones
- the departure of significant others
Kohlberg’sPre-Conventional Reasoning-
children don't have a personal code of
morality, and instead moral decisions are
shaped by the standards of adults and the
consequences of following or breaking
their rules.
Gender Influences-
Gender Development: Social learning
theory, argues that behavior is learned
reinforcement, and punishment disengaged from their children.
They do not make demands on
INFANCY AND CHILDHOOD their children and are
Social Development- non-responsive.
Family Relations- Stress from parent
Attachment theory, developed by John separation places children at a higher risk
Bowlby to explain emotional bonding for anxiety, depression, PTSD, lower IQ,
between infants and caregivers, has obesity, impaired immune system
implications for understanding romantic functioning, and medical conditions
relationships. (SRCD, 2018). Even after being reunited,
FOUR ATTACHMENT STYLES: children can experience attachment issues,
poorer self-esteem, and physical and
1. ANXIOUS (referred to as
psychological health difficulties.
preoccupied in adults),
2. AVOIDANT (referred to as
dismissive in adults),
3. DISORGANIZED (referred to as
fearful-avoidant in adults), and
4. SECURE
PARENTING STYLES
● Authoritative parents are
supportive and show interest in
their kids’ activities but are not
overbearing and allow them to
make constructive mistakes
● Authoritarian is the traditional
model of parenting in which
parents make the rules and
children are expected to be
obedient.
● Permissive parenting involves
holding expectations of children
that are below what could be
reasonably expected from them