Chapter 3: Human Development Flashcards
Developmental Psychology
the study of changes in behavior and mental processes over time and the factors that influence the course of those changes
Nature (genetic inheritance)
Endogenous
Look at development as maturation-process biologically programmed to happen sequentially
Nurture (environment)
Exogenous
believes experience have greater influence on how we develop
Qualitative shift
Making developmental jumps.
Characterizing development as stages in life.
Babies go through different sequences- drawl then walk
Quantitative shift
Development is from constantly acquiring information. Believes that big jumps are results of accumulation of smaller changes.
Accounts for individual differences in timing of milestones
Critical period
in animals.
Points in development where an organism is extremely sensitive to environmental input, making it easier to acquire certain brain functions and behaviors.
All or nothing. If environmental stimuli does not occur at this stage, then development will be thrown off track.
Sensitive period
In human
we can recover at least partially even with deprivation during key periods.
Largely experience driven
Cross-sectional design
compares groups of different aged people
cons:
- some differences may be solely due to age (cohort effect)
- does not provide explanation of how or when age related changes may have occurred.
Longitudinal design
follows the same group of people over a period of time
cons:
- need lots of time and money
- many people drop out mid way
Cohort sequential design
bend of cross sectional and longitudinal. Follows at least 2 age group over time.
Prenatal period
from conception to birth
Genotype
a person’s genetic inheritance
Phenotype
the observable manifestation of genotype
Homozygous
both parents contribute the same genetic material for a particular trait
Heterozygous
parents contribute two different alleles to offspring
Dominant trait
trait that is expressed in phenotype, no matter whether the genotype is homozygous or heterozygous
Recessive trait
trait that is only expressed if genotype is homozygous
Three different phenotype from heterozygous combination
- dominant trait shows
- shows mixture
- express bth (codominance)
Discrete traits
trait that results as product of single gene pairing
Polygenic trait
trait that manifests as result of combination of multiple genes
Temperament
biologically based tendencies to respond to certain situations in similar ways throughout our lifetimes
Conception
sperm fertilizes egg and forms zygote
Germinal stage (2 weeks after conception)
- zygote divides and multiply
- zygote moves up fallopian tube to the uterus
- formation placenta
Embryonic stage (2-8 weeks)
- body structures and inner organs are formed
- most vulnerable to miscarriage