Weeks 1 & 2 Flashcards
What are the periods of development?
- Prenatal period: From conception to birth
- Infancy and toddlerhood: From birth to 2 years
- Early childhood: From 2 to 6 years
- Middle childhood: From 6 to 11 years
- Adolescence: From 11 to 18 years
What 3 domains is development divided into?
Physical, cognitive and emotional & social
What is continuous development?
A process of gradually adding more of the same types of skills that were there to begin with.
What is discontinuous development?
A process in which new ways of understanding and responding to the world emerge at specific times.
What is cross-sectional design?
A study where children of different ages (or groups) are observed at a single point in time
What is longitudinal design?
A study where more than one observation of the same group of children is made at different points in their development
What is cohort design?
A group of people who were raised in the same environment or who share certain demographic characteristics are assessed and compared to understand developmental effects.
What is the advantage of longitudinal design?
Examines changes within individuals over time. Provides a developmental analysis.
What is experimental design?
Experimental methods control an individual’s environment or experience, with a random assignment, in systematic ways to identify which variables cause changes in development.
What are the disadvantages of longitudinal design?
- Expensive
- Takes a longer time
- Participant attrition
- Possibility of practice effects
- Cannot examine cohort effects
What is the advantage of cross-sectional design?
Examines changes between participants of different ages at the same point in time. Provide information on age-related change.
What are the disadvantages of cross-sectional design?
Cannot examine changes over time. Cannot examine cohort effects
What are the milestones of prenatal development?
- Conception
- Zygote
- Embryo
- Fetus
What is prenatal development?
The development of human individuals before they are born.
What is an embryo?
The developing organism during the period when organs are forming. In humans, from cell divisions to until about 10 weeks.
What is a fetus?
The organism 12 weeks after conception until birth.
What is a neonate?
An infant less than 1 month old.
What is postnatal development?
The development of a human after he is born, particularly during early infancy.
What are teratogens
Any environmental agent that causes damage and birth defects during the prenatal period, including maternal diseases, substance use such as drugs and alcohol
What are influencing factors to teratogens?
- Timing of the exposure
- Amount of exposure
- Number of teratogens
- Genetics
What are dominant genes?
They express themselves in the phenotype (observable) even when paired with a different version of the gene
What are recessive genes?
They express themselves only when paired with a similar version gene.
How are identical twins created?
When a fertilised egg splits apart in the first two weeks of development
How are fraternal twins created?
Two eggs are released and fertilised by two separate sperms.
How are autosomal genetic disorders caused?
Due to a gene in one of the non-sex chromosomes
X chromosome linked genetic disorders (difference between males and females)
Males are more likely to be affected because their sex chromosomes do not match. In females, any recessive allele on one X chromosome has a good chance of being suppressed by a dominant allele on the other X
What is the most common chromosomal abnormality?
Down Syndrome
What is preeclampsia?
It is a serious disorder of the 2nd and 3rd trimesters, involving high blood pressure, sudden weight gains, headaches and welling of the body
What can low birth weight cause?
It can greatly increase the risk of infant death and health problems after birth
What is the leading preventable cause of intellectual disabilities in newborns?
Alcohol use
How does smoking affect the fetus?
The fetus is exposed to dangerous chemicals, including nicotine, carbon monoxide and tar, which are known to reduce the amount of oxygen available to the fetus.
