Human Development Flashcards
Scientific study of the changes that occur in people as they age, from conception until death
Human development
One group of people is followed and assessed at different times as group ages
Longitudinal design
Several age groups studied at one time
Cross-sectional design
Combination of longitudinal and cross-sectional
Cross-sequential design
Particular impact on development that occurs when a group of people share a common time period or common life experience
Cohort effect
Heredity, the influence of inherited characteristics on personality, physical growth, intellectual growth, and social interactions
Nature
Influence of the environment on all of those same things and includes parenting styles, physical surroundings, economic factors, and anything that can have an influence on development that does not come from within the person
Nurture
Field of study in which researchers try to determine how much of behavior is the result of genetic inheritance and how much is due to a person’s experiences
Behavioral genetics
Science of heredity
Genetics
Special kind of molecule (the smallest particle of a substance that still has all the properties of that substance) that contains genetic material
DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid)
Organic structures that contain genetic codes for building proteins that make up organic life (hair coloring, muscle, skin) and control the life of each cell
Amine
Section of DNA having the same arrangement of chemical elements
Gene
Rod-shaped structures, tightly wound strand of DNA, found in nucleus of cell
Chromosome
Gene that actively controls the expression of a trait
Dominant
Gene that only influences the expression of a trait when paired with an identical gene
Recessive
Almost all traits are influenced by more than one pair of genes
Polygenic inheritance
Advantage of longitudinal design
Looking at real age-related changes as changes occur
Disadvantage/s of longitudinal design
Lengthy amount of time, money, effort involved, loss of participants when they move away, lose interest, die
Advantage/s of cross-sectional design
Quick, relatively inexpensive, easier to accomplish
Disadvantage/s of cross-sectional design
Study no longer compares an individual to that same individual as they age
Extra chromosome in what would normally be the 21st pair
Down syndrome
Extra sex chromosome in 23rd pair XXY producing a male with reduced male characteristics
Klinefelter’s syndrome
23rd pair is missing an x producing a female that tend to be short, infertile, underdeveloped
Turner’s syndrome
Conception until actual birth is _ months
9
When an egg (ovum) and a sperm unite
Fertilization
The resulting single cell with a total of 46 chromosomes
Zygote
Identical twins formed when one zygote splits into two separate masses of cells, each of which develops into a separate embryo
Monozygotic twins
Fraternal twins, occurring when two individual eggs get fertilized by separate sperm, resulting in two zygotes in the uterus at the same time
Dizygotic twins
Possible causes of dizygotic twins
Women’s body may release more than one egg at a time or release an egg in a later ovulation period
Study of ethical and moral issues brought about by new advances in biology and medicine and how those advances should influence policies and practices
Bioethics
Muscular organ that will contain and protect organism
Uterus
Period in which zygote begins dividing and moving down to the uterus, attaches itself to wall/lining of uterus
Germinal period
Specialized organ that provides nourishment and filters away the waste products
Placenta
Connecting organism to placenta
Umbilical cord
Period in which cells begin to differentiate, or develop, into specialized cells in preparation for becoming all the various kinds of cells
Germinal period
Once firmly attached to uterus, the developing organism is called
Embryo
Period which lasts from 2 weeks after conception to 8 weeks, during which the major organs and structures develop
Embryonic period
Times during which some environmental influences can have an impact—often devastating—on the development of the infant
Critical periods
Any substance such as a drug, chemical, virus, or other factor that can cause a birth defect
Teratogen
Series of physical and mental defects including stunted growth, facial deformities, and brain damage
Fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD)
Period of tremendous growth lasting from about 8 weeks after conception until birth
Fetal period
At _ weeks, fetus is full term
38
Most babies are born between _ and _ weeks
38; 40
Babies born before 38 weeks
preterm
Age of viability is between _ and _ weeks
22; 26
Most likely time for miscarriage or spontaneous abortion
First 3 months
Assumes that the longer an infant spends looking at a stimulus, the more the infant prefers that stimulus over others
Preferential looking
Tendency for infants and adults to stop paying attention to a stimulus that does not change
Habituation
5 reflexes
Grasping, startle (moro), rooting, stepping, sucking
Order of motor development
Raising head and chest (2-4 months), rolling over (2-5 months), sitting up with support (4-6 months), sitting up without support (6-7 months), crawling (7-8 months), walking (8-18 months)
Unused synaptic connections and nerve cells are cleared away to make way for functioning connections and cells
Synaptic pruning
Sense that is most developed at birth
Touch
Sense that is second most developed at birth
Smell
Sense that is third most developed at birth
Taste
Sense that is fourth most developed at birth (functional, but may take a while to reach full potential)
Hearing
Least functional sense
Vision
The _, which see in black and white and have little visual acuity, are fairly well developed
Rods
The _, which see color and provide sharpness, will take about another 6 months to fully develop
Cones
Infants prefer to look at _ rather than _
Complex patterns; simple ones
