SANTROCK’S

DEVELOPMENTAL STAGES
(with Developmental Tasks)
8 Developmental Stages (Santrock)
• Prenatal
• Infancy
• Early childhood
• Middle & late childhood
• Adolescence
• Early adulthood
• Middle adulthood
• Late adulthood
 PRENATAL PERIOD
• Development happens quickly during this stage
(tremendous growth from a single cell to an
organism complete with brain and behavioral
capabilities)
• Time between conception and birth
• Divided into 3 stages:
-germinal
-embryonic
-fetal
 Germinal Stage
• 2 week period after conception
Conception occurs when a sperm cell combines
with an egg cell to form a zygote.
(about 36 hours after conception) zygote begins
to divide quickly. The resulting ball of cells
moves along the mother’s fallopian tube to
the uterus.
(around 7 days after conception) the ball of cells
starts to become embedded in the wall of the
uterus. This process is called implantation and
takes about a week to complete. If
implantation fails, as is quite common, the
pregnancy terminates. One key feature of the
germinal stage is the formation of a tissue
called the placenta.
2 important functions of placenta:
• Passing oxygen and nutrients from the
mother’s blood into the embryo or fetus
• Removing waste materials from the embryo or
fetus
 Embryonic Stage
• lasts from the end of the germinal stage to
two months after conception. The developing
ball of cells is now called an embryo. In this
stage, all the major organs form, and the
embryo becomes very fragile. The biggest
dangers are teratogens, which are agents such
as viruses, drugs, or radiation that can cause
deformities in an embryo or fetus. At the end
of the embryonic period, the embryo is only
about an inch long.
 Fetal Stage
• lasts from two months after conception until
birth. About one month into this stage, the sex
organs of the fetus begin to form. The fetus
quickly grows as bones and muscles form, and it
begins to move inside the uterus. Organ systems
develop further and start to function. During the
last three months, the brain increases rapidly in
size, an insulating layer of fat forms under the
skin, and the respiratory and digestive systems
start to work independently.
 Fetal Viability
• Around twenty-two to twenty-six weeks after
conception, the fetus reaches the age of
viability, after which it has some chance of
surviving out-side the womb if it is born
prematurely. The chances of a premature
baby’s survival increase significantly with each
additional week it remains in the mother’s
uterus.
Adverse factors affecting fetal dev’t
• Poor nutrition
• Use of alcohol
• Smoking
• Use of certain prescription or over-the-counter drugs
• Use of recreational drugs such as cocaine, sedatives,
and narcotics
• X-rays and other kinds of radiation
• Ingested toxins, such as lead
• Illnesses such as AIDS, German measles, syphilis,
cholera, smallpox, mumps, or severe flu
 Fetal Alcohol Syndrome
• Mothers who drink heavily during pregnancy
may have babies with fetal alcohol syndrome.
Babies with this syndrome may have problems
such as small head size, heart defects,
irritability, hyperactivity, mental retardation,
or slowed motor development. Fetal alcohol
syndrome is incurable.
 INFANC
Y
• Birth to 18-24 months
• Time of extreme dependence on adults
• Many psychological activities are just
beginning ( language, symbolic thought,
sensori- motor coordination & social learning)
 EARLY CHILDHOOD
• End of infancy to 5-6 years old (preschool
years-grade 1)
• Young children learn to become more self-
sufficient and care for themselves, develop
school readiness skills and spend many hours
in play with peers
 MIDDLE & LATE CHILDHOOD
• 6-11 years old (elementary school years)
• Fundamental skills of reading, writing, and
arithmetic are mastered
• Child is formally exposed to larger world and
its culture
• Achievement becomes a more central theme
of the child’s world and self-control
increases
 ADOLESCENCE
• 10-12 years old to 18-22 years old
• Begins with rapid physical changes (dramatic
gains in height in weight, changes in body
contour, and development of sexual
characteristics such as enlargement of breasts,
development of pubic and facial hair, deepening
of voice)
• Pursuit of independence & identity are
prominent
• Thought is more logical, abstract &
idealistic
• More time is spent outside family
 EARLY ADULTHOOD
• Late teens or early 20s to 30s
• Time of establishing personal & economic
independence, career development, selecting
a mate, learning to live with someone in an
intimate way, starting a family & rearing
children
 MIDDLE ADULTHOOD
• 40 to 60 years old
• Time of expanding personal & social
involvement & responsibility
• Assisting next generation in becoming
competent & mature individuals, reaching &
maintaining satisfaction in a career
 LATE ADULTHOOD
• 60s and above
• Time for adjustment to decreasing strength
and health, life review, retirement and
adjustment to new social roles