PSYA02H3 Lecture Notes - Lecture 4: Rubella, Habituation, Prenatal Development
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PSYA02H3 Full Course Notes
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Document Summary
Developmental psychology: the scientific study of biological, cognitive, social, and personality development throughout the life span, a major issue in developmental psychology is the nature-versus-nurture question. Influences: prenatal development is mainly a function of the zygote"s genetic code (nature), but the environment (nurture) also plays a role, teratogens are environmental agents (such as drugs or viruses), diseases (such as. German measles), and physical conditions (such as malnutrition) that impair prenatal development and lead to birth defects or even death. In general, a child"s reaction to their environment depends on their age (and amount of knowledge: critical periods. Times in development when certain events have an enormous impact. The same events have less impact if they occur earlier or later. If they happen too late, certain milestones will not be reached and a certain path of development is set. Important times in development: sensitive periods, similar to the idea of critical periods, but with less rigid boundaries.
