Chapter 10 Flashcards
Human Development
Developmental Psychology
Study of how behavior changes over life
Nature
our genetic endowment
Nurture
The environments we encounter
gene–environment interaction:
In many cases, the effects of genes depend on the envi-ronment and vice versa.
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
the study of changes in organisms caused by modification of gene expression rather than alteration of the genetic code itself
longitudinal design
research design that examines development in the same group of people on multiple occasions over time
cohort effect
effect observed in a sample of participants that results from individuals in the sample growing up at the same time
cross-sectional design
research design that examines people of different ages at a single point in time
attrition
patients dropping out of a study before its completed
poc hoc
reference to the fallacious assumption that the occurrence in question has a logical relationship with the event it
post hoc fallacy
easy to assume that things that occur early in development cause things that come later.
unidirectional explanations
: those that attempt to explain development in terms of a one-headed arrow.
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
embryo
second to eighth week of prenatal development, during which limbs, facial features, and major organs of the body take form
fetus
second to eighth week of prenatal development, during which limbs, facial features, and major organs of the body take form
proliferation
Between the 18th day of pregnancy and the end of the 6th month, neurons begin devel-oping at an astronomical rate, a process called
3 stage prenatal development
- germinal stage
- embryonic stage
- fetus stage
development can be disrupted in four ways
(1) premature birth
(2) low birth weight
(3) exposure to hazardous environmental influences, and (4) biological influences resulting from genetic disorders or errors in cell duplication during cell division
teratogenan
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 sex organs
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
cognitive development
study of how children acquire the ability to learn, think, reason, communicate, and remember
stagelike
changes in understanding (sudden spurts of knowledge following periods of stability)
continuous
(gradual, incremental) changes in understanding
domain general
changes in children cognitive skills affect most or all areas of cognitive function in tandem.
domain specific
children development skills develop independently and at different rates across different domains, such as reasoning, language, and counting.
(PIAGET) equilibration
children maintaining a balance between their experience of the world and their understanding of it
(PIAGET)children use two processes
—assimilation and accommodation
—to keep their thinking about the world in tune with their experiences
assimilation
Piagetian process of absorbing new experience into current knowledge structures
accommodation
Piagetian process of altering a belief to make it more compatible with experience
scaffolding
Vygotskian learning mechanism in which parents provide initial assistance in children’s learning but gradually remove structure as children become more competent
zone of proximal development
phase of learning during which children can benefit from instruction
object performance
children don’t understand objects still exist when they’re out of view
theory of mind
ability to reason about what other people know or believe
stranger anxiety
a fear of strangers developing at eight or nine months of age
temperament
basic emotional style that appears early in development and is largely genetic in origin”
attachment
the strong emotional connection we share with those to whom we feel closest
contact comfort
positive emotions afforded by touch
average expectable environment
“average expectable environment that provides children with basic needs for affection and discipline”
self-controlability
to inhibit an impulse to act
identity
our sense of who we are, as well as our life goals and priorities
psychosocial crisis
dilemma concerning an individual’s relations to other people
midlife crisis
supposed phase of adulthood characterized by emotional distress about the aging process and an attempt to regain youth”
empty-nest syndrome
alleged period of depression in mothers following the departure of their grown children from the home”
