Research Project 2 Genetic Counseling Available to You

The Life-Span Health and Well-Being focus at the end of Chapter 3 tells about how genetic counseling can help expectant couples learn about the possibility that their infants will inherit defects or suffer other genetically-based problems. While the focus sketches the process of counseling, it does not say much about how this service is delivered from community to community.

For this project you will find out and report whether and how genetic counseling services are made available in your community. Form groups of up to four individuals, and divide the following, tasks between individuals or pairs. Contact hospitals to learn whether they disseminate information about genetic counseling, and if they do, obtain the pamphlets or handouts that they provide. If there are other services or organizations for expectant couples (e.g., Planned Parenthood, or divisions of social service agencies), find out what they offer. If you can identify individuals in the community who provide such information, contact them to see if they will allow you to interview them about their services. Go to the public library and look up books or other reference materials about genetic counseling.

Once you have determined what information is publically available, write a report that summarizes (a) how up-to-date the information appears to be; (b) what source of information is most easily and cheaply available; (c) what attitude the materials seem to take toward genetic counseling. For example, Santrock indicates that what couples do about what they find out concerning their infants' chances of suffering a genetic defect is largely their own decision. Does this seem to be true in your community? What range of decisions is available? Are any alternatives discouraged? Finally, can you determine whether these services are uniformly available to all community members? Would anyone be able to use them? Are there significant controversies about their use? What political/ethical/legal issues did you discover? Relate what you find to the claims Santrock makes in Life-Span Development about the quality of prenatal and postnatal care in the United States.

Chapter 4

Research Project 1 Why Do Some Pregnant Women Drink, Smoke, or Use Drugs?

Despite the fact that the dangers of drinking alcohol smoking, and other drug use to fetal development are now well known and widely publicized, women continue to use these substances while they are pregnant. This research activity (suggested in Salkind, S. S. [1990]. Child development. Fort Worth: Holt, Rinehart, & Winston) attempts to find out why.

Have students invite a group of female friends who smoke or drink to talk to you about whether they will do these things when they are pregnant. Then have them ask their friends whether they know that smoking and drinking endanger prenatal development and about what they know in detail. Have them talk about the dangers (they may need to do some teaching!), and then ask again whether their friends will drink and smoke. You may want to suggest to students that they tape record the answers, but make sure they prepare an interview schedule no matter how they choose to record answers.

Research Project 2 Fatherhood

How actively are fathers participating in the births of their children these days? Find out by carrying out an interview project suggested in a child development text by Neil Salkind (Salkind, N. [1990]. Child Development. Fort Worth: Holt, Rinehart. & Winston).

Invite two first-time, expectant fathers and two fathers of children under the age of two. Interview these men using the following sets of questions:

Expectant fathers:

1. What are your feelings about becoming a father?

2. How have you been involved in your wife's pregnancy?

3. What part will you play in your child's birth? What part would you like to play?

4. What do you think being a "good father" means?

5. How will having a child change your life?

Fathers:

1. What part did you play in the birth(s) of your child (children)? What were your feelings about this experience?

2. What are the three biggest challenges you face as a father?

3. What do you think a "good father" is?

4. How has having a child changed your life?

5. What advice would you give a new father?

Write a brief report indicating what you were trying to find out, describe your sample and how you interviewed the fathers and soon-to-be fathers, and then summarize similarities and differences between the two pairs of men. Relate what you learn to material on fathers' participation in childbirth that is in the text.

Chapter 5

Research Project 1 Cross Motor Activity

This project provides an observational exercise for examining the gross motor activity of children. Pair up with another student in the class and go to a local playground. Observe two children, one about four years old and the other about eight years old. For each child, describe five gross motor behaviors the child performs while you are observing. These can include running, climbing, skipping, jumping, hopping, walking, throwing, catching, etc. Describe the same five behaviors for each child, noting differences in the way they perform the behaviors. Use the data sheet below for recording your observations. Then answer the questions that follow.

Child 1 Child 2

Sex____Age____ Sex____Age____

Behavior 1 (Behavior 1 (

Behavior 2 (Behavior 2 (

Behavior 3 (Behavior 3 (

Behavior 4 (Behavior 4 (

Behavior 5 (Behavior 5 (

Questions

1. What were the five behaviors you observed?

2. In general how can these behaviors be characterized or described for the four-year-old? For the eight-year-old?

3. How did the children differ in the way they performed the behaviors?

4. From your observations of the two children and five behaviors, what do you see as the course of development of gross motor behavior between four and eight years? How do your specific findings compare with the general descriptions reported in the text?

Research Project 2 Reflexes

For this research project, you will need the permission of parents of a young infant (one to four months old) and an older infant (six to twelve months old) to examine their infant's reflex repertoire. In order to test the two infants, you will need to clear this project through the human subjects review board at your school and get a signed informed consent form from the baby's parents. You may work in groups of 2 to 4 to make it easier to locate and gain access to the appropriately aged infants. Be certain to indicate age by months because your results will vary if you use a 2-month vs. a 4-month baby or a 6-month vs. an 11-month baby.

For each infant, perform the stimulation necessary to elicit the reflexive behavior. Note which of the reflexes are present (P) or absent (A) for each infant. You may mark these responses in the chart below. After performing the demonstration with each infant, answer the questions.

Infant 1 Infant 2

Reflex Simulation and reflex Sex__Age_ Sex_ Age_

Placing Backs of infant’s feet are P/A P/A

drawn against a flat

surface’s edge:

Baby withdraws foot

Hold baby under arms P/A P/A

Walking with bare feet touching

flat surface: Baby makes

steplike motions that

appear like coordinated

walking

Stroke palm of infant’s

hand: Baby makes strong P/A P/A

Darwinian fist; if both fists are

(grasping) closed around a stick, the

Infant could be raised to

standing position.

Baby is laid down on

back: Infant turns head to

one side and extends arms

Tonic and legs on preferred side P/A P/A

neck and flexes opposite limbs

Make a sudden, loud

Moro noise near infant:

(startle) Infant extends legs, arms, P/A P/A

and fingers, arches back,

and draws back head.

Stroke sole of baby’s foot:

Babinski Infant’s toes fan out and P/A P/A

foot twists in.

Stroke baby’s cheek with

Rooting one’s finger:

Baby’s head turns, mouth P/A P/A

opens, and sucking

movements begin.

Questions

1. How many of the reflexive behaviors were exhibited by the younger infants? By the older infants?

2. Which reflexes dropped out early?

3. What responses seem to replace each of the reflexive behaviors in the older infants?

4. What might be the adaptive value of each reflex in the newborn's repertoire?

Chapter 6

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