Nature, Nuture, And Humen Diversity Flashcards
Zygot
When a female (human) egg is fertilized, it is no longer classified simply as an egg, but is now considered a zygote. For two weeks, the zygote goes through an amazing amount of development that occurs in the form of cell division. The cells of the zygote divide very rapidly, thus doubling during each division (we all start as just a single celled organism, but this changes very quickly).
Developmental psychology
Developmental psychology is the branch of psychology that studies physical, cognitive, and social change of humans throughout their life cycle. Some argue that developmental psychologists study changes over time which all psychologists study, not just developmentalists. However, the difference is that the topics studied by developmental psychologists revolve around the maturation and aging process; what affects it and what it affects. For example, a developmental psychologist and myself may each conduct a study addressing how children of different ages perform on a particular test. The developmental Psychologist would be concerned with the differences between the age groups, why they performed differently, what developmental issues may be the causal factors in the differences, etc., while I may explain the differences in terms of the test, not the developmental differences of the children (i.e., the test is age appropriate, can we use it on people of other ages, what does having an age difference mean on whatever the test actually measured, etc.).
Embryo
In human development, we call an organism in the early, prenatal stage from about 2 weeks to 2 months after fertilization an embryo. The embryonic stage makes up the majority of the first trimester and is a critical stage for “normal” cognitive and physical development. In addition, the unborn baby is particularly susceptible to health problems (less able to protect itself from illness and every little thing can have sever consequences down the line - much more so than in other stages).
Fetus
This is the longest stage of prenatal, human development that lasts from 9 weeks after conception to birth. By the end of the 6th month, the fetus usually has developed internal organs (e.g., stomach and intestines), which also become functional. Many people believe that it is important to talk to the fetus to help foster attachment, and get the baby used to the sound of the parents voice. Others believe that this is not useful as the fetus can’t hear. However, the reality is that the fetus is responsive to sound at approximately 6 months of development. So…talk it up, they can hear.
Teratogens
A teratogen is anything that can disrupt the development of an embryo or fetus in a pregnant mother’s womb. A teratogen may cause a birth defect, malformation, or terminate the pregnancy altogether.
It can be in the form of harmful drugs or chemicals, like birth control pills, nicotine, alcohol, or some types of medication. Exposure to infectious agents like German Measles or Chicken Pox has also been found to have teratogenic effects. Physical factors such as exposure to x-rays or increased body temperature from taking hot baths may also have negative effects on the developing fetus. Certain medical conditions of the mother like diabetes or hypothyroidism may also lead to defects or fetal death.
(FAS) Fetal alcohol syndrome
Fetal alcohol syndrome includes physical, cognitive, and psychologicl abnormalities that result from consuming alcohol during pregnancy (no, I’m not talking about guys consuming alcohol when a woman is pregnant…geez). Some statistics indicate that 1 in 750 babies are born with FAS as a result of their mother drinking heavily during pregnancy. The rates are much higher for alcoholic women – about 4 in 10. Some results include deformed heads, incomplete development of the face and mouth, brain deficits, and more.
Rooting reflex
Reflexes have reasons for occurring…typically. The rooting reflex occurs in infants (we outgrow it) and is a tendency for the infant, when stroked on the side of the face, to move its face in the direction being stroked, open its mouth, and search for a nipple. This reflex is for survival as it helps infants locate food.
Moro reflex
The Moro reflex, also known as the startle reflex, is an involuntary response that is present at birth and usually disappears between the ages of 3 to 6 months. The reflex occurs when an infant is startled by a loud noise or other environmental stimulus or feels that he or she is falling. The reflex causes the baby to extend the arms, legs, and fingers and arch the back.
Babinski reflex
The Babinski Reflex, also known as the Plantar Reflex, is a physical reflex shown when the bottom of the foot is stimulated by having a blunt instrument, i.e. tongue depressor, run across it. The normal response to this type of stimulation is a downward flexion of the big toe. An upward flexion can be a sign of disease of the brain or spinal cord. This test was named for the French physician and neurologist, Joseph Babinski, who first documented it.
Habituation
As humans, we get used to things. Something that is new and incredibly exciting can become boring. This tendancy to have decreased repsponsiveness to something is habituation (you might also hear someone say that you get habituated to something). For example, there may be a painting or picture you really like so you put it on the wall in your room. You see this picture every day, 10 times a day. Over time and repeated exposures to this picture you might start feeling like you’ve “seen it a million times” and it just doesn’t have the same effect on you that it used to. This is habituation.
Behavior genetics
field of study which focuses on the role of genetics in human behavior. It examines behavior patterns which are familial and hereditary in origin. It studies behavior traits and their genetic mechanism. Also called behavioral genetics.
Chromosome
The threadlike structures made of DNA molecules that contain the genes. A human cell has twenty-three pairs of chromosomes, one member of each pair coming from each parent. It is these cells that are so important in determining who we are from a genetic standpoint. But don’t forget, our genetic makeup is only one part of the equation. Who we are is a combination of our genetic makeup and our experiences (our environment).
DNA
Your genetic makeup (who you are genetically which controls things like eye color, hair color, bone structure, organ size, etc.) is controlled by the paring of the chromosomes contained from the female’s egg (23 chromosomes from her) and the chromosomes from the male’s sperm (23 from him too) (you know how those chromosomes come together, right??). Each of the 46 total chromosomes is made up of long threads of a very specific type of molecule called DNA, or deoxyrivonucleic acid. It goes one step further - each molecule of DNA is made up of thousands of genes, which determine your “genetic makeup”. So you see, DNA is really the carrier of the genetic material that determines who you are (genetically).
Genes
Genes are the biochemical units of heredity that form the chromosomes. The genes are essentially the segments of DNA molecules that contain the code for particular peptides or proteins which then determine who we are (at birth and what we can become - let’s not forget about the importance of environment, but the genes give us the starting point). Our eye color, skin color, hair color and type, athletic potential, “smarts” potential, etc., are all influenced at this level.
Genome
Genome is the complete set of genetic information for an organism. It can be thought of as a blueprint or set of instructions for building an organism. Each species has its own genome. The human genome is spread across 23 chromosomes, which hold our DNA, or genetic code.
