Invitation to the Life Span - Ch. 1-3

XY

a 23rd chromosome pair that consists of an X-shaped chromosome from the mother and a Y-shaped chromosome from the father, male

XX

a 23rd chromosome pair that consists of two X-shaped chromosomes, female

head-sparing

a biological mechanism that protects the brain when malnutrition disrupts body growth.

preterm birth

a birth that occurs 3 or more weeks before the full 38 weeks of the typical pregnancy have elapsed

extremely low birthweight

a body weight at birth of less than 2 pounds 3 ounces

very low birthweight

a body weight at birth of less than 3 pounds 5 ounces

low birthweight

a body weight at birth of less than 5.5 pounds

neurotransmitter

a brain chemical that carries information from the axon of a sending neuron to the dendrites of a receiving neuron

fetal alcohol syndrom

a cluster of birth defects that may occur in the child of a woman who drinks alcohol while pregnant

Down Syndrome

a condition in which a person has 47 chromosomes instead of the usual 46, with three rather than two chromosomes at the 21st position

cohort

a group defined by it members' shared age, which means that they travel through life together

shaken baby syndome

a life-threatening injury that occurs when an infant is forcefully shaken back and forth, a motion that ruptures blood vessels in the brain and breaks neural connections

phenotype

a person's actual appearance and manifest behavior

classical coniditioning

a process in which a person or animal learns to associate a neutral stimulus with a meaningful stimulus, gradually reacting to the neutral stimulus with the same response

Apgar scale

a quick assesment of a newborn's body functioning

phenylketonuria (PKU)

a recessive condition for which northern Europeans are particularly at risk

gamete

a reproductive cell; sperm in males, ovum in females

longitudinal research

a research design in which the same individuals are followed over time and their development is repeatedly assessed.

cross-sectional research

a research design that compares groups of people who differ in age but are similar in other important characteristics

survey

a research method in which information is collected from large number of people by interviews, written questions, or some other means

genes

a section of chromosomes and the basic unit for the transmission of heredity, consisting of a string of chemicals that are instructions for the cell to manufacture certain proteins

postpartum depression

a sense of inadequacy and sadness

REM (rapid eye movement) sleep

a stage of sleep characterized by flickering eyes behind closed lids

heritability

a statistical term that indivates what portion of the variation in a particular trait within a particular population is inherited

developmental theory

a systematic statement of principles and generalizations that provides us a framework for understanding how and why people change as they grow older

behaviorism

a theory of human development that studies observable behavior

critical period

a time when certain things must occur for normal development

scientific method

a way to answer questions that requires empirical research and data-based conclusions

doula

a woman who helps with labor, delivery, breast-feeding and newborn care

polygenic

affected by many genes

life-spand perspective

an approach to the study of human development that takes into account all phases of life, not just childhood or adulthood

norm

an average, or standard, for a particular population

social construction

an idea created by society

sonogram

an image similar to an X-ray except that is uses sound waves instead of radiation, aka ultrasound

operant conditioning

animals perform some action and a response occurs

reinforcement

any consequence that follows a behavior and makes the person likely to repeat that behavior

neuron

brain cells

fragile X syndrome

caused by a single gene that has more than 200 repetitions of a triplet

mirror neurons

cells in an observer's brain that respond to an action performed by someone else in the same way they would if the observer had actually performed that action

gross motor skills

deliberate, coordinated actions that produce large movements, usually involving several parts of the body

regulator gene

direct polygenic interactions, controlling the genetic expression, duplication, and transcription of the other genes

additive gene

effects add up to make the phenotype (height, hair curliness, hair color, etc)

correlation

exists between two variables if one variable is more (or less) likely to occur when the other

dizygotic twins

fraternal twins and occur twice as often as monozygotic twins

fetal period

from the ninth week until birth, during which the fetus grows in size and matures in functioning

genetic counseling

helps people know how likely they are to conceive a child with a severe genetic or chromosomal condition

monozygotic twins

identical twins

multifactorial

influenced by many factors

psychoanalytic theory

inner drives and motives

reflex

involuntary responses to a particular stimulus

dendrite

nerve fiber that extends from a neuron and receives electrochemical impulses

axon

nerve fiber that extends from a neuron and transmits electrochemical impulses

sensation

occurs when a sensory system detects a stimulus

perception

occurs when the brain processes a sensation

dominant-recessive pattern

one allele, the dominant gene, is far more influential than the other, the recessive gene

chromosome

one of 46 molecules of DNA that each cell of the human body contains and that, together, contain all the genes.

cortex

outer layers of brain

ethnic group

people who share certain attributes, almost always including ancestral heritage and often national origin, religion, culture, and language

epigenetic

refers to the environmental factors that surround the genes affecting genetic expression

nurture

refers to the environmental influences, beginning with the health and diet of the embryo's mother and continuing lifelong, including family, school, community, and society

nature

refers to the influence of genes that people inherit

socioeconomic status

reflects income, wealth, occupation, education, and place of residence

scientific observation

requires the researcher to record behavior systematically and objectively

qualititative research

research that considers qualitities instead of quantities

quantitative research

research that provides data that can be expressed with numbers, such as rank or scales

cross-sequential research

researches study several groups of people of different ages and follow them over the years

science of human development

seeks to understand how and why people change over time.

fine motor skills

small body movements

dynamic systems theory

stresses fluctuations and transitions, "the dynamic synthesis of multiple levels of analysis"

teratogens

substances and conditions that increase the risk of prenatal abnormalities

threshold effect

teratogens that are virtually harmless until exposure reaches a certain level and become damaging

small for gestational age

the baby's birthweight is significantly lower than expected, given the time since conception

genome

the entire packet of instructions to make a living organism

cesarean section (c-section)

the fetus is removed through surgery

germinal period

the first two weeks of prenatal development, characterized by rapid cell division and the beginning of cell differentiation

synapse

the intersection between the axon of one neuron and the dendrite of another neuron

prefrontal cortex

the last part of the brain to mature. the area for anticipation, planning and impulse control

DNA

the molecule that contains the chemical instructions for cells to manufacture various proteins

kangaroo care

the mother of a low-birthweight infant holds her newborn between her breasts, skin-to-skin, allowing the tiny baby to hear her heartbeat and feel her body heat

fetus

the name for the developing human organism from the start of the ninth week until birth

embryo

the name for the developing organism from about the third week through the eighth week

placenta

the organ that will support the developing life

genotype

the organism's genetic inheritance

age of viability

the point in development when a preterm newborn can survive

implantation

the process by which the developing placenta connects to the nurturing environment of the uterus

conditioning

the processes by which responses become linked to particular stimuli

replication

the repeptition of a study, using different participants

zygote

the single cell that is formed from the fusing of two gametes

parent-infant bond

the strong, loving connection that forms as parents hold, examine, and feed their newborn

embroyonic period

the third through eighth week after conception, during which the basic forms of all body structures, including internal organs, develop

experiment

the usual research method used to establish what causes what

independent variable

the variable that is introduced to see what effect it has on the DV.

dependent variable

the variable that may change as a result of whatever new condition or situation the experimenter adds

ecological-systems approach

the view that in the study of human development, the person should be considered in all the contexts and interactions that constitute a life

social learning theory

this theory suggests that, because humans are social beings, they learn from observing others

cognitive theory

thoughts and expectations profoundly affect actions

difference-equals-deficit error

to conclude that someone who is different from us is inferior

allele

variation of a gene

carrier

we "carry" a gene that will be transmitted to half our sperm or ovum but will be recessive

sensitive period

when a particular development occurs most easily