PSY 1305 Chapter Notes - Chapter 5: Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder, Prenatal Development, Developmental Psychology
Document Summary
A- conception occurs when the sperm fertilizes the egg. The zygote is then formed when the sperm and egg becomes one cell. From there, the embryo is formed from the inner cells of the zygote, and the placenta is formed from the outer cell of the zygote. The embryo rapidly grows and cells differentiate as it develops. A- teratogens are environmental agents such as disease, drugs, chemicals, and viruses that harms the baby while the mother is still pregnant because these agents affect the prenatal development in a negative way. Alcohol and thalidomide are examples of agents that can reach the embryo/fetus causing the baby to be born with fetal alcohol syndrome or shorts arms respectively. The severity of the effects depends on when the agent is taken (sensitive during critical period) and also how long the exposure lasts. Infants are born with reflexes (automatic responses) to help them survive.
