TY - JOUR

T1 - The Fetal Origins of Human Psychological Development

AU - Reid, V.M.

AU - Dunn, K.

PY - 2021/4/27

Y1 - 2021/4/27

N2 - The human fetus holds the key to unlocking the initial origins and predispositions of all aspects of human psychological development. Despite this, difficulties related to experimentally manipulating the behavior of the fetus to assess capacities have sidelined the fetus within the developmental sciences. Instead, the focus has been on the human infant. With new developments in the fields of obstetrics, medical physics, and psychology, the methodological constraints surrounding research on the human fetus are now reduced. We highlight new approaches and indicate possible new directions in the understanding of the cognitive and perceptual capacities of the human fetus.

AB - The human fetus holds the key to unlocking the initial origins and predispositions of all aspects of human psychological development. Despite this, difficulties related to experimentally manipulating the behavior of the fetus to assess capacities have sidelined the fetus within the developmental sciences. Instead, the focus has been on the human infant. With new developments in the fields of obstetrics, medical physics, and psychology, the methodological constraints surrounding research on the human fetus are now reduced. We highlight new approaches and indicate possible new directions in the understanding of the cognitive and perceptual capacities of the human fetus.

KW - development of motor function

KW - development of self-consciousness

KW - early perceptual development

KW - human fetus

KW - origins of social cognition

U2 - 10.1177/0963721420984419

DO - 10.1177/0963721420984419

M3 - Journal article

VL - 30

SP - 144

EP - 150

JO - Current Directions in Psychological Science

JF - Current Directions in Psychological Science

SN - 0963-7214

IS - 2

ER -