unit 5 Flashcards
development
sequence of age related changes from conception to death
zygote
one-celled organism formed by the union of sperm and an egg
prenatal period
conception to birth, nine months of pregnancy
stages of prenatal development
germinal, embryonic, fetal
germinal stage
1st phase, first two weeks, zygote
placenta
structure that allows oxygen and nutrients to pass to the fetus from bloodstream, and bodily waste to pass out the mother
embryonic stage
2nd stage, from 2 weeks until end of the second month, embryo, basic physiological structures are being formed
fetal stage
3rd stage, from 2 months until birth, fetus, physical movements, sex organs, brain cells multiply
age of viability
age at which a baby can survive in the event of a premature birth
teratogens
external agents that can harm an embryo or fetus (alcohol, drugs)
fetal alcohol syndrome
collection of congenital (inborn) problems associated with alcohol use in pregnancy.(small head, heart defects, irritability, hyperactivity, delayed mental/motor development. most common known cause of intellectual disability.
motor development
driven by children’s exploration, progression of muscular coordination required for physical activities, grasping, crawling, walking, running
cephalocaudal trend
head-to-foot direction of motor development (upper body before lower)
proximodistal trend
centre-outward direction of motor development (torso before extremities)
maturation
genetically programmed physical changes that come with age, unfolding of genetic blueprint
developmental norms
the median age at which individuals display various behaviours and abilities, benchmarks at when kids walk for example
temperament
characteristic mood, activity level, emotional reactivity. infants have a considerable variability
Alexander Thomas and Stella Chess longitudinal study
temperament individuality is established around 2-3 months old. 3 styles of temperament (and a mixture of the three):
- easy children
- slow-to-warm up children
- difficult children
longitudinal design
observe one group of participants repeatedly over a period of time (more sensitive to developmental changes
cross-sectional design
compare groups of participants of differing age at a single point in time
cohort effects
occur when differences between age groups are due to growing up in different time periods
attachment
close emotional bonds to a caregiver and infant
seperation anxiety
emerges around 14-18 months, emotional distress when infants are separated from a caregiver with which they have formed an attachment.
Mary Ainsworth
attachment comes from interplay between infant and mother
strange situation procedure
infants are exposed to 8 separation and reunion episodes to assess the quality of attachment
secure attachment
play comfortably when mother is present, upset when leaves, fine when back
anxious-ambivalent attachment
anxious when mother is present, protest lots when she leaves, not really comforted when she returns
avoidant attachment
seek little contact with mother, not distressed when she leaves
disorganized-disoriented attachment
children are confused whether they should approach or avoid their mother
Erik Erikson
personality continues to evolve over an entire lifespan, stage theory of development
stage
developmental period where characteristic patterns of behaviour are exhibited and some extablished
assume:
1. individuals progress in a certain order (stages build on each other)
2. progress is strongly related to age
3. development is marked by major discontinuities that usher in dramatic transitions in behaviour
Erikson’s stage theory
8 stages, each have a psychosocial crisis
- trust vs. mistrust
- autonomy vs. doubt and shame
- initiative vs. guilt
- industry vs. inferiority
- identity vs. confusion
- intimacy vs. isolation
- generativity vs. isolation
- integrity vs. despair
cognitive development
transitions in youngster’s patterns of thinking: reasoning, remembering, problem solving
Jean Piaget
wondered about the reasoning for children’s wrong answers on intelligence tests, stage theory of development
- sensorimotor period (birth to 2)
- preoperational period (2-7)
- concrete operational period (7-11)
- formal operational period ( 11 onwards)
assimilation
interpreting new experiences by using existing mental structures without changing them
accomodation
changing existing mental structures to explain new experiences
object permanence
when a child realizes that an object continues to exist when they are no longer visible
conservation
awareness that physical quantities remain constant in spite of changes in their shape or appearance
centration
tendency to focus on just one aspect of a problem, neglecting other aspects
irreversibility
inability to envision reversing an action
egocentrism
thinking has a limited ability to view someone else’s viewpoint
animism
belief that all things are living
Vygotsky’s sociocultural theory
cognitive development is fuelled by environment, social interactions with older peeps, culture influences, language plays a high role in development, zone of proximal development (ZPD)
zone of proximal development
gap between what a learner can do alone and what they can do with a more skilled partner
scaffolding
when the assistance provided is adjusted as learning progresses (generally less and less help)
habituation
gradual reduction in the strength of a response when a stimulus is presented repeatedly
dishabituation
if a new stimulus elicits an increase in the strength of a habituated response
Kohlberg’s stage theory of moral development
reasoning over behaviour
preconventional level: punishment orientation, naive reward orientation
conventional level: good boy/girl orientation, authority orientation
postconventional level: social contract, individual principles and conscience
adolescence
not universal across cultures
pubescence
two year span preceding puberty, changes leading to physical and sexual maturity take place
secondary sex characteristics
physical features that distinguish one sex from the other but that are not essential for reproduction
puberty
stage where sexual functions reach maturity, marks the beginning of adolescence
primary sex characteristics
structures necessary for reporduction
menarche
first period for ladies
family life cycle
sequence of stages that families tend to progress through
dementia
an abnormal condition marked by multiple cognitive deficits that include memory impairment
sex
biological categories of female and male
gender
cultural constructs of feminine and masculine
gender differences
actual disparities between the sexes in typical behaviour or average ability
socialization
acquisition of societal norms
gender roles
expectations about what is appropriate for each sex
