Chapter 9

Question 1

developmental psychology

Answer 1

The branch of psychology that studies how people change over their lifespan

Question 2

epigenetics

Answer 2

The study of the cellular mechanisms that control gene expression and of the ways that gene expression impacts health and behavior

Question 3

periods of prenatal development

Answer 3

The stage of development before birth; divided into the germinal, embryonic, and fetal periods
Germinal Period
-The first two weeks of prenatal development
Embryonic Period
-The second period of prenatal development, extending from the third week through the eighth week
Fetal Period
-The third and longest period of prenatal development, extending from the ninth week until birth

Question 4

prenatal brain development

Answer 4

Brain begins as a fluid-filled neural tube about three weeks after conception
Top of tube thickens into three bulges that form the hindbrain, midbrain, and forebrain
The hindbrain structures are the first to develop, followed by midbrain structures. The forebrain structures develop last, eventually coming to surround and envelop the hindbrain and midbrain structures

Question 5

comprehension vocabulary

Answer 5

The words that are understood by an infant or child

Question 6

production vocabulary

Answer 6

The words that an infant or child understands and can speak

Question 7

gender/gender role/gender identity

Answer 7

Gender
-The cultural, social, and psychological meanings that are associated with masculinity or femininity
Gender Role
-The behaviors, attitudes, and personality traits that are designated as either masculine or feminine in a given culture
Gender Identity
-A person’s psychological sense of being male or female

Question 8

Piaget’s stages of cognitive development

Answer 8

Sensorimotor Stage
-the first stage of cognitive development, from birth to about age 2; the period during which the infant explores the environment and acquires knowledge through sensing and manipulating objects
Preoperational Stage
-the second stage of cognitive development, which lasts from about age 2 to age 7; characterized by increasing use of symbols and prelogical thought processes
Concrete Operational Stage
-the third stage of cognitive development, which lasts from about age 7 to adolescence; characterized by the ability to think logically about concrete objects and situations