Vygotskian theory and educational practice

¶ … unborn baby's emotions be affected?

Willke & Willke state that nervous tissue in embryos is "open" to communication made possible by neurotransmitters. They further suggest that this makes it possible for the mother's emotional state to "affect the unborn almost from conception onward." Additionally, it can sense discord between parents, fear, hostility, grief and anger. It's also, apparently, capable of feeling anger itself, according to Willke & Willke, because the grandson of Sigmund Freud "once saw unborn twins fighting." Hopson suggests that the fetus is calmed by the sound of its mother's voice because its heart rate has been observed slowing when she speaks.

Which factor of prenatal development is suggested to have more impact on IQ than genes?

Hopson states that "the environment of the womb" may have more impact on IQ than genes.

What was De Casper's discovery on fetal primitive learning?

De Casper's most significant discovery on fetal primitive learning found that a baby prefers its mother's voice to a stranger's. He discovered this by allowing the baby to pick which sounds it heard by sucking on a feeding device faster to hear a mother's voice and slower to hear a stranger's voice. This discovery suggests that the baby had, in utero, formed learning capacities and so doing had a memory of its mother's voice from its time in the womb. He also found that babies prefer stories they heard in the womb. Generally, De Casper's discovery suggests that fetuses like "the comfort and reassurance of the familiar."

Explain fetal development:

At one week, implantation occurs. The mother's menstruation period stops at ten days. The heartbeat begins at 18 days and pumping blood at 21 days. At four weeks, the eye, ear, and respiratory systems begin to form. The brain functions regularly at 6 weeks after conception and the first hints of teeth appear. At 7 weeks the kidney and pancreas begin functioning. It is during this time that the fetus also develops the ability to move. The stomach begins functioning at 8 weeks, and all other body systems have formed. At 11 to 12 weeks, breathing amniotic fluid is steady, the fetus can swallow, and fingernails are present. External genitals are formed and sex can be determined with an ultra sound. All body systems are functional. Hearing is possible at 14 weeks. At 15 weeks the fetus can perform all the movements that a newborn can. Eyelashes come by 16 weeks. Between 22 and 26 weeks the fetus reaches the age of viability. The fetus has vision toward the end of the pregnancy. Between the 26th and 29th weeks, the brain matures extensively, the lungs develop, and sensory and behavior capabilities expand. A child is born at 40 weeks.