Chapter 11: Human Development Across The Life Span Flashcards
What is the prenatal period?
Conception to birth, typically encompassing nine months. Rapid development during this period
What is the germinal stage?
First phase of prenatal development, conception to 2 weeks. A zygote is created through fertalization
What is the embryonic stage
Second phase of prenatal development, lasting from 2 weeks to 2 months. Body parts begin to form and the developing organism is now called an embryo
define placenta (also what stage does it start forming)
A structure that allows oxygen and nutrients to the pass to the organism, and bodily waste to leave the mother. Forms in the germinal stage)
What is the fetal stage?
Third and final phase of prenatal development, lasting from 2 months to birth. Organism, now called a fetus, is capable of movement as skeletal structures harden
Explain threshold of viability
The age when a baby can survive in the event of a premature birth
Between what weeks does the percentage survival rate jump from 24% to 72%?
From 23 weeks to 25 weeks
What are teratogens?
External agents, such as drugs or viruses that harm an embryo or fetus
Explain Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder
A collection of congenital problems associated with alcohol use during pregnancy
What is motor development?
Progression of muscular coordination needed for physical activity
What is maturation?
The gradual unfolding of one’s genetic blueprint
What are developmental norms?
Median age when individuals displays various behaviours and abilities
What is temperament?
Characteristic mood, activity level and emotional reactivity
Explain the difference between longitudinal vs cross-sectional design
Longitudinal: Observe one group of participants over a period of time
Cross-sectional: Compare groups of participants of different ages at a single point in time
Explain cohort effects
When differences between age groups are due to groups growing up in different time periods
What is attachment?
The close, emotional bonds of affection that are formed between an infant and their caregivers
What is separation anxiety?
Emotional distress in infants when they are separated from people whom they have formed attachments with
Briefly explain Erikson’s Stage Theory
The life span is separated into 8 developmental stages involving transitions in important social relationships
What is cognitive development?
Transitions in youngster’s patterns of thinking, (including reasoning, remembering and problem-solving)
Explain assimilation vs accommodation
Assimilation: interpreting new experiences in terms of existing mental structures without changing them (think of the cats being called “puppies” example)
Accommodation: changing existing mental structures to explain new experiences
What is object permanence?
A child recognizing that objects continue to exist even when no longer visible
What is conservation?
Awareness that physical quantities remain constant in spite of changes to their appearance (think of pouring water into a different container)
What is centration?
Tendency to focus on just one feature of a problem
What is irreversibility?
Inability to envision reversing an action
What is egocentrism
Limited ability to share another person’s POV
Define animism
Belief that all things are living
What is scaffolding?
Assistance provided to a child is adjusted as learning progress (typically less help is provided as a child becomes more competent
What are secondary sex characteristics?
Physical features that separate one sex from the other but are not essential for reproduction
What are primary sex characteristics?
The structures necessary for reproduction
