Development over the lifespan summary

Newborns have innate abilities for finding nourishment, avoiding harmful situations, and interacting with others - all of which are genetically designed to facilitate survival. From the moment of conception to the nine-month prenatal period, the zygote becomes an embryo and then a fetus. Teratogens taken in by the mother that can cause damage to the developing fetus. Development of sensory abilities and basic reflexes begins in the prenatal period. And at birth newborns prefer sweet taste and familiar sounds and have visual abilities ideally suited for looking at faces. The newborns brain contains some 100 billion neurons. Infancy spans the first 18 months of life. Maturation refers to genetically programmed events and timeline of normal development. Infants need human contact to survive and thrive, and their innate sensory abilities, reflexes, and mimicry promote development of social relationships.
Nature and nurture work together to help children master important development tasks, especially in the areas of language acquisition, cognitive development, and development of social relationships. The rapid development of language ability is one of the most amazing development feats of early childhood. Babbling begins about 4 months of age, and is the first step toward language development. Grammar, telegraphic speech, and use of morphemes follow in just a few year. Cognitive development refers to the emergence of mental abilities such as thinking, perceiving, and remembering. Jean Piaget suggests that children progress through four distinct stages : the sensorimotor stage, the pre-operational stage, the concrete operations stage, Piaget's four stage doesn't begin until adolescence The third developmental task of childhood is development of social relationships. Erikson observed three major developmental stages during childhood: autonomy, initiative, industry. Optimal development at each stage increases the chances for mastery of each successive stage.
Adolescence