2008-03-04 - Human development

Studying change in human development<br />
<b>Longitudinal study</b> - track or evalute changes, same group of people over a long period. Data can be skewed by drop-outs and not applicable to general population. Costly, drop-outs and long time to produce results.<br /><br />
<b>Cross-sectional research</b> - evalute changes in a particular variable, study different age groups at the same time, cohort (group of the same age), cohort effect (confounding variable due to diffcerent experiences/historical background), costs less, don't lose participants and have quick results. You have to be highly aware of the confounds or figure out a way to get around them. These studies are difficult.

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<font color="red">Cross-sectional research is obviously statistical. The longitudinal studies are not exactly as 'costly' as they are said to be here. Obviously, the data can be automatically collected and reported these days such as with embedded microchips and so on.</font> 

<b>Cohort-Sequential research</b> - cross-sectional group assessed multiple times over a span. Results compared to same age cohort (difs = cohort effect). Distinguish age-related changes from cohort effect. Same problems as longitudinal. <br /><br />
<b>Biographical or retrospective study</b> - one person at a time, interview a person at the end of the span studied, self-reports and available data, very detailed but always accurate, not always applicable to the general population. <font color="red">What about source monitoring errors?</font><br />

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Cephalo-caudal, proximo-distal. <br /><br />

Stages of prenatal development - germinal (first two weeks) (zygote), embryonic (2 weeks to 8 weeks), organs and structures formed; then there's fetal at about 2 months to birth. Sex organs develop. Organ and structures. Brain cells multiplify. Age of viability -- 22 to 26 weeks. 85% survival at 26 to 28 weeks. 38 weeks full term. All development starts with the center and moves out. 2 to 8 weeks is the weakest point -- this is where many women have miscarriages during this time and never know that they were pregnant. Only one third of all pregnancies actually terminate with a baby. Human gestation is 38 to 42 weeks on the average (40). 22 weeks is the earliest at which point a baby is viable, so five months in, it's hard but possible. There is a lot that can go wrong during the process of development. That's why there's lots of chemicals that cause all sorts of interesting brain structures in the finished baby.

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Nature/nurture -- yawn. <font color="red">This is out-dated research. The "genetic blueprint is all that determines the body" is obviously wrong. Genetic expression is influenced by envrionment and genetics at the same time, so the case is solved, Puckett, we can stop talking about this nonsense. </font>

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Conrad Lorenz - birds form an attachment to the first moving object they see or hear after birth (usually mom). This is evidence of innate behavior. An instant neural mechanism. <br /><br />


<b>Critical period</b> - the "fill in the blank time" to learn it. What happens if you don't get a chance to do what you're supposed to during that critical period? You may never develop it or it's deficient behavior and never develops right. 

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Water baby classes at 2 mo. After about 6 mo, they start panicking and they can't hold their breath. Get your kid in a water baby class soon. The Babinski effect up until 9 mo, that's good for developing the muscles for standing. If you need to get a pacifier in a baby's mouth, stroke it on the cheek. 

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<b>Continuity</b> - gradual consist change that is measurable over a life time, behaviorists, Vygotsky (nurture & ZPD), quantitative changes (you can measure it, like height), gradual. <br />
<b>Discontinuity</b> - successive stage-based developments that do not have a smooth development, plateus and sudden shifts in development, varied theories, Piaget, Kohlberg, Gilligan, Eriskon, qualtiative changes (kind, structureo ro rganization), success stages that require resolution.<br />

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The critical period with dogs is 7 weeks. Abstract development with children - there's times. 

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Psychoanalysts, change theorists, developmental psychologists. Does personality change?

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