Exam 1 Flashcards
What does the field of human development study?
the focus is on constancy and change over a persons lifespan
Why is the field described as scientific, applied, and interdisciplinary?
scientific because it’s not common sense, applied because its practical and we can use this information, and interdisciplinary because it’s used across many different fields
What is a theory? Why are theories important?
an orderly, integrated set of statements that describe, explain and predict. They are important because they guide our thinking and research
Explain continuous vs. discontinuous development
Continuous: quantitative change (amount) GRADUAL
ex) puppy to dog
Discontinuous: qualitative change (kind) SUDDEN JUMPS
ex) caterpillar to butterfly
Is there one course for development or many?
Many courses, no two people develop exactly the same
Explain nature vs nurture
Biology (genes) vs. Environment (parents, school, home life)
What is plasticity?
being easily shaped or molded
Explain the lifespan perspective of development
lifelong, multidimensional, multidirectional, plastic (changeable), embedded in context (development in layers)
What is a age-graded influence?
normal things that happen at the same time for all people
ex) puberty, drivers license, schooling
What is a non normative influence?
all other non-typical events that don’t happen to most people
ex) dramatic brain injuries, illness, winning the lottery
What is a history influence?
anything related to eras
ex) baby boomers, 9/11, war
Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological System’s Theory
views problems as part of a system, when one part is affected the rest are affected as well
ex) hitting a baby mobile and watching all of the parts wobble
Individual Level
nature
ex) genes, biology, etc
Microsystem Level
things that immediately/directly/regularly impact you
ex) roommates, brothers and sisters, parents
Mesosystem Level
connection/relationship between things in your microsystem
ex) connection between boyfriend and parents
Exosystem
catch all for all things that impact you less often/indirectly
ex) extended family (don’t talk as often)
Macrosystem
cultural values/customs, laws
ex) value of individuality, media obsession, voting, driving , drinking
Whats the difference between correlational and experimental research designs?
correlational: relationship between two variables
experimental: way to know if something causes something else (cause and effect)
Difference between cross-sectional and longitudinal research designs
cross-sectional: diff. age groups compared at ONE time
ex) Aug. 2016 study 5, 67, and 9 year olds
Longitudinal: study same group of individuals repeatedly over period of time
ex) test same group of 5 year olds in Aug 2016, 2018, and 2020
Cohort Effects
Having similar experiences that make the group unique to other groups. Most likely a problem during cross-sectional study because it’s hard to separate cohort effects from developmental changes when viewing a group of wide age ranges
What is the main ethical issue in research with children?
getting consent from both the parent and the child that the study is being conducted on
What is the difference between genotype and phenotype?
Genotype: the genetic material within you
Phenotype: observable characteristics
Do genotypes and phenotypes always match?
No
ex) carrier for a disease but don’t show symptoms of it, have African genes but appear white
What is the difference between monozygotic and dizygotic twins?
monozygotic twins are identical and were created with ONE egg, dizygotic twins are fraternal and were created with TWO eggs
What is a concordance rate?
The percentage of instances in which both twins show a trait when it is present in one twin
What are the 3 types of genetic-environment correlations?
passive, active, and evocative
What is passive correlation?
When children passively receive genes and the environment from their parents. You don’t pick and choose what you get
What is active correlation?
also known as niche-picking. Because of who you are genetically and biologically you can actively choose the environment that best suits you
What is evocative correlation?
Because of who you are genetically and biologically you draw out certain responses from the environment
What is epigenesis
The always ongoing interaction between genes and environment at ALL levels
What are the three main periods of prenatal development?
zygote, embryo, and fetus
Describe the zygote stage
2 weeks: fertilization, implantation, start of placenta
Describe the embryo stage
6 weeks: arms, legs, face, organs, and muscles all develop. Heart begins beating
Describe the fetus stage
30 weeks: “growth and finishing”
What is implantation?
the attachment of the fertilized egg to the wall of the uterus
What is the placenta?
a flattened circular organ in the uterus. Used to feed the baby through the umbilical cord
What are teratogens?
any disease, drug, or agent that causes abnormal prenatal development
What is the affect of drinking alcohol while being pregnant?
Fetal alcohol syndrom. Causes learning, coping, stimuli filtering problems
What is the affect of drinking high levels of caffeine while pregnant?
Low birth weight
What are other maternal factors that can have an influence on prenatal development?
nutrition, infectious disease, emotional stress, RH blood factor, age
What is Rh factor incompatibility?
a condition that occurs during pregnancy if a woman has Rh-negative blood and her baby has Rh-positive blood.
Describe the Apgar Scale
assessment used twice right after birth to test for development. A-appearance P-Pulse G-Grimace A-Activity R-Respiration
Describe the newborn reflexes
eye blink, sucking, rooting (turn toward stimuli when cheek is touched), palmar grasp (when palm is touched, babies will grip hard), moro (startle reflex), withdrawal (when poked with painful stimuli baby will move away from it), tonic neck (fencing), babinski (scrape bottom of foot and will scrunch up toes)
Describe body growth in infancy and toddlerhood
babies grow in spurts. By year one, weight 3x and height 2x.
What happens to baby fat?
baby fat peaks at 9 months, used for temp. control
What is the cephalocaudal trend?
head to toes, focus on the head before all other regions (think about the picture of the baby with the HUGE head and little body)
What is the proximodistal trend?
focus on the mid-section before limbs. Focus on organs and core strength
What are fontanels?
Babies ‘soft-spots’, parts of the skull that haven’t fused yet
What is skeletal age?
the degree of maturation of a child’s bones. As a person grows from fetal life through childhood, puberty, and finishes growth as a young adult, the bones of the skeleton change in size and shape. These changes can be seen by x-ray.
What is a neuron?
a cell that communicates with other cells
What are glial cells?
support cells for the neurons
Whats a synapse?
point of communication between neurons
What are the five levels of brain development?
production, migration, differentiation, connections made, synaptic pruning
Describe production
stem cells that turn into other cells (neurons)
Describe migration
little neurons travel on glial cells to get to the right location
Describe differentiation
Neurons take on their own special jobs
Describe connections made
neurons grow and start connecting (talking) to one another
Descrive synaptic pruning
trimming down connections (synapses)
What is marasmus?
general starvation, low in ALL nutrients
What is kwashiorkor?
starvation lacking in protein (makes swollen bellies)
What is growth faltering?
“failure to thrive” caused by massive emotional distress/problems
What are the main motor milestones during infancy?
roll, sit up, army crawl, crawl, pull up to a stand, cruise, walk. Typically walk by year 1
Explain the dynamic systems theory of motor development
Contains four factors: central nervous system development, own bodies abilities, child’s motivation, and environmental support
What are the steps in the development of reaching and grasping?
- newborns: pre-reaching
- 3-4 mo: purposeful reaching
- 4-5 mo: transfer one hand to the other
- 7 mo: can reach with one arm
the grasp reflex will then be replaced with the ulnar grasp (big grasp with whole hand) then to pincer grasp (thumb and first finger) by year 1
Why is reaching important?
teaches independence, the child is able to feed themselves and explore
