PSYC 100 Chapter Notes - Chapter 9: Teratology, Limbic System, Prosocial Behavior

• School: McGill University
• Department: Psychology
• Course: PSYC 100
• Professor: Jens C Pruessner

Document Summary

Develo psy: study of changes over life span in physiology, cognition, emotion and social behavior. consistency of pattern suggests that genes determine order . Development starts in womb: sperm + egg zygote embryo fetus: hormonal influences iq, weight, cognitive and behavioral outcomes, exposure teratogens: harm embryo or fetus, monster makers, . Bio and environment influence developmental milestones: environment influences what happens throughout development, developmental milestones reached at different paces depending on culture. Dynamic systems theory: development is self-organizing process, new forms of behavior emerge through consistent interactions between biological being and cultural/environmental contexts, developmental advances is through active exploration and feedback from environment. Brain development promotes learning: mind develops adaptively, new and useful skills appear at appropriate times. Born with sense of taste, touch, sight, smell, sound. Myelination helps brain circuits mature, increasing speed with which fibers transmit signals. Synaptic pruning: synaptic connection in brain that are used are preserved, those that are not used are lost.