Ch 9 Development Flashcards
developmental psychology
study of how behavior changes over the life span
gene-environment interaction
situation in which the effects of genes depend on the environment in which they are expressed
nature via nurture
tendency of individuals with certain genetic predispositions to seek out and create
environments that permit the expression of those predispositions
gene expression
activation or deactivation of genes by environmental experiences throughout development
epigenetics
whether genes are active is regulated day-by-day and moment-by-moment environmental conditions
cross-sectional design
research design that examines
people of different ages at a single point in time
cohort effect
effect observed in a sample of
participants that results from
individuals in the sample growing up at the same time
longitudinal design
research design that examines
development in the same group of people on multiple occasions over time
post hoc fallacy
false assumption that because one
event occurred before another event
it must have caused that event
bidirectional influences
children’s experiences influence their development, but their development also influences what they experience
prenatal
prior to birth
zygote
fertilized egg
blastocyst
ball of identical cells early in
pregnancy that haven’t yet begun
to take on any specific function
in a body part
fetus
period of prenatal development from
ninth week until birth after all major
organs are established and physical
maturation is the primary change
embryo
second to eighth week of prenatal
development, during which limbs,
facial features, and major organs
of the body take form
teratogen
an environmental factor that can
exert a negative impact on prenatal
development
fetal alcohol syndrome
condition resulting from high levels of prenatal alcohol exposure, causing
learning disabilities, physical growth retardation, facial malformations, and
behavioral disorders
motor behavior
bodily motion that occurs as a result
of self-initiated force that moves the bones and muscles
adolescence
the transition between childhood and
adulthood commonly associated with
the teenage years
puberty
the achievement of sexual maturation
resulting in the potential to reproduce
primary sex characteristic
a physical feature such as the
reproductive organs and genitals
that distinguish the sexes
secondary sex characteristic
a sex-differentiating characteristic
that doesn’t relate directly to
reproduction, such as breast
enlargement in women and
deepening voices in men
menarche
start of menstruation
spermarche
boys’ first ejaculation
