AP Psychology Developmental Scrapbook

Mateo's Baby Scrapbook

My mother had a normal pregnancy when she was pregnant with me. She reached full term. On the evening of September 5th 1994 my mother arrived at the hospital to get induced the next morning but her contractions began on that evening without the need of the medication. The contractions started at 9 P.M. and I was born at 1:30 A.M. on September 6th 1994. My mother always wanted to name me Mateo and she knew that I was going to be a boy before the birth. My first name Pedro was a surprise to my mother because my dad had my first name picked out without telling my mom. Pedro is my uncle's name aswell. My name Mateo means God's gift. On September 6th 1620 the Pilgrims set sail from Plymouth England to the New World.

When I was born I weighed 7 lbs. and 6 oz. I measured 50 cm.

Rolled over - 4 months

Sat up - 5 1/2 months

First Tooth - 6 months

Walked - 12 months

First time to sleep through the night (mom never got to put that sticker on the calendar)

I was offically potty trained around the age of 2 1/2 almost 3 years. I never used a pacifier, and I lost my first tooth at age 6 and just recently lost all of my baby teeth at age 16. Yes, I do wear contacts and I began wearing glasses since I was 8 years old.

• Myelination is the change or maturation of certain nerve cells whereby a layer of myelin forms around the axons which allows the nerve impulses to travel faster and is crucial to development especially during the first 2 years of life. Studies show that myelination continues throughout puberty and even early adulthood. Without proper nutrition or nurture, the development of the individual can be seriously damaged.
• Puberty is a period in which the body goes through a hormonal imbalance and develops physically and sexually. Puberty can arrive at different ages but there are some guidlines for females in which the weight is a factor. Some people in school have gone through puberty before and after me.

My first word was mama, and I said this word around the age of 7 months. My parents think that this was my first word because I was very closely attached to my mother. Some verses in telegraphic speech were "Quero Teta" which means "want bottle" in Spanish. There weren't any language barriers while I lived in Ecuador, but when I moved to the U.S. when I was 6 I had a hard time adjusting. At age 3, I attended my first pre-school. I remember that I had a hard time leaving my mom when I was dropped off. I enjoyed reading early on and using the concept of finger counting in math.

I was most attached to my mom because she spent the most time with me as an infant. I think that as I progressed into toddlerhood I still remained attached to my mother. "Imprinting" is when you become attached to the first person you see after birth, this happens most in animals. I do not believe that imprinting supports my attachment to my mother.

A special toy I was attached to were a set of plastic keys that I would always throw and play with. I do not believe that this had anything to do with "contact comfort" because the keys were solid plastic and hard rather than soft and fluffy. The style of parenting my parents use is a "democratic" style because they often give us a set of choices and we get to speak our opinions on different matters. Some examples are when they gave me choices such as throw a party for my birthday or go on a trip, every night we have dinner together and I am allowed to voice my opinion, and we are allowed to choose the chores we must do.

In Marcia's theory of adolescent development I think I am currently in the identity stage of Moratorium because I am concious of my choices such as taking a course to in highschool to learn about psychology to see if I would like to become a psychologist or exploring and experimenting music by creating it at home.

My mother described my temperament as Slow-to-Warm-Up Child because I was very attached to my mother and it took me awhile to slowly and gradually adapt to new enviornments without her. These new enviornments included school, and relatives homes.

Personal Journal

• Trust vs. Mistrust (infant) During this Stage I was very attached to my mother and trusted her very easily, this is because I could easily rely and find comfort in her.
• Autonomy vs. Shame and Doubt (toddler) In this stage i would constantly play by myself and try to manipulate my enviornment like planting seeds without the help of my parents. This brought a sense of happiness whenever I did this.
• Initiative vs. Guilt (preschooler) During this stage I would play the more with boys and girls at the preschool. We would always play "house" and I would always be the "dad" when we played.
• Industry vs. Inferiority (school age child) In this stage I would always try and exceed in school activities such as the spelling bee and I would always read alot. This brought me a sense of worth and accomplishment because my parents would always congratulate me whenever I performed well academically.
• Identity vs. Role Confusion (adolescent) In this stage I would always try and fit in with the crowd by wearing clothes that were "in" and studies didn't become as important anymore. I would also look up to some role models such as my cousin who was in College and try to follow and imitate their behaviors.