11 (textbook) Flashcards
Prenatal period:
extends from conception to birth, usually encompassing nine months of pregnancy
Placenta:
structure that allows oxygen and nutrients to pass into the fetus from the mother’s bloodstream, and bodily wastes to pass out to the mother
Germinal stage:
first phase of prenatal development, encompassing the first two weeks after conception
Embryonic stage:
second stage of prenatal development, lasting from two weeks until the end of the second month
Fetal stage:
third stage of prenatal development, lasting from two months through birth
Age of viability:
age at which a baby can survive in the event of a premature birth
Teratogens:
any external agents such as drugs or viruses, than can harm and embryo or fetus
Threshold of viability:
age at which a baby can survive in the event of a premature birth
Fetal alcohol syndrome:
collection of inborn problems associated with excessive alcohol use during pregnancy
Developmental norms:
indicate the median age at which individuals display various behaviours and abilities
Longitudinal design:
investigators observe one group of participants repeatedly over a period of time
Cross-sectional design:
investigators compare groups of participants of differing age at a single point in time
Cohort effects:
occur when differences between age groups are due to the groups growing up in different time periods
The prenatal period is divided into what three phases?
- Germinal
- Embryonic
- Fetal
Attachment:
close, emotional bonds that develop between infants and their caregivers
Separation anxiety:
emotional distress seen in many infants when they are separated from people with whom they have formed an attachment
Strange situation procedure:
infants are exposed to a series of eight separation and reunion episodes to assess the quality of their attachment
Stage:
developmental period
- characteristic patterns of behaviour are exhibited and certain capacities become established
Cognitive development:
transitions in youngster’s patterns of thinking, including reasoning, remembering, and problem solving
Assimilation:
interpreting new experiences in terms of existing mental structures without changing them
Accommodation:
changing existing mental structures to explain new experiences
Object permanence:
develops when a child recognizes that objects continue to exist even when they are no longer visible
Conservation:
awareness that physical quantities remain constant in spite of changes in their shape or appearance
Dementia:
an abnormal condition marked by multiple cognitive deficits that include memory impairment
Secondary sex characteristics:
physical features that distinguish one sex from the other but that are not essential for reproduction
Eg.) facial hair, breast growth, wider hips, broader shoulders in men
Primary sex characteristics:
the structures necessary for reproduction
Eg.) penis, testes, and other internal structures, in the male, vagina, uterus, and other related structures in the female
Menarche:
the first occurrence of menstruation
Zone of proximal development:
the gap between what a learner can accomplish alone and what he or she can achieve with guidance form more skilled partners
Scaffolding:
occurs when the assistance provided to a child is adjusted as learning progresses
Habituation:
gradual reduction in the strength of a response when a stimulus event is presented repeatedly
Dishabituation:
occurs if a new stimulus elicits an increase in the strength of a habituated response
Centration:
tendency to focus on just one feature of a problem, neglecting other important aspects
Irreversibility:
the inability to envision reversing an action
Egocentrism:
thinking is characterized by a limited ability to share another person’s viewpoint
Animism:
the belief that all things are living
Nativist theorists:
assert that humans are prewired to readily understand certain concepts without making any assumptions about why humans are prewired in these ways
Evolutionary theorists:
agree that humans are prewired for certain cognitive abilities but they’re interested in why
