Introduction to Child Development

Note: Please read/view the following Required Resources in the order indicated below. You are required to view only the segments of the CD-ROM that are indicated in the Learning Resources. To view a segment on the CD-ROM, select the appropriate unit from the menu, then click on the segment title in the right-hand navigation bar. Please be aware that the developmental domains are referred to differently on the CD-ROM than they are in the course text (i.e., the biological realm is the same as the physical domain, and the psychosocial realm is the same as the social and emotional domain).

 

Required Resources

 

• Course Text: Martin, C. L., & Fabes, R. (2009). Discovering child development (2nd ed.). Boston: Houghton Mifflin.
• • Page 1: Introduction to Child Development
  • Chapter 1: Introduction to Child Development
  • • Pages 3–24
• CD-ROM: Development: Journey Through Childhood and Adolescence

  Important Note for Mac users: This CD-ROM runs on the “Classic” Operating System (System 9). If your Mac only runs OS X, please make arrangements to use a PC (or a Mac with “Classic” OS) in order to view the resources on this CD-ROM.

• • Unit 1: Studying Human Growth and Development
  • • Learning Launch: Studying Human Growth and Development
    • Animation: The Building Blocks of Human Growth and Development
• Course Text: Discovering Child Development
• • Chapter 3: Biological Foundations of Development
  • • Pages 63–64 (Read to “DNA: The Secret to Life”)
    • Pages 72–75 (Read from “How Do Genes and Environment Work Together?” to “What Are Common Chromosomal Abnormalities?”)
• CD-ROM: Development: Journey Through Childhood and Adolescence
• • Unit 3: Nature or Nurture? An Age-Old Question
  • • Learning Launch: An Age-Old Question
    • Animation: Nature or Nurture or Both?
• Course Text: Discovering Child Development
• • Chapter 4: Prenatal Development and Birth
  • • Pages 89–90 (Read to “The Germinal Stage”)
    • Pages 96–107 (Read from “What Conditions Influence Pregnancy and Prenatal Development?” to “How Is a Baby Born?”)
    • Pages 118–124 (Read from “What Are the Characteristics of a Newborn?”)
• CD-ROM: Development: Journey Through Childhood and Adolescence
• • Unit 4: Beginnings
  • • Animation: The Embryonic Period: A Critical Period of Human Development
    • Video: Fetal Development: A Time of Maturation and Growth
• Web Site: Zero to Three: Brain Development: Frequently Asked Questions

  http://main.zerotothree.org/site/PageServer?pagename=ter_key_brainFAQ

• • “General Brain Development” (Read entire section)
  • “Prenatal Development” (Read entire section)
• Online Reading: Week 1: Sum It Up (PDF format)

  From Exploring Child Development (2nd ed.) by Richard Fabes and Carol Lynn Martin

  Published by Allyn and Bacon, Boston, MA. Copyright 2003 by Pearson Education. Used by permission of the publisher.

 

Optional Resources

 

• Web Site: March of Dimes

  How Your Baby Grows—Month-by-month milestones in prenatal development and recommended prenatal care

  http://www.marchofdimes.com/Pregnancy/yourbody_babygrowth.html

• Web Site: Discovery Health: Ultimate Guide to Pregnancy: Month One

  Note: Click on the Video Search tab on the top right, then type in “Ultimate Guide to Pregnancy: Month One” in the search field. Once the video is found, select Play Clip.

  http://health.discovery.com/videos/?playerId=219475126&categoryId=219535198&lineupId=769305244

• Web Site: American Pregnancy Association

  Note: Scroll down to: “Lifestyle Concerns.”

  http://americanpregnancy.org/

 

 

1. Based on your reading of Chapter 1 in the course text and the information presented in Unit 1 of the CD-ROM, identify the three developmental domains and describe a specific example of each related to young children. (Note: Use the terminology for the domains from the course text.) Consider whether you believe one domain is more important than either of the others and support your point of view. Write at least one paragraph that explains your thinking.
2. Understanding the transactional perspective of children’s development is fundamental to grasping the diversity of children’s development. Review pages 21–23, including Figure 1.7, in your course text. Then, in your own words, define transactional perspective. Provide an example from your own life that illustrates this important concept. If no personal example comes to mind, describe a theoretical example that is different from the one in the text.
3. In the past, people believed that children’s development was influenced by either nature (genes) or nurture (environment). Now, however, it is commonly understood that nature and nurture both contribute to how children develop. Consider the information you learned from the CD-ROM segment “Nature or Nurture or Both?” (Unit 3), and then review pages 72–75 of the course text. In your own words, explain why the interaction of nature and nurture makes it challenging to understand the reasons for a specific child’s behavior.