Chapter 8: Development Across the Lifespan Flashcards
What is human development?
Changes that occur in people from conception until death
What is a longitudinal design?
Assess the same group across time
What is a cross-sectional design?
Assess groups of differing ages at the same time
What is nature?
Biological, specifically genetic, influences on development
What is nuture?
Environmental and experimental influences on development
What is genetics?
The science of heredity
What is DNA?
Molecule that contains genetic material, double helix
What are genes?
Sections of DNA
What are chromosomes?
Strand of genes
How many pairs of chromosomes do we have?
23 pairs, 46 total
How many pairs of autosome chromosomes do we have?
22 pairs
How many pairs of sex chromosomes do we have?
1 pair
What are the female chromosomes?
XX
What are the male chromosomes?
XY
What are genetic traits?
Characteristics determined by genes (ex: eye color)
What is a genotype?
Genetic endowment (Aa)
When is a phenotype?
How those genes are expressed (brown eyes)
What is a dominant trait?
Genes that are always expressed (A)
What is a recessive trait?
Genes that will only be expressed when both genes in the pair are the same (aa)
What is a zygote?
Fertilized egg
What is the germinal period?
0-2 weeks, zygote implants itself into the wall of the uterus, placenta and umbilical cord developed
What is the embryo period?
2-8 weeks, major organs and structures develop, vulnerable to teratogens (alcohol, caffeine, marijuana)
What is the fetal period?
9 weeks to birth, growth of baby
What are reflexes?
Innate, involuntary behavior patterns
What is the most fully developed sense of a baby?
Touch
____ voices are preferred over other sounds
Human
What smells do babies prefer?
Their own mother
What is the least developed sense of a baby?
Vision
Babies prefer ____ patterns like faces
Complex
When do babies lift their heads up?
At 2 months
When do babies roll over?
At 2.5 months
When do babies sit propped up?
At 3 months
When do babies sit without support?
At 6 months
When do babies stand holding on?
At 6.5 months
When do babies walk holding on?
At 9 months
What is Piaget’s theory of a schema?
Mental framework (apple is red and round)
What is Piaget’s theory of assimilation?
Fitting new objects, events, etc. in existing schema
What is Piaget’s theory of accomodation?
Modifying a schema to fit new events, objects, etc.
What is the sensorimotor stage?
Ages 0-2, motor skills are coordinated with sensory abilites to explore novel objects and situations
What is infantile amnesia?
Few memories under 4 years of age due to long term memory development
What is object permanence?
Understanding objects exist even when they are not in sight
What is the preoperative stage?
Ages 2-7, representation or symbolic thought and onset of language development
What is egocentrism?
Inability to see world from any perspective but one’s own
What is transductive reasoning?
Believing that if two events occur together, one must cause the other
Give an example of transductive reasoning
Child hears dog bark and sees a train, child may think the train comes because the dog barks
What is centration of attention?
Focus on one aspect of a situation at a time
What is states vs processes?
Focus on current conditions without thinking of transitions
What is irreversibility of thought?
Can’t think backwards from a present state to a previous state
What is the concrete operations stage?
Ages 7-12, logical but only about concrete concepts, can do conservation and classification tasks
What is metacognition?
Thinking about one’s own thought processes
What is the formal operations stage?
Ages 12-adulthood, hypothetical reasoning and abstract possibilities
What is Vygotsky’s view?
The interaction of nature vs nuture, readiness to learn falls in the “zone of proximal development”
What is temperament?
Characteristic ways of responding to the environment that vary from infant to infant
Give 4 types of temperament
Easy, slow to warm up, difficult, other temperaments
What is attachment?
Strong, specific emotional bond between an infant and a caregiver
What are the 4 attachment styles of Ainsworth’s Strange Situation Test?
Secure, avoidant, ambivalent, and disorganized-disoriented
What is the secure attachment style?
Strong preference for caregivers, but not for over-dependence
What is the avoidant attachment style?
Unresponsive to caregiver’s departure or return; no interaction with stranger
What is the ambivalent attachment style?
Seek and then avoid caregiver; upset by stranger
What is the disorganized-disoriented attachment style?
Fearful, dazed, and depressed
What are Erikson’s 4 theories?
Trust vs. mistrust, autonomy vs. shame and doubt, initiative vs. guilt, and industry vs. inferiority
What is the Trust vs. mistrust theory?
Ages 0-1, based on their needs being met
What is the Autonomy vs. shame and doubt theory?
Ages 1-3, self-sufficiency
What is the Initiative vs. guilt theory?
Ages 3-5, social skills
What is the Industry vs. inferiority?
Ages 5-12, new skills and knowledge
What is self-concept?
The way in which we view ourselves
What is self-understanding?
The perception of ourselves (our likes, dislikes, strengths, and weaknesses)
What is self-esteem?
How much we value ourselves
What is gender identity?
Our beliefs about proper behavior and attitudes for men and women
What is puberty?
Physical onset of sexual maturity
What is adolescence?
Culturally-determined state between childhood and adulthood
What is personal fable?
Adolescents tend to believe their thoughts and feelings are unique, causing them to feel “special,” leads to risk taking
What is imaginary audience?
Strong focus oneself leads adolescents to feel that everyone else is focused on them too
What are the 3 levels of moral development?
Pre-conventional, conventional, and post-conventional
What is the pre-conventional level?
Right and wrong are judged in terms of reward and punishment
What is conventional level?
Right and wrong are judged in terms of societal good
What is post-conventional level?
Morality is judged on universal principles
What does physical development look like in your 20’s?
Peak of physical health
What does physical development look like in your 30’s?
Signs of aging
What does physical development look like in your 40’s?
Visual problems, weight increase, strength and height decrease
What does physical development look like in your 50’s?
Menopause and symptoms of andropause
What are the leading causes of death in middle age?
Heart disease, cancer, and strokes
What is fluid intelligence?
Attention and memory capacity, declines with age
What is crystalized intelligence?
Accumulated information and vocabulary, improves with age
What are Erikson’s 3 stages of adulthood?
Intimacy vs. isolation, generativity vs. stagnation, and integrity vs. despair
What is the Intimacy vs. isolation theory?
Young adults
What is the Generativity vs. stagnation theory?
Middle age
What is the Integrity vs. despair theory?
Old age
What are the 4 characteristics of Identity vs. Role Confusion?
Achievement, moratorium, foreclosure, and diffusion
What is achievement?
Successful resolution of crisis
What is moratorium?
In the midst of crisis that has not yet been resolved
What is foreclosure?
Identity assumed without going through crisis
What is diffusion?
No identity and no interest in searching for one
