Courses

Prerequisites: PSYC W1001 or W1010, a course in developmental psychology, and the instructor's permission.

The focus of the seminar is on human development during the fetal period and early infancy. We will examine the effects of environmental factors on perinatal perceptual, cognitive, sensory-­â€motor, and neurobehavioral capacities, with emphasis on critical conditions involved in both normal and abnormal brain development. Other topics include acute and long term effects of toxic exposures (stress, smoking, and alcohol) during pregnancy, and interaction of genes and the environment in shaping the developing brain of "high-risk" infants, including premature infants and those at risk for neurodevelopmental disorders such as Sudden Infant Death Syndrome.