Developmental Psychology 1

Question 1

What is genotype?

Answer 1

Characteristics determined by genetic code.

Question 2

What is phenotype?

Answer 2

Observable and measurable characteristics. Can be physiological and psychological.

Question 3

What is range of reaction?

Answer 3

The boundaries (set by genes) of possible phenotypic outcomes. For example, an optimal environment will not raise intelligence above the maximum set by genes.

Question 4

What is canalization?

Answer 4

Relative resistance, developmentally, to environmental forces. Sensorimotor development is highly canalized; intelligence, less so.

Question 5

What are secular trends?

Answer 5

Long-term patterns of environmentally-based change across birth cohorts, e.g., increased height and decreased age of menarche over the last 150 years due to improvement in nutrition and medical care.

Question 6

What is polygenic?

Answer 6

Characteristics that are determined by multiple genes.

Question 7

What is a homologous chromosome pair?

Answer 7

A pair of chromosomes that are duplicates of each other. Only the sex chromosomes of the male (XY) are not homologous.

Question 8

What is phenylketonuria?

Answer 8

Inability to digest the amino acid phenylalanine, which can cause severe mental retardation. It occurs when a single dominant gene is present.

Question 9

What is Down’s Syndrome?

Answer 9

Mental retardation and physical features due to having an extra 21st chromosome (aka trisomy 21).

Question 10

What is Klinefelter’s Syndrome?

Answer 10

A male having an extra X chromosome. They are typically socially male but do not completely develop secondary sex characteristics and are often sterile.

Question 11

What is Turner’s Syndrome?

Answer 11

A female missing all or part of the second X chromosome. They do not develop secondary sex characteristics, are sterile and tend to be short, with stubby fingers and a webbed neck.

Question 12

What is fragile X syndrome?

Answer 12

Moderate to severe mental retardation, facial deformities, and rapid staccato speech due to a weak site on the X chromosome. Occurs in males and females, but is more evident in males (lacking compensation from the other X).

Question 13

What is a teratogen?

Answer 13

Any environmental agent acting on the zygote, embryo, or fetus to produce abnormalities.

Question 14

What are the three periods of prenatal development?

Answer 14

Germinal, conception to implatation, 8-10 days; embyronic, 2nd to 8th week; fetal, 9th week to birth.

Question 15

What are the range of effects of teratogens during the germinal period?

Answer 15

Death of a few cells to death of the organism.

Question 16

What are the range of effects of teratogens during the embryonic period?

Answer 16

Greatest susceptibility of organs, with different systems become most vulnerable at different times.

Question 17

What are the range of effects of teratogens during the fetal period?

Answer 17

Less severe susceptibility of organs, but external genitalia and brain remain vulnerable. Prolonged exposure can retard growth and intelligence.

Question 18

What are the most common teratogens?

Answer 18

Alcohol, illegal drugs, prescription drugs, smoking, maternal disease.

Question 19

What are fetal alcohol syndrome and fetal alcohol effects?

Answer 19

FAS typically includes growth and mental retardation (IQs ~65-70), irritability, hyperactivity. FAE indicates some effects of alcohol on the child, but not full FAS. 1 in 100 live births show FAS/FAE.

Question 20

What non-teratogenic maternal conditions may affect development?

Answer 20

Prenatal malnutrition, emotional stress, maternal age.

Question 21

What pregnancy or delivery complications may affect development?

Answer 21

Prematurity (<10th percentile), fetal distress (including anoxia).

Question 22

Name four infant reflexes.

Answer 22

Babinski, Moro/startle, stepping, and palmar grasp. These disappear after the first six months.

Question 23

What is the Babinski reflex?

Answer 23

When sole of foot is stroked, big toe extends and small to spreads.

Question 24

What is the Moro/startle reflex?

Answer 24

When infant’s head drops slightly or after a sudden loud sound, legs extend, back arches, and arms are thrown out (as if for support).

Question 25

Describe early vision development.

Answer 25

Born with poor (20/600) visual acuity, but prefer facial to non-facial forms within a few days of birth; can discriminate mother’s from strangers faces by one month; color vision by two to three months; depth perception and near-adult acuity by six months.

Question 26

Describe early auditory development.

Answer 26

Able to hear in utero (last few months), near adult sensitivity at birth. Prefer human voices to other sounds, recognize mother, and distinguish “a” from “i” within days; auditory localizing (turning head toward sound) within days, but this disappears at two to four months, reemerging at 12 months.

Question 27

Describe early gustatory development.

Answer 27

Able to distinguish tastes at birth, with a preference for sweet.

Question 28

Describe early olfactory development.

Answer 28

Respond to unpleasant odors within first few days; discriminate odors by two to seven days.

Question 29

Describe early and childhood brain development.

Answer 29

Most neurons present at birth; development entails growth of new dendrites and myelinization, with primary motor cortex myelinizing in the first month, primary sensory next. Most myelinization is complete by end of second year, the balance by early adolescence. Brain is 60% of adult weight by end of first year.

Question 30

What is the effect of early motor skill training, e.g., practicing walking?

Answer 30

Practiced motor skill may develop early and interest in complex skills (e.g., bike riding) may be increased.

Question 31

Name six family environment-based psychopathology risk factors.

Answer 31

• low SES
• overcrowding/large family
• severe marital discord
• parental criminality
• maternal psychopathology
• placement of child outside home

Risk increases with number of factors: 2% for one to 21% for four or more.

Question 32

What are some protective factors for children at risk for psychopathology?

Answer 32

Reduction of stressors following birth, easy temperament, and stable parental support.

Question 33

Name the four system levels (+1) in Bronfenbrenner’s ecological model of development.

Answer 33

Microsystem (immediate setting), mesosystem (interconnections between components of microsystem), exosystem (aspects of environment affecting but not contacted by child), macrosystem (cultural context). The “+1” is chronosystem, which refers to the dynamic relationship between levels across time.

Question 34

In Piaget’s theory of cognitive development, what is adaptation?

Answer 34

Process of building schemata; involves assimilation, accommodation, and equilibration.

Question 35

In Piaget’s theory of cognitive development, what is assimilation?

Answer 35

Interpreting new information in terms of existing schemata.

Question 36

In Piaget’s theory of cognitive development, what is accommodation?

Answer 36

Modifying schemata to accommodate new information.

Question 37

In Piaget’s theory of cognitive development, what is equilibration?

Answer 37

The continuous movement between cognitive equilibrium, in which assimilation is sufficient, and disequilibrium, which requires accommodation.