Prof's midterm overview Flashcards
- Three key processes that shape human development (biological, cognitive, and socioemotional) and how they interact
Biology explains our growth in our body; weight, height. Cognitive is how our brain develops. Socioemotional is how our emotions and society affect us. All contribute to our overall growth.
- Resilience and characteristics of resilient children (provide examples)
Maintaining confidence despite going through adverse situations. Good problem solving skills and independence.
- Differential susceptibility
Children will react differently to negative life events.
- Four prominent issues in developmental psychology
Nature vs nurture, continuity vs discontinuity, stability vs change, early vs later.
- Research methods and designs
Naturalistic observation. Longitudinal research vs cross sectional.
- Ethological theory
How evolution and biology affect development.
- Ecological theory
The effects of the environment in our development - bidirectional.
- Evolutionary theory: natural selection and adaptive behaviour
NS: only the strongest will survive
AB: we need to adapt
- Genes (genetic code, chromosomes, DNA)
Genetic code is all of our genes. Chromosomes are in the nucleus which holds our DNA. DNA contains short segments of genes.
- Dominant-recessive genes principle
Sometimes one gene is dominant and one is recessive, and the dominant gene will be the one passed down.
- Genotypes vs. phenotypes
Phenotypes are our personal characteristic, genotypes are our genes.
- Factors that can influence gene expression
Hormones and stress can turn on our genes.
- Gene-gene interaction studies
Looking at how 2 or more genes interact in terms of development.
- Chromosomal vs. gene-linked abnormalities
Chromosomal: down syndrome, fragile X syndrome, Turner syndrome (missing X), XYY syndrome (extra Y).
Gene-linked: cystic fibrosis, diabetes, huntington disease, spina bifida, sickle-cell anemia.
- Twin and adoption studies
We can see the importance of genes vs environment
- Shared vs. nonshared environmental experiences (provide examples)
A shared environment could be the home of two siblings, but their school would not be shared.
- Heredity-environment correlations
Active, evocative and passive
- Epigenetic view (gene x environment interaction studies)
Genes and environment are bidirectional.
- Periods of prenatal development
Germinal, embryonic and fetal. Germinal lasts 2 weeks, cell differentiation begins; blastocyst and trophoblast. Embryonic is 2-8 weeks, cell differentiation intensifies; blastocyst now embryo. Fetal period is 7 months.
- Organogenesis (concept and timing)
Happens during the embryonic period. Is the development of organs.