Midterm 1 Flashcards
stage theories
Approaches that propose taht development involves a series of discontinuous, age related phases
cognitive development
The development of thinking and reasoning
Scientific Method
An approach to testing beliefs that involves choosing a question, formulating a hypothesis, testing the hypothesis, and drawing the conclusion
hypothesis
educated guess
reliability
the degree to which independent measurements of a given behavior are consistent
interrater reliability
the amount of agreement int he observations of different raters who witness the same behavior
test-retest relability
the degree of similarity of a child’s performance on two or more occasions
validity
the degree to which a test measures what it is intended to measure
internal validity
the degree to which effects observed within experiments can be attributed to the factor that the researcher is testing
external validity
the degree to which results can be generalized beyond the particulars of research
nurture
the environments, both physical and social that influence our development
epigenetics
the study of stable changes in gene expression that are mediated by the environment
socioeconomic status
a measure of social class based on income and education
structured interview
a research procedure in which all participants are asked to answer the same questions
naturalistic observation
examination of ongoing behavior in an environment not controlled by the researcher
three contexts of gathering data
interview, naturalistic observation, structured observation
correlational designs
studies intended to indicate how two variables are related to each other
correlation
the association between two variables
disadvantages to to correlational studies
direction of causation problem, third variable problem
direction of causation problem
the concept that a correlation between two variables does not indicate which, if either, variable is the cause of the other
third-variable problem
the concept that a correlation between two variables may stem from both being influenced by some third variable
cross-sectional studies
children of different ages are compared on a given behavior or characteristic over a short period
longitudinal designs
same children are studied twice or more over a substantial length of time
microgenetic design
a method of study in which the same children are studied repeatedly over a short period
periods of prenatal development
germinal, embryonic, fetal
germinal period
0-2 weeks begins with conception and lasts until the zygote becomes implanted in the uterine wall
embryonic period
3-8 weeks, major development takes place through cell division, cell migration, cell differentiation, and cell death (apoptosis)
fetal period
9 weeks to birth, continued development of physical structures and rapid growth of the body, increased levels of behavior, sensory experience, and learning
phylogenetic continuuty
idea that because of our common evolutionary history, humans share many characteristics, behaviors, and developmental processes with other animals, especially mammals
identical twins
twins that result from the splitting in half of the zygote, resulting in each of the two resulting zygotes having exactly the same set of genes
fraternal twins
twins that result when two eggs are released from the fallopian tube at the same time and are fertilized by two separate sperm, fraternal twins only have one half of their genes in common
neural tube
a groove formed in the top layer of differentiated cells in the embryo that eventually becomes the brain and spinal cord
amniotic sac
a transparent, fluid filled membrane that surrounds and protects the fetus
placenta
support organ; keeps circulatory systems of fetus and mother separate, but semipermeable membrane permits the exchange of some nutrients from mother to fetus and CO2 and waste from fetus to mother
umbilical cord
a tube containing the blood vessels connecting the fetus and the placenta
cephalocaudal development
the pattern of growth in which areas near the head develop earlier than areas further from the head
habituation
a simple form of learning that involves a decrease in response to repeated or continued stimulation
teratogen
an external agent that can cause damage or death during prenatal development
sensitive period
the period of time during which a developing organism is most sensitive to the effects of external factors; prenatally, the sensitive period is when the fetus is maximally sensitive to the harmful effects of teratogens
dose-response relation
a relation in which the effect of exposure to an element increases with the extent of exposure (prenatally, the more exposure a fetus has to a potential teratogen , the more severe its effect is likely to be)
fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD)
the harmful effects of maternal alcohol consumption on a developing fetus. Involves a range of effects including facial deformities, mental retardation, attention problems, hyperactivity, and other defects
state
level of arousal and engagement in the environment , ranging from deep sleep to intense activity
rapid eye movement (REM) sleep
an active sleep state characterized by quick, jerky movements under closed lids and associated with dreaming in adults
non-REM sleep
a quiet or deep sleep state characterized by the absence of motor activity or eye movements and more regular, slow brain waves, breathing, and heart rate
colic
excessive, inconsolable crying by a young infant for no apparent reason
low birth weight
a birth weight of less than 5.5 pounds
premature
any child born at 35 weeks after conception or earlier (compared to 38 weeks)
small for gestational age
babies who weigh substantially less than is normal for whatever their gestational age
regulator genes
genes that control the activity of other genes
polygenic inheritance
inheritance in which traits are governed by more than one gene
norm of reaction
all the phenotypes that can theoretically result from a given genotype in relation to all the environments in which it can survive and develop
behavior genetics
the sicence concerned with how variation in behavior and development results from a combination of genetic and environmental factors
multifactorial
refers to traits that are affected by a host of environmental factors as well as genetic ones
