PSYC 100 Lecture Notes - Lecture 14: Asymmetrical Tonic Neck Reflex, Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, Amniotic Sac

• School: Queen's University
• Department: Psychology
• Course: PSYC 100
• Professor: Jill L Atkinson

Document Summary

Germinal period: the first two weeks after the sperm and egg unite. Conception takes place when a single sperm from a male fuses with an ovum from a female: this marks the beginning of the first stage of development (the germinal period) The germinal period will last until the developing cells have attached to the uterine wall: this occurs approximately 8-10 days after conception. A sperm and ova are both a specialized type of reproductive cell known as a gamete. During the germinal period, the zygote cell divides multiple times resulting in numerous identical copies being produced: the divisions occur through a process called cleavage, which starts ~24hrs after conception. Cleavage: division of cells in the early embryo to form blastomeres: after a few instances of cleavage, the resulting spherical mass of cells is known as a morula. Morula: a solid mass of blastomeres resulting from a number of cleavages of zygote.