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Prenatal development

Prenatal development Introduction Prenatal development in psychology occurs within the first 40 weeks of a fetus development before delivery and involves the emergence of various cognitive and behavioral capabilities. Research in psychology has identified stages of prenatal development during which unborn children develop the ability to interact with the environment. However, clinical categorization of fetal development result into stages based on the trimester, which is divided into three each comprising of 3 months each.
Psychological stages of prenatal development
During the first few weeks following implantation of the zygote, the germinal stage begins and this makes an important phase of fetal development. During this phase, a number of organs emerge which include the placenta, the umb4ilical cord and the amniotic fluid. The development of various systems in the body influences the development of the fetus and determines the likelihood that it will grow to maturity (Levine and Joyce, 74).
The embryonic stage of development begins from the 2nd to the 8th week, a phase when the fetus develops three regions known as the ectoderm, the mesoderm and the endoderm. The ectoderm differentiates into the nervous system, which influences the development of other tissues during the final trimester through signal transduction. The mesoderm on the other hand differentiates into major systems such as the skeleton, the muscles, circulatory, reproductive systems and the skin (Salkind, 65).
The first organ that develops during this stage of psychological development is the neural tube that later becomes the nervous system. During this stage of development, a child is under the influence of various other environmental factors, which can affect their psychological development. For example, exposure to drugs, alcohol and cigarette smokes affect the normal development of fetus and increases incidence of psychological conditions. Care must be taken to ensure that the fetus develops in an enabling environment to grow devoid of psychological conditions.
. The fetus begins to take the shape of a human being as the major body systems are emerge and acquire full functionality such as sex organ, the brain and a fully functional spinal cord. This is the longest phase of fetal development as the fetus elongates further, increase in weight and acquires features that are of relevance to psychology (Salkind, 27).
Psychological development of fetus is witnessed through various actions of the developing fetus, which include alertness, movement and sound. The fetus move the eyes, listen to sound from the outside world and move based on the position of the mother and comfort within the womb. In an hour, scientists believe that a fetus move over 50 times by flexing various parts of the body including hands, face and head (Levine and Joyce, 71). During this stage of development, a child is under the influence of various other environmental factors, which can affect their psychological development. For example, exposure to drugs, alcohol and cigarette smokes affect the normal development of fetus and increases incidence of psychological conditions.
An adult develops preference for taste based on the womb environment and the nutrition preferences of the mother. Within the womb, fetuses are capable of tasting the environment and developing strong signals for such kind of foods or environment. the identification of the levels of fetal development and their impacts on the psychological health of newborn is an essential health practice.
Works cited
Levine, Laura E., and Joyce Munsch. Child Development: An Active Learning Approach. California: SAGE Publications, 2010. Print.
Salkind, Neil J. Child Development. New York: Macmillan Reference USA, 2002. Print.

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