Study guide for developmental psycology Flashcards
What is developmental psychology?
It’s the study of changes over the life span in physiology, cognition, emotion, and social behavior.
What are the stages of the human life span
- Prenatal (conception - birth )
- Infancy ( Birth-18/24 month )
- Childhood ( Infancy- 10/14 yrs )
- Adolescence ( 10/14yrs - 18/21yrs )
- adulthood ( 18/21yrs - death )
Where does human developmental start?
In the womb and it extends to adulthood.
What is the process of development starting in the womb?
- A sperm unites with egg to form zygote. from about 2 weeks to 2 month the developing human is known as embryo.
What happens in the embryo or the developing human stage?
organs such as the heart, lungs, liver, kidneys, and sex organs develop. and the nervous system too.
What stage is the embryo most vulnerable?
The stage where the organs are all developing
what is the growing human called after the prenatal period
Fetus
How early can a fetus survive by itself with the medical advancements?
Survival outside of the womb is possible as early as 22 weeks.
Births end at 38 - 42 weeks
What are the two important aspects of early brain growth?
- specific areas of the brain mature and become functional
- Regions of the brain learn to communicate with one another through synaptic connections.
What is the brain development process?
Myelination happens in the spinal cord in the first trimester and in the neurons in the second trimester of pregnancy.
At what age does the human brain develop about 80 percent of its adult size
age 4
What results in a size increase?
due to myelination and to new synaptic connections among neurons, particularly in the frontal lobe.
How does the human brain develop
Genetic instruction leads the brain to grow, but the brain by itself is plastic ( the brain organizes itself to its environmental experiences, preserving connections it needs in order to function.
What is synaptic pruning?
allows every brain to adapt well to any environment by the use it or lose it process.
- iT’s a physiological process of preserving synaptic connections that are used and eliminating those that are not used.
What happens when a child’s environment doesn’t stimulate their brain as much?
It would undermine the development of the brain, and the child will be less likely to process complex information.
What else can interfere with the development of the brain
Malnutrition, stress, neglect, and exposure to violence.
What can help a situation where children are harmed
Interventions and research in the new emerging field of translational neuroscience might help identify neural systems that are vulnerable to the effects of early life stress.
What are tetratogens ( Monster makers)
Agents that can harm a fetus or embryo. Drugs, bacteria, viruses, caffeine, alcohol, and certain prescription drugs.
What are the physical effects of exposure to teratogens like opioids?
They might be obvious at birth, but disorders involving language, reasoning, social behavior, and emotional behavior become apparent when the child is older.
Infants exposed to opioids can be born prematurely.
true and they might also experience slow growth.
What does the extent of the damage depend on
The extent to which the child has been exposed and the length and the amount od exposure.
What is the most common tetratogen?
Alcohol. Drinking alcohol while pregnant can lead to fetal alcohol spectrum disorder. most likely to occur in infants of heavy drinker women.
What are the symptoms of FASD?
- low birth weight
- face and head abnormalities
- deficient brain growth
- behavioral/cognitive problems like low IQ
The prevalence of FASD cases in the US
0.2 - 2.0 per 1000 live births
