Developmental Psychology

In every culture, there are traditional beliefs about pregnancy, many of which are myths. For example, you may have heard that labor is more likely to begin during a full moon or that boys carry high but girls carry low. Chapter 3 provided an accurate overview of prenatal development and birth. For this assignment, I would like you to identify myths about pregnancy that are common in our society or your native culture and compare this information to reality and academic facts.

Answer the following questions:

Survey your friends and relatives to identify pregnancy myths that they have heard. You can talk in-person (safely or socially distant), over the phone, or use social media. Ask them about their belief in the myth. The more diverse (age, gender, cultural background, etc.) your sample, the more likely you will find unique and new pregnancy myths. Keep a running list of this information as part of your assignment.
Select four myths collected from your survey from at least two different groups of individuals (age group, gender, cultural back around, etc.). Provide a detailed description of each myth, why it is believable/was believable at one time, and interesting comments shared by friend/relative. Do not use the myth examples provided above. Please keep in mind that these should be prenatal development (conception – prior to birth stages starting). Each myth should be on a separate topic (for example, you should only have one myth about sex determination).
Explain how the evidence from Chapter 3 disproves these myths. Be specific with your information and provide detail in your justification to show your understanding of course material. You can use other academic sources (empirical articles, textbooks, books, reliable websites that provide data and references), but not required.
What would you recommend to a soon-to-be parent who believes in these myths? Be specific with your recommendations and connect to course material.

Friendly Reminders:

When answering the questions, use complete sentences. Please number your responses based on the questions above.
Your paper should be approximately 2-3 pages, double spaced. Please use a title page (this does not account within the 2-3 page suggestion).
Use complete sentences. Always use spelling and grammar check.
Citing original authors is required when you are using someone elses idea (Example: Santrock et al., 2020). Paraphrase in your own words when using other authors ideas. Do not use quotes