Many Pregnant Women May Be Harming Fetuses

As we discussed in class there are several abnormalities that can be caused by teratogens. Smoking, drinking, consuming metals, and taking prescriptions are just some things that can be consumed by pregnant women that can harm the fetus. In this article pregnant women in southwestern Oregon participated in a nation study on harmful substances to fetuses. The study pointed out 94% of children exposed to drugs and alcohol in the womb will have mental health issues. 40% will need special education and 60% will end up in the criminal justice system. After the study was presented a group in Douglas County only 50% of them quit drinking while they were pregnant.

Studies have been conducted throughout the years proving that several factors can cause health problems, physical deformaties, and mental problems. I think it is crazy for a pregnant woman to subject her baby to things like smoking and drinking when it can cause problems for the rest of the baby's life.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/39226119

Sex Education in Schools

There is a debate going on between the Helena Public Schools and parents over whether or not to introduce a new sex-ed program for all grades(k-12). In first grade, educators would teach children about homosexuality, and by fifth grade, kids would learn about the different types of intercourse. The new program would begin teaching kids in elementary school in hopes of raising awareness and lowering teen pregnancy numbers as well as STDs. Some parents and other opponents say that the new curriculum begins at too young of an age, that the language is too graphic for young children, and that by talking about sex, it will make kids want to start exploring sex earlier. Others say that Sex Education should be left out of school completely, and that it is up to parents to discuss the topics with their own chilren.

Personally, I think that beginning Sex Ed at a younger age is a good idea. I think teenagers take sex too lightly and don't really consider the consequences of their actions until they are faced with a difficult situation like a pregnancy or a disease. I think that educating kids about sex at a young age, using age-appropriate terms, could be extremely beneficial. I don't think that teaching kids about sex will push them into taking part in sexual activity any earlier. It will just help them to make informed decisions when they do decide they are ready to have sex.

Here are a couple articles written on this subject.
http://helenair.com/news/local/education/article_b7763efe-7395-11df-b7b4-001cc4c03286.html

http://www.krtv.com/news/helena-schools-draft-sex-ed-document-causing-controversy/

Children and technology

According to an article at Sciencedaily.com, children being exposed to new technology, such as video games, also have a new way to learn. According to the article "Patricia Greenfield (UCLA) looked at more than 50 studies of technology's effects on children. She found that media does limit some aspects of their mental skills, but also help improve them in other ways. " It also describes today's children as better multitaskers and better at visual reasoning skills. "However, the changes aren't all positive: while children can cope with complex information, it doesn't always aid learning. For example, one test found that children who watched a version of CNN Headline News with only the news announcer on screen remembered much more detail about the stories than those watching the standard version with mulitple on-screen graphics."

Technology, according to this study also appears to damage critical reasoning and attention span.


What this article states to me is that while video games can create different learning environments for children and technology can help children to learn, educators must continue to develop the best ways to help children and not just show movies or give games to play. Parents must also be aware that giving children the newest technology and letting them run loose may be inhibiting their children and their ability to learn in the future.

http://www.infopackets.com/news/technology/it/2009/20090130_technology_has_mixed_effects_on_child_development_research_suggest.htm

Hands Free VS. Hand Held Device While Driving

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C6BN7XgTQCs

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080707142838.htm

I Thought This was a good study to post. This topic seams to be in the media a lot lately. I strongly agree with the study, that hands free devices are just as dangerous while driving, as using a cell phone with your hands. The conversation is the distraction. I think the brain is already overwhelmed just trying to pay attention to everything on the road. Then to add a conversation into the mix is just to much for our minds.

This study really makes me think of attention of the brains psychology. How are brains are only made to have so much attention. I think it also relates to this class as far as development of the brain. I think this study overview was really well written. Although, I always wish they showed the statistics with the summary, also more about the actual study and how it was preformed. The summary report of her findings did made a lot of sense, I hope people will think more about how the conversation is really a distraction.

Video games and aggression in children

http://news.health.com/2008/11/03/violent-video-games-linked-to-aggression-in-children-teens/

I have always thought that violent video games added to the aggressive tendencies in youth but I always attributed it to a predisposition to aggression. Personally I played games that were less aggressive because it seems like when I was a child there were far less violent games out there. The Columbine shootings are a prime example of how child aggression can have some tragic outcomes. The perpetrators were said to have played violent video games as well as playing with firearms. I am in agreement that it is the video games that create the aggression although it is true violent people may be drawn to violent games. I thought that the use of American and Japanese children was interesting as well. I am glad they used children from different cultures to come to their conclusions because it eliminates it being an strictly American problem.

http://www.aacap.org/cs/root/facts_for_families/children_and_video_games_playing_with_violence

"Studies have also shown that the more realistic and repeated the exposure to violence, the greater the impact on children. In addition, children with emotional, behavioral and learning problems may be more influenced by violent images." I thought that this was interesting and i'm not sure that it was not held into account in the last study that I discussed. It would make sense that kids that fell into this category would be at a higher risk of being effected by the images they are seeing. I think that children and adolescents can become way too involved with video games. It would make sense to me that the amount of time spent on the video games might add to the aggression as well.

Post Rubric

Assignments: All posts should use proper English grammar, spelling, and syntax. Acronyms should be avoided when possible. References to online sources must be linked. Student posts and comments should be respectful to others at all times.

Psychology in the Media: This posting should indicate how something we have talked about in class has been reported in the popular media within the last six years. The media itself should be included (either as an image, embedded video, or working link). A clear description of how this media relates to a topic we have covered. Finally, postings should include the writer's (student's) take on whether or not the media has accurately portrayed the psychological phenomenon and research.

A “Cool” Study: This posting should describe a recent study (published 2005-2010) that relates to something we have talked about in class. The article itself should come from a peer-reviewed source, and should be linked in the posting for the class to peruse. The description of the study should relate not just the study's abstract, but should link the study to what we have talked about in class. Finally, posters should evaluate the study's importance, strengths, flaws, etc.

I Could Do That Better: This post should propose a study that examines a phenomenon we have talked about in class (or read in an assigned reading). This post can include a criticism of a previous study, but must include a research design that corrects mistakes/biases/problems of previous examinations of the psychological phenomenon. At minimum, your proposed study must include sample, methodology, and hypotheses. Finally, your post should include a clear rational for why this proposed study is superior to previous studies.

My view on a debate: This posting should include a short summary of the debate (including relevant sources) that clearly defines the argument. You should provide at least two supports for your view on the debate, and only one of these supports can include anecdotal evidence. Empirical supports should be cited/linked so that others can comment on them. Example debates: Genes vs. Environment, Parents vs. Peers, Sex Ed, Teaching Styles, No Child Left Behind, Nursing vs. Formula, etc….

Welcome to the Developmental Psychology Blog

For this course, students will be graded upon five posts and five comments. Posts will make up 15% of their final grade, and comments will make up 5% of their final grade. Students are encouraged to post and comment as often as they like; grades will only be taken from the "highest scoring" posts and comments.