Study GuidePsychology – Developmental Psychology: Age 0–131.Development in Infancy and ChildhoodHuman development begins even before birth and continues rapidly through infancy and childhood.During this time, the brain, body, thinking, emotions, and social relationships all develop in importantand connected ways.1.1Brain Development and the Importance of EnvironmentBefore birth (in utero), the brain grows very quickly. By the time a baby is born, it already hasalmostall the nerve cellsit will ever have. Brain development is especially rapid during thethird trimesterof pregnancy.However, after birth, the brain still has a lot of work to do. What develops next are theconnectionsbetween neurons, which are essential for learning to walk, talk, think, and remember.PsychologistsMark RosenzweigandDavid Krechdemonstrated the importance of environmentthrough research with rats:•Rats raised alone (animpoverished environment) developed athinner cerebral cortex.•They also hadfewer glial cells, which support and nourish neurons.•Rats raised in astimulating environmentwith other rats and toys showed healthier braindevelopment.Other studies found thattouch and massagebenefit both premature human infants and infant rats.Together, these findings strongly support the importance of anenriched environmentduring earlydevelopment.1.2Innate Reflexes in InfantsInfants are born with manyinnate (unlearned) reflexes. These are automatic responses to specificstimuli and help doctors assess healthy development.Preview Mode
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