human growth and dev

climacteric

Relatively abrupt change in the body, brought about by changes in hormonal balances.

alarm reaction

Selye's term for a "call to arms" of the body's defensive forces.

authoritarian parents

Baumrind's term for parents are who demanding and want instant obedience as the most desirable child trait

authoritative parents

Baumrind's term for parents who respond to their children's needs and wishes; believing in parental control, they attempt to explain the reasons for it to their children.

commitment

(1) According to Wilson, people devote their lives to objectified ideas; they are willing under any circumstances to help those who have done the same; (2) Sternberg's term for the strongly held conviction that one will stay with another, regardless of the cost. (3) Third phase in Perry's theory, in which the individual realizes that certainty is impossible but that commitment to a certain position is necessary, even without certainty.

apgar

A scale to evaluate a newborn's basic life signs administered 1 minute after birth and repeated at 3-, 5-, and 10-minute intervals; it uses five life signs: heart rate, respiratory effort, muscle tone, reflex irritability, skin color

accumulation of errors

As cells die, they must synthesize new proteins to make new cells. As this is done, occasionally an error occurs. Over time, these errors mount up and may finally grow serious enough to cause organ failure.

apnea

Brief periods when breathing is suspended.

alleles

Different forms of a gene.

cooing

Early language sounds that resemble vowels.

Adult Attachment Interview (AAI)

Evaluates adults' responses to questions about attachment.

centration

Feature of preoperational thought—the centering of attention on one aspect of an object and the neglecting of any other features.

cryopreservation

Freezing embryos for future use.

crawling

Locomotion whereby the infant's abdomen touches the floor and the weight of the head and shoulders rests on the elbows.

climacterium

Loss of reproductive ability.

biological death

Occurs when it is no longer possible to discern an electrical charge in the tissues of the heart and lungs.

authoritarian parenting

Parents strive for complete control over their children's behavior by establishing complex sets of rules.

autoimmunity

Process by which the immune system in the body rejects the body's own tissue.

autosexuality

Stage at which the child becomes aware of sexual pleasure and consciously experiments with masturbation.

cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR)

Technique for reviving an individual's lungs and heart that have ceased to function.

bioecological model

The belief that the interactions between person and environment are best explained by systems analysis.

accumulation of metabolic waste

Waste products resulting from metabolism build up in various parts of the body.

culture

The values, beliefs, and behaviors characteristic of a large group of people— for example, those of Hispanic origin.

aging by program

Theory that all animals seem to die when their "program" dictates.

biopsychosocial theory of homosexuality

Theory that some factor in a person's DNA affects temperament, which affects sexual orientation.

Brazelton Neonatal Assessment Scale

Device to assess an infant's behavior; examines both neurological and psychological responses.

antigens

Substances in the blood that produce antibodies, which kill them.

adoption

To take a child of other parents voluntarily as one's own.

chromosome failure

Biological changes such as enlarged breasts in males and abnormal body hair in females.

breech birth

Birth in which the baby is born feet first, buttocks first, or in a crosswise position (transverse presentation).

chlamydia

Bacterial infection that may cause infertility; now the most common STI, there often are no symptoms.

constructed knowledge

Belenky's fifth phase of women's thinking; characterized by an integration of the subjective and procedural ways of knowing (Perry's types 3 and 4).

attachment

Behavior intended to keep a child (or adult) in close proximity to a significant other.

artificialism

Children attribute human life to inanimate objects; a form of Piagetian preoperational thinking.

animism

Children consider inert objects as alive and conscious; a form of Piagetian preoperational thinking.

cystic fibrosis

Chromosomal disorder producing a malfunction of the exocrine glands.

cross-sectional studies

Compares groups of individuals of various ages at the same time in order to investigate the effects of aging.

AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome)

Condition caused by the HIV virus, which can invade a newborn baby's immune system, thus making it vulnerable to infections and life-threatening illnesses.

anoxia (lack of oxygen)

Condition involving lack of oxygen, which possibly can cause fetal brain damage or death, even during birth.

activity theory

Human beings who are able to keep up the social activity of their middle years are considered the most successful.

bully

Cruel, bossy person who has aggressive reaction patterns and considerable physical strength.

ageism

Prejudice that the elderly are inferior to those who are younger.

bulimia nervosa

Disorder is characterized by "episodic binge eating accompanied by an awareness that the eating pattern is abnormal, fear of not being able to stop eating voluntarily, and depressed mood and self-deprecating thoughts following the eating binges."

controlled scribbling

Drawing in which children carefully watch what they are doing, when before they looked away (random scribbling).

cellular differentiation

Embryonic cells are destined for specific functions and thus differentiate themselves.

anima

Female side of the personality; males tend to repress it until later in life.

assisted reproduction technologies (ART)

Fertilization occurs with help and outside the woman's body.

chorionic villi sampling (CVS)

Fetal testing procedure in which a catheter (small tube) is inserted through the vagina to the uterine villi, and a small section is suctioned into the tube.

amniotic sac

Fluid-filled uterine sac that surrounds the embryo/fetus.

anal stage

Freud's belief that the anus is the main source of pleasure during the years 1 1/2 to 3 years.

androgyny

Functional level of gender-role identifications that incorporates male and female qualities.

crowds

Groups known for certain values, attitudes, or activities.

aggression

Hostile or destructive behavior directed at another person.

babbling

Infant produces sounds approximating speech between 5 and 6 months.

coordination of secondary schemes

Infants combine secondary schemes to obtain a goal; term associated with Piaget's theory.

autonomy

Infants' realization that they have a share in controlling their interactions with others.

child abuse

Infliction of injury to a child; commonly includes physical abuse, sexual abuse, emotional maltreatment, and neglect.

artificial insemination by donor (AID)

Injection of sperm into woman.

crystallized intelligence

Involves perceiving relationships, educing correlates, reasoning, abstracting, concept of attainment, and problem solving.

battered child syndrome

Kempe and associates' term for classic physical abuse of children.

collagen

Major connective tissue in the body; it provides the elasticity in our skin and blood vessels.

animus

Male side of the personality; females tend to repress it until later in life.

competence

Measure of children's level of self-esteem; related to scholastic competence, athletic competence, peer popularity, physical appearance, and behavior.

absorbent mind

Montessori's term for a child's ability to absorb experiences from the environment (0-6 years).

creeping

Movement on hands and knees; the trunk does not touch the ground; creeping appears from 9 months in most youngsters.

crossover

Older men become more like women, and older women become more like men.

closed adoption

Natural parents knew nothing about the adopting parents.

brain death

Occurs when the brain fails to receive a sufficient supply of oxygen for a short period of time (usually 8 to 10 minutes).

adaptation

One of the two functional invariants in Piaget's theory.

assimilation

Piaget's term to describe the manner in which we incorporate data into our cognitive structures.

concrete operational period

Piaget's third stage of cognitive development, during which children begin to employ logical thought processes with concrete material.

anticipatory images

Piaget's term for images (which include movements and transformation) that enable the child to anticipate change.

cognitive structures

Piaget's term to describe the basic tools of cognitive development.

accommodation

Piaget's term to describe the manner by which cognitive structures change.

classification

Process by which children in the concrete operational period can group objects with some similarities within a larger category.

amniocentesis

Process of fetal testing that entails inserting a needle through the mother's abdomen, piercing the amniotic sac, and withdrawing a sample of the amniotic fluid.

cross-linkage theory

Proteins that make up a large part of cells are composed of peptides. When cross-links are formed between peptides, the proteins are altered, often for the worse.

capacitation

Removal of layer surrounding sperm.

adolescent egocentrism

Reversion to the self-centered thinking patterns of childhood that sometimes occurs in the teen years.

afterbirth

Stage three of the birth process, during which the placenta and other membranes are discharged.

chromosomes

Stringlike bodies that carry the genes; they are present in all body cells.

bilingual immersion

Students are taught partly in English and partly in their own language.

cholesterol

Substance in the blood (including HDLs and LDLs) that may adhere to the walls of the blood vessels, restricting the flow of blood and causing strokes and heart attacks.

cesarean section

Surgery performed to deliver the baby through the abdomen if for some reason the child cannot come through the birth canal.

anorexia nervosa

Syndrome of self-starvation that mainly affects adolescent and young adult females.

blastocyst

The fertilized egg when it reaches the uterus (about 7 days after conception).

biopsychosocial interactions

The idea that development proceeds by the interaction of biological, psychological, and social forces.

clinical death

The individual is dead when his or her respiration and heartbeat have stopped.

continuity

The lasting quality of experiences; development proceeds steadily and sequentially.

basal metabolism rate (BMR)

The minimum amount of energy an individual tends to use when in a resting state.

bend-and-bond response

The more typically female response to threats is to seek a compromise, rather than the male response of "fight-or-flight."

cytogenetics

The study of chromosomes.

conservation

The understanding that an object retains certain properties, no matter how its form changes.

convergent thinking

Thinking used to find one correct answer.

color blindness

Usually X-linked red/ green color blindness.

au pair

Young woman from another country who provides child care services.