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