Learning Curve 4a. Development Issues, Prenatal Development, and the Newborn

Twenty-five-year-old Jonah is wondering whether his rate of sperm cell production is within the normal range. For a man his age, his doctor will MOST likely tell him that the average rate of production is about _____ sperm per second.

1,000

Physical and cognitive abnormalities in children that are the result of a pregnant woman's heavy drinking reflect a condition known as fetal _____ syndrome.

alcohol

The textbook's discussion implies that stage theories of development:

are less prominent now than they were in decades past.

Jean Piaget proposed a stage theory of _____ development.

cognitive

_____ is one of the major issues addressed by developmental psychologists.

continuity and stages

The first sentence of the introduction to Chapter 4 in the textbook states that "life is a journey, from womb to tomb." This journey is of professional interest to _____ psychologists.

development

Within the first week after conception, the cells of the zygote begin to _____. In other words, the cells begin to specialize in structure and function.

differentiate

The longest part of a pregnancy, from the ninth week to birth, is called the period of the:

fetus

A study that follows and retests the same people over time is a(n) _____ study, whereas a study that compares people of different ages at the same point in time is a(n) _____ study.

longitudinal; cross-sectional

Nutrients and oxygen are transferred from a mother to her developing fetus through the _____.

placenta

Juan Carlos' son was just arrested for setting the school's outdoor shed on fire. Juan Carlos and his wife admitted to the police that their son has always had an aggressive streak. This example represents the _____ side of the _____ developmental issue.

stability; stability and change

Scientists have found that nicotine can be passed through the placenta. For the unborn children of mothers who smoke heavily, nicotine is a(n):

teratogen

_____ are agents, such as chemicals or viruses, that can reach the embryo or fetus and do it harm.

teratogens

In prenatal development, the first 2 weeks of a pregnancy are called the period of the:

zygote

The correct order of prenatal development is _____, embryo, and, finally, fetus.

zygote