Chapter 10 Flashcards
Developmental psychology
The study of the changes that occur
in people from birth through old age
Cross-sectional study
A method of studying developmental changes by comparing people of different ages at about the same time
Cohort
A group of people born during the same period in historical time
Longitudinal study
A method of studying developmental changes by evaluating the same people at different points in their lives
Biographical (retrospective) study
A method of studying developmental changes by reconstructing people’s past through interviews and inferring the effects of past events on current behaviors
Prenatal development
Development from conception to birth
Embryo
A developing human between two weeks and three months after conception
Fetus
A developing human between three months after conception and birth
Placenta
The organ by which an embryo or fetus is attached to its mother’s uterus and that nourishes it during prenatal development
Teratogens
Toxic substances such as alcohol or nicotine that cross the placenta and may result in birth defects
Critical period
A time when certain internal and external influences have a major effect on development; at other periods, the same influences will have little or no effect
Fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS)
A disorder that occurs in children of women who drink alcohol during pregnancy that is characterized by facial deformities, heart defects, stunted growth, and cognitive impairments
Neonates
newborn babies
Rooting reflex
The reflex that causes a newborn baby to turn its head toward something that touches its cheek and to grope around with its mouth
Sucking reflex
The newborn baby’s tendency to suck on objects placed in the mouth
Swallowing relfex
The reflex that enables the newborn baby to swallow liquids without choking
Grasping reflex
The reflex that causes newborn babies to close their fists around anything that is put in their hands
Stepping reflex
The reflex that causes newborn babies to make little stepping motions if they are held upright with their feet just touching a surface
Temperament
Characteristic patterns of emotional reactions and emotional self-regulation
Developmental norms
Ages by which an average child achieves various developmental milestones
Maturation
An automatic biological unfolding of development in an organism as a function of the passage of time