Human, Social, And Moral Development

This paper explores the effects of prenatal alcohol exposure on motor development. With this topic, came many questions. They are: Is every child effected the same amount, or does it depends on how much the mother drank and how much the fetus was exposed to?, Is there anything the mother can do to reverse the effects of exposure, or perhaps lessen the damage on the child?, Is there a safe amount of alcohol that can be consumed without harm?, And lastly, do the effects of prenatal alcohol exposure ever go away? Coles et al. (2015) and Lucas et al. (2016) suggest answers and evidence to these questions. This paper explains what happens when a fetus is exposed to alcohol, and how it

Fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (known as FASD), is a term which encompasses a wide variety of negative health consequences as a result of exposure to alcohol while in the womb (Williams, 2006). This exposure has the potential to cause severe, permanent brain damage leading to cognitive and behavioural deficiencies throughout childhood and adolescence (Brown et al., 2015). FASD only occurs within the general population of North America in approximately 9.1 out of every 1000 births (McLachlan et al., 2014). However, this condition is much more prevalent in individuals involved in various stages of the justice system, affecting between 10% and 23% (McLachlan et al., 2014). This paper aims to explain how FASD affects a juvenile’s brain

drinking can have harmful effects on a developing brain (“Dangers of Teen Drinking” FTC). As

Studies have shown that the developing adolescent frontal cortex is much more sensitive to damage than the adult frontal cortex, even with the same amount of alcohol” (Binge Drinking in Adolescence Can Hinder Adjustment to Adulthood). Crew’s explained that: “brain scans performed on rats showed that adolescent binge drinking in rats led to a smaller forebrain volume and size. The animals also showed significantly less behavioral flexibility compared to those that weren’t exposed to alcohol” (Dangers of College Binge Drinking)The study also found “reductions in the activity of neurotransmitter genes 24 hours after binge-drinking in adolescent animals. As adults, the animals showed even greater reductions, averaging 73 percent” (Dangers of College Binge Drinking). Dr. Crews said that their findings suggest that people who drink heavily during adolescence could be more likely to have “difficulty adapting successfully to changing life situations as adults, possibly because of changes to the frontal cortex, the part of the brain that is associated with predicting consequences, impulse control, reasoning, and long- and short-term rewards” (Dangers of College Binge Drinking). When a person is 21 or older their body and brain are completely

1308). Fetal alcohol syndrome is a condition which may exist in infants when their mothers have abused alcoholic beverages during the term of their pregnancy. Fetal alcohol syndrome generally results in physical, mental and emotional damage to the offspring. For example, such infants are almost always of a smaller size and weight than normal infants at birth, and are found to have a smaller overall brain size as well. It has been noted that these factors often lead to developmental delays, fine-motor problems, and a higher risk of academic problems once the child enters school (Streissguth, 1986, p. 23). Fetal alcohol syndrome has also been related to such malformations in infancy as mental retardation, cerebral palsy and hyperactivity. In terms of learning disability, it has been found that fetal alcohol syndrome often results in decreased attention span and other difficulties which may require special education needs when the child reaches school age (Abel & Sokol, 1986, p. 330). Studies with laboratory animals have also indicated that fetal alcohol syndrome may be responsible for the impairment of learning and memory functions in the hippocampus area of the brain (p. 330). It has been noted that many of the incidental problems in infants caused by fetal alcohol syndrome can be overcome with corrective surgery;

Brain development is a key part of becoming an adult, and it continues developing until the age of 25 (Shelat). During the ages of 18 to 20, our brains are at an important stage of development, “in which the gray-matter volume decreases and the white-matter volume increases” (MRI Study). However, drinking can reverse this effect, and younger people will develop more gray-matter then white-matter. Alcohol affects the brains as it makes us have difficulty walking, blurred

On September 13th, we discussed various topics within the field of the brain, biology, and development. Topics ranged from prenatal cocaine exposure and cortisol reactivity in infants to adolescent risk-taking. I particularly enjoyed Eiden and colleagues’ article the most out of the assigned articles. Eiden and colleagues conducted a study examining the effects of prenatal cocaine exposure on infant hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis activity and reactivity at seven months old (Eiden et al., pg 528). They hypothesized that infants exposed to cocaine would have higher cortisol reactivity and would have a slower recovery in response compared to those in the control group. They also hypothesized that caregiving instability may moderate

Impairment of the central nervous system results in an array of behavioral problems including hyperactivity, Attention Deficit Disorder (ADHD) and impaired language, as well as difficulties learning and understanding social skills (Thomas, 2008). In addition, prenatal exposure to alcohol disrupts the development of major regions in the central nervous system such as the hippocampus, which contributes to memory (Thomas, 2008). The exposure to alcohol during development in the womb, consequently damaging the central nervous system and the hippocampus, makes the child’s learning experience more difficult due to the fact that their learning and their ability to memorize has been impaired.

Many human development specialists have examined memory loss of adults later in life. During the past fifty years, there have been many studies in children’s cognitive development and earlier childhood memory loss. Ernest G. Schachtel conducted studies on why people forget childhood memories as they grow older. He described the processes that could be involved in early memory loss (Crain, 2005). He was influenced by Sigmund Freud’s cognitive theory (Crain, 2005). Lev S. Vygotsky, however, described children’s early memory development as a holistic process that involved society, physiological, cultural, and economical environments. (Vygotsky,

Technological advances in the past decade have allowed scientists to study the brain in ways that have led to new understanding about how young children develop. There is a new understanding of both the capabilities and the vulnerabilities of infants and young children and that understanding is has influenced the work of caregivers and teachers. During pregnancy, the basic architecture of the brain is formed. Although, certain experiences do influence the developing brain during pregnancy, such as maternal health and stress, intake of drugs and/or alcohol, and quality of maternal nutrition.

The study of human development is a science. It is based on theories, data, analysis, critical thinking, and sound methodology (Berger). Five characteristics of Development that will be discussed in this paper are multidirectional, multi-contextual, multicultural, multidisciplinary and plasticity. There are also five theories of development which are psychoanalytical, behaviorism, cognitive, socio-cultural, and epigenetic theory. Together these characteristics and theories can be used together to get a better understanding of the human development and how much genetics play a role in development and how much the

Research on human development has been much devoted towards determining when one should expect children to be capable of certain skills. Every day, our communities develop as generations of individuals make choices and invent solutions to changing circumstances. Our ongoing daily activities, ranging from learning when to brush our teeth, to learning the numbers on a telephone. Barbara Rogoff’s The Cultural Nature of Human Development discusses cultural patterns as they relate to human development. Human development is a cultural process by which devices such as language and literacy are employed by means of learning from one another. To date, the study of human development has been largely based around research and theoretical knowledge coming from middle-class communities in Europe, as well as North America. Questions such as “When does children’s intellectual development permit them to be responsible for others?” and “When can they be trusted to take care of an infant?” are vital in recognizing cultural approaches among different cultural communities. Rogoff’s work discusses the importance of increasing the understanding of the cultural basis of our own lives as those of our neighbors and those individuals we do not know personally.

Anne is a 22-year-old Caucasian female currently enrolled in college. She is enrolled as a full time student majoring in Criminal Justice. She lives in a single room on campus and is three hours away from her family. She is currently in the Later Adolescence stage of development and is dealing with several different life issues.

As I was browsing through numerous websites that explained the major effects of alcohol on the teenage brain, I was amazed. The brain undergoes vigorous changes throughout teenage adolescence, and alcohol abuse can seriously injure long-term and short-term growth processes. Frontal lobe development and the refinement of pathways and connections continue until the age of sixteen, and a high rate of energy is used as the brain matures until the age of twenty. Damage from alcohol at this time can be long-term damages. Not only that, these damages are generally irreversible.

There are three foundations of human development. The foundations are the biological development, psychological development, and social development. The concept of human diversity and cultural competences demonstrates how different people can be. General systems theory and social order are connected in some way.