Chapter 3 - Development Flashcards
What are the developmental research designs?
Longitudinal - one person tested over periods of time
Cross-sectional - different subjects tested at the same period of time but at different ages
Cross-sequential - different subjects tested at different times and different ages
What is human development?
It is he changes that occur in people s they age from conception until death. They include changes in memory, hinting, and reasoning, physiological, and social aspects
What do behavioral geneticists study?
Mainly the debate over nature vs. nurture.
–> does the child’s genetic predisposition determine their development, or does their environment determine their development, or both?
How can sets of twins differ?
They can be monozygotic (identical twins from one zygote that split into two), or dizygotic (fraternal twins from two eggs being released and fertilized separately).
Describe the periods of pregnancy.
Germinal period - first two weeks, zygote moves into uterus and implants
Embryonic period - second to eighth weeks, major organs and structures develop, critical periods exist where environmental factors (teratogens) can have serious effects on the fetus, potentially causing birth defects
Fetal period - 8th week until birth, the organism is now a fetus
Give some examples of teratogens.
Rubella, radiation (toxic chemicals), STDs, cigarettes, alcohol, drugs
Describe the five critical reflexes in infant development.
Sucking - infant will suck anything that is suckable
Rooting - infant touched on the cheek will turn and look for something to suck on
Startle (Moro) - response to loud noise or physical shock, usually throws arms outward and arches back
Grasping - response to touch on the palm of their hand
Stepping - if held so feet just touch the ground, the infant will show “walking” movements alternating feet in steps
List the aspects of the infant explorer.
Novelty, control, exploring with the eyes, and social cues.
Describe joint visual attention.
When an adult is looking in a certain direction, the infant will look as well, trying to see what the adult is looking at.
What are the aspects of a baby’s psychosocial development?
Temperament - characteristics established at birth that are usually an early precursor to personality
–>types: easy, difficult, slow to warm up
Attachment - the emotional bond between an infant and their caregiver
–>types: secure, insecure (avoidant, ambivalent, disorganized)
What are the other two dimensions of temperament?
Reactivity - initial emotional response
Regulation - ability to calm oneself and emotions
Who studied the strange situation? Describe it.
Ainsworth. Experiment where the behavior of the child was observed when the mother would leave and upon the reunion. This would assist in determining the form of attachment to the caregiver.
Describe Harlow’s research.
Harlow researched infant rhesus monkeys and what form their attachment took. The monkeys were provided two mothers; one cold metal and one covered in a soft cloth. Significantly, the monkeys chose contact comfort of the cloth mother over even the physical needs of milk from the metal mother.
Describe how child care may differ across cultures.
Sleeping arrangements. Western civilizations tend to value early independence more and therefore place the baby to sleep alone as soon as they see able. Where as for example, in hunter gatherer societies, the baby is sleeping in the same bed for an extended period of childhood and is oftentimes carried in a sling or attached for longer periods of their childhood.
In what ways does gender develop in children?
At puberty, hormones tend to generate the child’s orientation. However, depending on the treatment in society, behavior can be molded one way or another. Children born with in distinctive generalization often undergo conflicts in gender identity in which their gender behaviors may not match their sex.
