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