Lifespan Development: Exam #1 Flashcards
Periods of Development
prenatal development, infancy, early childhood, middle and late childhood, adolescence, early adulthood, middle adulthood, late adulthood
Three Developmental Issues/Debates
nature/nurture, stability/change, continuity/discontinuity
Nature-Nurture Issue
refers to the debate about whether development is primarily influenced by nature or nurture. nature refers to an organism’s biological inheritance, nurture to its environmental experiences. the “nature proponents” claim biological inheritance is the most important influence on development; the “nurture proponents” claim that environmental experiences are the most important.
Stability-Change Issue
involves the degree to which we become older renditions of our early experience (stability) or whether we develop into someone different from who we were at an earlier point in development (change).
Continuity-Discontinuity Issue
focuses on the extent to which development involves gradual, cumulative change (continuity) or distinct stages (discontinuity).
Genotype vs. Phenotype
for each genotype a range of phenotypes can be possible
Genotype
a person’s genetic heritage; the actual genetic material
Phenotype
the way an individual’s genotype is expressed in observed and measurable characteristics
Delivery Room Assessment
apgar scale, brazelton neonatal behavioral assessment scale, neonatal intensive care unit network neurobehavioral scale
Apgar Scale
baby is assessed at one and five minutes after birth; 10 is the highest score, 3 or below is an emergency. score is rated on heart rate, body color, muscle tone, respiratory effort, and reflex irritability.
Brazelton Neonatal Behavioral Assessment Scale (NBAS)
assesses newborn’s neurological development, reflexes, and reactions to people and objects
Neonatal Intensive Care Unit Network Neurobehavioral Scale (NNNS)
assesses newborn’s behavior, neurological and stress responses, and regulatory capacities
Prenatal Developmental Periods
geminal, embryonic, fetal
Germinal Period
2 weeks after conception; implantation; blastocyst develops in embryo; trophoblast which develop into plancenta, umbilical cord, and support for embryo. 22% of zygotes fail to implant
Embryonic Period
2-8 weeks after conception; organogenesis (organ formation); 31% of pregnancies (confirmed) result in miscarriage
Fetal Period
2 months after conception until birth; chance of stillbirth is 1 in 160
Teratogen
any agent that can cause a birth defect or negatively alter cognitive and behavioral outcomes. prescription and nonprescription drugs; incompatible blood types; environmental hazards; maternal diseases; paternal factors
Cephalocaudal Pattern of Growth
sequence in which the earliest growth always occurs from the top downward
Proximodistal Pattern of Growth
sequence in which growth starts in the center of the body and moves toward the extremities
SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome)
infants stop breathing and die without apparent cause; highest cause of infant death in U.S. annually; highest risk is 2-4 months of age
SIDS Risk Factors
sleeping on stomachs may impair baby’s ability to wake oneself when in need of oxygen, and may restrict the ability to swallow; low birth weight; sleep apnea; african american and eskimos; lower socioeconomic status; smokers in the home; soft bedding and too many blankets; abnormal brain stem functioning associated with low levels of serotonin
Reflexes
rooting, sucking, moro, grasping
Rooting Reflex
occurs when the infant’s cheek is stroked or the side of the mouth is touched; in response, the infant turns its head toward the side that was touched in an apparent effort to find something to suck
Sucking Reflex
occurs when newborns automatically suck an object placed in their mouth. this reflex enables newborns to get nourishment before they have associated a nipple with food and also serves as a self-soothing or self-regulating mechanism.
Moro Reflex
occurs in response to a sudden, intense noise or movement. when startled, the newborn arches its back, throws back its head, and flings out its arms and legs. then the newborn rapidly closes its arms and legs.
Grasping Reflex
occurs when something touches the infant’s palms. the infant responds by grasping tightly. by the end of the third month, the grasping reflex diminishes, and the infant shows a more voluntary grasp.
Habituation
decreased responsiveness to a stimulus after repeated exposures
Dishabituation
the recovery of a habituated response after a change in stimulation
Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Theory
development reflects the influence of five environmental systems: microsystem, mesosystem, exosystem, macrosystem, and chronosystem
Microsystem
setting in which the individual lives; these contexts include the person’s family, peers, school, and neighborhood. this is where the most direct interactions with social agents take place
Macrosystem
connections between contexts; includes relation of family experiences to school experiences, school experiences to religious experiences, and family experiences to peer experiences
Exosystem
consists of links between a social setting in which the individual does not have an active role and the individual’s immediate context. for example, a child’s experience at home may be influenced by a mother’s experiences at work.
Macrosystem
involves the attitudes and ideologies of the culture in which individuals live
Chronosystem
consists of the patterning of environmental events and transitions over the life course, as well as sociohistorical circumstances; divorce is one transition.
Piaget’s Sensorimotor Stage
infant cognitive development lasting from birth to 2 years; infants construct an understanding of the world by coordinating sensory experiences with physical, motoric actions
Simple Reflexes
first substage of sensorimotor stage; coordination through sensation and action through reflexive behaviors
First Habits and Primary Circular Reactions
second substage of sensorimotor stage; coordination of sensation, habits (reflex), and reactions (reproduction of an event that initially occurred by chance); main focus is still on the infant’s body
Secondary Circular Reactions
third substage of sensorimotor stage; infants become more object-oriented, moving beyond self-preoccupation; repeat actions that bring interesting or pleasurable results
Coordination of Secondary Circular Reactions
fourth substage of sensorimotor stage; coordination of vision and touch - hand-eye coordination; coordination of schemes and intentionality
Tertiary Circular Reactions, Novelty, and Curiosity
fifth substage of sensorimotor stage; infants become intrigued by the many properties of objects and by the many things they can make happen to objects; they experiment with new behavior
Internalization of Schemes
sixth substage of sensorimotor stage; infants develop the ability to use primitive symbols and form enduring mental representations
Object Permanence
developed by the end of the sensorimotor stage; the understanding that objects continue to exist even when they cannot be seen, heard, or touched. studied by watching an infant’s reaction when an interesting object disappears
Gross Motor Skills
large-muscle activities; includes the development of posture and learning to walk
Learning to Walk
occurs close to the first birthday; a stepping reflex is present when the child is born; eventually learn to balance and alternate legs
Gross Motor Skills in the First Year: Development Milestones
some milestones vary by as much as two to four months. there is a large “developmental window” of what is normal. some infants do not follow the standard sequence of motor development.
Gross Motor Skill Development in the Second Year
toddlers become more skilled and mobile; by 13-18 months, toddlers can pull a toy or climb stairs; by 18-24 months, toddlers can walk quickly, balance on their feet, walk backward and stand and kick a ball
Fine Motor Skills
finely tuned movements; using a spoon, buttoning a shirt, reaching and grasping. includes palmer grasp and pincer grip
Palmer Grasp
grasping with the whole hand
Pincer Grip
grasping with the thumb and forefinger
Perceptual-Motor Grasping
necessary for infants to coordinate grasping; which perceptual system the infant is most likely to use in coordinating grasping varies with age
Development of Language
phonology, morphology, syntax, semantics, pragmatics
Phonology
the sound system of a language; a phoneme is the smallest sound unit in a language
Morphology
the system of meaningful units involved in word formation
Syntax
the system that involves the way words are combined to form acceptable phrases and sentences
Semantics
the system that involves the meaning of words and sentences
Pragmatics
the system of using appropriate conversation and knowledge of how to effectively use language in context
How Language Develops
recognizing language sounds, babbling and other vocalizations, gestures, first words, two-word utterances
Recognizing Language Sounds
infants can make fine distinctions among the sounds of any language; around 6 months they will begin to lose the ability to discriminate sounds from languages other than their own
Babbling and Other Vocalizations
sequence of sounds: crying, cooing, babbling
Gestures
pointing is considered an important index of the social aspect of language; infants use of gestures in high socioeconomic status families linked to larger vocabulary at age 4.5.
First Words
children understand first words earlier than they speak them (receptive language precedes expressive language); a child understands about 50 words by age 13 months and 200 words by 2 years of age; includes overextension and underextension
Overextension
tendency to apply a word to objects that are inappropriate for the word’s meaning (calling all dogs by the name of a family dog)
Underextension
tendency to apply a word too narrowly (“look at those kids”; kids were only girls, not boys)
Two-Word Utterances
child relies on gesture, tone, and context; includes telegraphic speech
Telegraphic Speech
use of short and precise words without grammatical markers
Child-Directed Speech
language spoken in a higher pitch than normal with simple words and sentences; captures infant’s attention and maintains communication. also known as “motherese”
