Developmental Psychology Test 1

What are the 3 parts of a neuron?

-dendrites -cell body (soma) -axon

What are the 3 basic issues used to explain human development?

1. "nature-nurture issue" 2. "stability and change issue" 3. "continuity-discontinuity issue"

What are the age ranges for each of the 3 prenatal developmental stages?

1. (conception - 2 weeks) 2. (2 weeks - 2nd month) 3. (2 months - birth)

What are the 3 different conceptions of age?

1. Biological age 2. Psychological age 3. Social age

What are the 3 basic processes that underlie developmental change?

1. Biological processes (maturation/ genetics) 2. Cognitive processes (learning) 3. Socioemotional processes (changes in relationships, emotions, etc).

Name 3 sex-linked chromosomal abnormalities mentioned in class.

1. Klinefeller syndrome 2. Fragile X syndrome 3. turner syndrome (only females)

Cite the 3 factors that pose a threat to newborns.

1. Low birth weight 2. Preterm birth 3. Small for date

What are 3 prenatal developmental stages?

1. The germinal period 2. The embryonic period 3. The fetal period

Name 3 prenatal diagnostic tests mentioned in class. Which is the most common?

1. Ultra Sonography 2. Chorionic Uilius Sampling 3. Amniocentsis

How is a dominant gene different from a recessive gene?

A dominate gene is one whose trait will appear even when paired with a different gene for the same trait. A recessive gene is one whose trait will not appear unless paired with a recessive gene?

How is a theory different from a hypothesis?

A hypothesis is an educated guess about the way in which an organism is going to react in some given situation under a particular set of circumstances.

Define the term "teratogen"

An agent (virus, drugs, etc) that can cause a birth defect.

How is an experimental group different from a control Group?

An experimental group: refers to the group of subjects that will receive the experimental treatment. control group: group of subjects that is treated exactly the same except they DO NOT receive the experimental treatment.

What is a independent variable and a dependent variable?

An independent variable is the treatment, or condition, a psychologist has varied. A dependent variable is the behavior being measured.

What is the major idea behind ethological theory?

Animals, including humans, have innate predisposition that influence behavior; specifically, we are born with genes that predispose humans to form emotional bonds with their caregivers. (Horenz)

How is mitosis different from meiosis?

Division of normal body cells involves the process of mitosis; gametes form by a special kind of cell division called meiosis.

What is laterialization?

Each hemisphere of the brain has its own functions, excels at certain tasks, and processes information in its own unique way.

Contrast the terms "genotype" vs. "phenotype"

Genotype refers to the genetic blueprint a person is provided at conceptions. Phenotype refers to the actual observable characteristics the person displays when they develop (hair color, eye color)

How can cigarette smoking have a negative impact in prenatal development?

It increases the lv. of CO2 in the mother's blood

Development

The scientific study of age-related changes in behavior, thinking, emotion, and personality.

What are extraneous variables?

They are anything that might impact upon data collection, thereby contaminating the data.

What is the technical term for Down Syndrome?

Trisomy 21 (because Chromosome 21 is the one involved)

What is the outer layer of the brain known as?

cerebral cortex (left and right hemisphere)

What does evolutionary psychology emphasize?

emphasizes adaptation to environments, reproduction, and "survival of the fittest"

What is the corpus callosum?

fibers that connect the 2 sides of the brain

What is the technical term for sex cells?

gametes

Where is the amygdala located?

in the limbic system of the brain

What does the term "small for date" mean?

infants weigh less than 90% of all babies of the same gestational period.

Give an example of fine motor skills

manipulating objects with fingers

mitochondrial theory

mitochondria are the structures within cells that supply energy to grow and repair cells; this theory says they just decay with age.

What is arborization?

process of dendrites becoming more branch-like during childhood and adolescence

What is the purpose of an experiment?

to scientifically confirm or disconfirm a psychologist's hypothesis.

evolutionary theory

what matters is your genetic makeup

free-radical theory

with age-related deterioration of cell structure, there is increased production of unstable oxygen molecules (free- radicals), there enter into harmful chemical reactions in the body.

What are the 3 major elements of Darwin's concept of natural selection?

1. There is considerable variation among animals of the same species 2. much of this variation is genetically inherited 3. There are many more individuals born in each generation that can survive maturity

What are the five different biological theories of aging?

1. evolutionary theory 2. cellular clock theory 3. free-radical theory 4. mitochondrial theory 5. hormonal stress theory

What are the 4 lobes of the brain and what are their functions?

1. frontal lobe- controls our most human qualities including thinking, personality, memories, and emotion 2.occipital lobe- vision 3. temporal lobe- hearing 4. parietal lobe- sensory info (touch, taste)

Context observe which three types of influences

1. normative age-graded influences 2. normative history graded influences 3. Nonnormative or highly individualized life events

What is the order of Piaget's 4 major stages?

1. sensorimotor stage 2. preoperational stage 3. concrete operational stage 4. formal operational stage

Who founded the empiricism view of development? What does tabula rasa mean?

John Locke; "blank slate"

According to the textbook, how many developmental periods occur during a lifetime?

Nine -----> get list from text 1. prenatal period- the time from conception to birth. It involves tremendous growth from a single cell to an organism complete with a brain and behavioral capabilities. 2. Infancy- the developmental period from birth to 18-24 months . A time of extreme dependence upon adults. language, symbolic thought, sensorimotor coordination, and social learning are just beginning 3. Early childhood- (end of infancy-5/6) young children learn to become more self-sufficient and to care for themselves, develop school readiness skills (following instructions, identifying letters), and spend many hours in play with peers. 4. Middle and Late Childhood- (6-11) fundamental skills of reading, writing, and arithmetic are mastered. Achievement becomes a more central theme of a child's world, and self-control increases. 5. Adolescence is the developmental period of transition from childhood to early adulthood, entered at approximately (10-12/18-21). Physical changes occur and pursuit of independence and an identity are prominent. 6. emerging adulthood- the developmental time frame occurring from (18-25) this transitional period between adolescence and adulthood is characterized by experimentation and exploration. 7. early adulthood- developmental period of late teen or early 20s going through the 30s. Establishing personal and economic independence, pursuing career development, and selecting a mate/ rearing children 8. middle adulthood- (40-60) expanding personal and social involvement and responsibility of assisting the next generation in becoming competent mature individuals, maintaining satisfying career 9.late adulthood- (60/70-death) time of life review, retirement from paid employment, and adjustment to new social roles involving decreasing strength and health. It is the longest span of development.

What is naturalistic observation? What is a case study?

Study of human or animal behavior in a natural setting . A case study is a research approach in which a single subject (or just a few) provide all the data and no control group is used

What is the major idea behind ecological theory? Who gave us this theory?

That development is guided by the impact of environments; not only one's own environment but the environment of those we come in contact with. All environments affect our development, whether directly or indirectly. This theory was given to us by Urie Bronfenbremer.

Life-span perspective

The belief that development occurs throughout life. Also, views development as lifelong, multidimensional, multidirectional, plastic, multidisciplinary, and contextual, and as a process that involves growth, maintenance, and regulation of loss. Constructed through biological, sociocultural, and individual factors working together.

What is the most important aspect of operant condition when it comes to developmental learning? What is the name we most often associate with social cognitive theory?

consequences that occur because of behavioral responses made ; Albert Banarz?

Give an example of gross motor skills

crawling or walking

What is another name for the cell body?

soma

cellular clock theory

the body's cells reach the point at which they no longer divide so your body starts to wear down

How is cephalocaudal pattern different from the proximodistal pattern?

Cephalocaudal pattern: a head-to-toe developmental pattern Proximodistal pattern: refers to a center-to-periphery pattern

Normative history-graded influences

Influences that are common to people of a particular generation because of historical circumstances.

Normative age-graded influences

Influences that are similar for individuals in a particular age group

Contrast the terms normative-graded influences vs. normative history-graded influences vs. nonnormative life events. Give an example of each.

Normative age-related influences refer to influences are universal for persons within a particular age range; ex: puberty for adolescent. Normative history-graded influences are influences common to people of a particular generation. (aka baby boomers experiencing association of JFK). Normative life events are influences that are specific to an individual ex: Death of parent for young child).

What is the amygdala primarily responsible for?

Primary structure involved in emotion

What is another name for German measles?

Rubella: can cause birth effects

hormonal stress theory

This theory maintains that we age because our endocrine system becomes less efficient at providing the hormones that regulate many of our body's processes

Nonnormative life events

Unusual occurrences that have a major impact on an individual's life

What is another name for REM sleep?

also known as paradoxical sleep

What is the newest psychological approach called?

evolutionary psychology

What is myelinezation?

myelin surrounding neuron's axon develops over time. The mylin sheath protects the axon and improves the conductivity of the electrical impulses that travel down the axon.