Chapter 3 part 1 Flashcards
the field of developmental psychology & prenatal development
human development
pattern of continuity and change in human capabilities that occurs throughout the lifespan
temperment
your own personal way of dealing with change, consistent throughout life
example of continuity
temperment
issues in developmental psychology
nature vs. nurture, change vs stability, stages vs continuity
nature vs nurture
how much do inherited traits and environmental factors influence our development?
nature
DNA & blueprint created from your parents (brain chemistry, inherited material
nurture
how you were raised and treated growing up
most of human behavior is dictated by ______
both nature and nurture
change vs stability
do our personal characteristics change or remain stable as we age?
change examples
maturity, impulsivity
stability examples
temperament (easy, difficult, and slow to warm babies)
stages vs continuity
do we see behavior change in discrete, sudden shifts of does it change slowly along a gradual continuum as we develop?
cross-sectional designs
several different age groups are studied at one time point
benefits of cross-sectional designs
easier, takes less time, cheaper
which design do psychologists do more often?
cross-sectional because it is easier
longitudinal designs
one group of participants are studied over a long period of time
benefit of longitudinal designs
better because you are following the same people and comparing those people to themselves, no cohort affect, more powerful
cross sectional design example
group 1: 5 yrs old
group 2: 10 yrs old
group 3: 15 yrs old
different children in each group, all groups tested in 2012
longitudinal design example
test 1 in 2012: 5 yrs old
test 2 in 2017: 10 yrs old
test 3 in 2022: 15 yrs old
same participants at each test, entire study spans 10 years
disadvantages of cross-sectional studies
less powerful, cohort effects
disadvantages of longitudinal studies
time and money, attrition
cohort effect
certain generations were exposed to things that only those people are in tune with ex: young people and old people do a memory test on the computer and old people do worse. could be because they’re old or because they didn’t grow up using a computer like young people did
attrition
when people drop out or you can’t find them, leads to incomplete data on them
three areas of study in development
physical development, cognitive development, socio-emotional development
prenatal development
development of infant beginning with conception and ending with birth
three stages of prenatal development
zygotic period, embryotic period, fetal period
zygotic period time frame
first two weeks after conception
what happens during the zygotic period?
massive cell division until ball of cells
when is the zygotic period over?
if the conditions are perfect in the uterus, the zygote will implant into the uterine wall
embryonic period time frame
weeks 2-8 after conception
what happens during the embryonic period?
two main goals
1) make placenta to provide nutrients to cells
2) differentiate cells to make body parts
fetal period time frame
end of month 2-9 months after conception
what happens during the fetal period?
massive physical growth (baby gets larger & placenta provides more nutrients)
when does the fetal period end?
at full-term (36-40 weeks) at birth
teratogens
any agent that can cause a birth defect during prenatal development
what happens if the mother is exposed to a teratogen during a critical period?
major birth defect
what happens if the mother is exposed to a teratogen during a non-critical period?
minor birth defect
critical periods
time when developing organs are most susceptible to birth defects
when is the most critical critical period?
entirety of embryotic period
what happens if a mother is exposed to a teratogen during the embryotic period?
could skew the development of organs and other body parts
what happens if the mother gets rubella (zika virus)?
it can cause major birth defects
fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (fasd)
a cluster of problems that appear in the children of mothers who drink alcohol heavily during pregnancy
what does FASD cause?
physical and mental abnormalities
does the placenta filter out alcohol?
no
what happens in a mild case of FASD?
mental: difficulties in school (especially math) and with money
physical: eyes father apart and ears lower on the head
what happens in a severe case of FASD?
mental: nonverbal, severe cognitive impairment
physical: cleft palette, motor disabilities
