Hoorcollege aantekeningen
Development, Learning &
Behavior
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,Inhoudsopgave
Prenatal development ...................................................................................................................................... 3
Brain development ........................................................................................................................................... 8
Genes and gene-environment interaction (GxE) ............................................................................................. 24
Motor development ....................................................................................................................................... 36
Learning ......................................................................................................................................................... 45
Intelligence & academic achievement ............................................................................................................ 52
Language development .................................................................................................................................. 59
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,Prenatal development
Disclaimer: This course is largely based on WEIRD science: Western, Educated, Industrialized,
Rich and Democratic. The samples are based on the WEIRD science. What we know about
development and what we accept about ‘normal’ is mostly based in the WEIRD science.
However, the information is extremely useful, but we must be careful with generalization.
The science we can capture is now the based gold standard.
What is development?
Development is a specific type of change:
1. Qualitative: this reverse not to change in how much change there is, but what there
is. This is not about the amount, but about the type.
2. Sequential: This means that change sometimes need some other changes first. They
need to proceed other changes, before it can lead to another change.
3. Cumulative: One developmental stage can build up other developmental stages.
4. Directional: The direction can be progressive, but it can also be regressive. Things can
be built up but can also break down.
5. Multifactorial: There is not one factor at the time that can lead to development,
there are always more factors that are involved.
6. Individual: The pathway of development is unique for every individual. There are
some milestones. The milestones give a direction if the development is going in the
right way, but this can be different for everyone. Some children seem to skip
milestones.
20 weeks: this is about the time that the female egg cells start to develop in the embryo.
Start of development officially starts at 20 weeks.
Cell division: Each cell contains a full component of genetic material, basically the instruction
manual that tells a cell what to do and what they need to be. This information is described in
your genes. A person consists of 46 chromosomes (23 from your father and 23 from your
mother):
- Normal cell division: Mitosis
- Sex cell division: Meiosis (EI, ei van vrouwelijke geslachtscel)
- Mitosis: during mitosis all genetic material is getting copied and then separated into
two full sets so that after the cell division is complete, the resulting two cells each
contain a full set of identical of your entire genetic code.
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, - Meiosis: After the genetic material is copied, the dead mom pairs of chromosomes
first exchange genetic information between each other’s in a process called crossing over.
Basically, mixing up between them. And only then make a first split, after this they split again,
ending up with four new cells that each contain a different combination of genetic code.
Importantly, each of these four new cells contains only halve of the blueprint instead of
whole. The other halve of the genetic blueprint will be delivered by the other when the
sperm cell has reached the egg cell. This type of cell division if the basis for genetic variation.
And is therefore the genetic basis for individual differences. This can also help us to
understand the interactions between nature and nurture in shaping development.
- Monozygotic twins: share the exact same genetic information.
- Dizygotic twins: are not genetically identical.
The moment the sperm cell reaches the egg cell: we now have the complete blueprint of the
genetic material.
There are developmental processes during this section of development:
1. Mitosis: ordinary cell division. After this you have two identical cells.
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