PSY-1200 Lecture Notes - Lecture 7: Longitudinal Study, Egocentrism, Limbic System
Document Summary
Conception: a single sperm cell penetrates the outer coating of the egg and fuse to form one fertilized cell. Zygote: a fertilized cell with 100 cells, which become increasingly diverse. At about 14 days, the zygote turns into an embryo. Infants are born with reflexes that aid survival, including the rooting reflex that helps them locate food. Cognitive development in the newborn: investigators study infants getting habituated to objects over some duration of time. New objects are paid more attention than habituated ones, showing learning: the first thing babies organize is their mom. Developing brains: the developing brain overproduces neurons, peaking around 28 billion at 7 months. The greatest neuronal spurt is in the frontal lobe enabling the individual for rational thought. Maturation: the development of the brain unfolds based on genetic instructions. Motor development: infants begin to roll over first followed by sitting unsupported (6 months), crawling (8-9 months), and finally walking (12-16 months).
