Psyc 2103 - Human Growth and Development Ch. 1-3
ethology
concerned with the adaptive or survival value of behavior and its evolutionary history
Neonatal Behavorial Assessment Scale (NBAS)
evaluates the newborn's reflexes, muscle tone, state, changes, responsiveness to physical and social stimuli, and other reactions
nonnormative influences
events that are irregular. They happen to just one person or a few people and do not follow a predictable timetable.
Vygotsky's sociocultural theory
focuses on culture and how its's transmitted to next generation. Example: family focused on education, or sports, or do we say "I love you"
G. Stanley Hall
natural gradual developments
nature-nurture controversy
nature: hereditary information we get from our parents nurture: the complex forces of the world that influence our biological makeup and psychological experiences before/after birth
developmental cognitive neuroscience
relationship between brain activity and cognitive processing and behavioral patterns
developmental social neuroscience
relationship between brain activity and emotional and social development
gene
segment of DNA located along chromosomes
DNA
susbstance of which genes and chromosomes are made
contexts
unique combinations of personal and environmental circumstances that can result in different paths of change
X-linked inheritance
when a harmful allele is carried on the X chromosome. Men are more likely to be affected
polygenic inheritance
when many genes affect the characteristic in question
zygote
when sperm and ovum unite at conception (the egg)
teratogen
any environmental agent that causes damage during the prenatal period
continuous development
a process of gradually augmenting the same types of skills that were there to begin with
resilience
ability to adapt effectively in the face of threats to development
heterozygous
alleles differ
allele
alternative form of a gene (one member of a pair) that is located at a specific position on a specific chromosome.
prenatal diagnostic methods
amniocentesis, chronic villus sampling, fetoscopy, ultrasound, maternal blood analysis, MRI, preimplantation genetic diagnosis
sensitive period
an optimal time for certain capabilities to emerge, boundaries are less well-defined than those of critical period - example: driving a car
apgar scale
assesses newborn's physical condition quickly
gene-environment interaction
because of their genetic makeup, individuals differ in their responsiveness to the environment
small-for-date infants
below expected weight considering length of pregnancy
preterm infants
born several weeks before their due date
homozygous
both alleles are alike
critical period
certain time frame to learn something or it is lost - example: learning language, eating
Binet and Simon
developed the IQ tests
lifespan perspective
development is 1) lifelong, 2) multidimensional and multidirectional, 3) highly plastic, 4) affected my multiple interacting forces
Darwin's theory of evolution
emphasized natural selection and survival of the fittest
Sigmund Freud psychosexual theory
emphasizes how parents manage their child's sexual and aggressive drives in the first few years is crucial for healthy personality development
behavioral genetics
uncovers contributions of nature and nurture to this diversity in human traits and abilities
meiosis
halves the number of chromosomes normally present in body cells
carriers
heterozygous individuals with just one recessive allele
Erik Erikson psychosocial theory
in addition to meditating between id impulses and superego demands, the ego makes a positive contribution to development, acquiring attitudes and skills that make the individual an active contributing member of society
genotype
individual's unique observable characteristic
development
influenced by multiple forces: biological, historical, social, and cultural
developmental science
interdisciplinary field devoted to understanding human constancy and change throughout the lifespan
phenotype
invididual's directly observable characteristic like eye color
Urie Bronfenbrenner's Ecological Systems theory
layers of environment including microsystem, mesosystem, exosystem, macrosystem and chronosystem (time)
Hall and Gesell normative approach
measures of behavior are taken on large numbers of individuals, and age-related averages are computed to represent typical development
plasticity
open to change in response to influential experiences
theory
orderly, integrated set of statements that describes, explains, and predicts behaviors
gene-environment correlation
our genes influence the environments to which we are exposed
4 factors of resilience
personal characteristics, warm parental relationship, social support outside immediate family, community resources and opportunities
discontinuous development
process in which new ways of understanding and responding to the world emerge at specific times
Stages
qualitative changes in thinking, feeling, and behaving that characterize specific periods of development
Arnold Gesell
timing of development
alleles
two forms of same gene, one inherited from each parent