Untitled Flashcards Set

Cross-Sectional Research

Research comparing different groups of people at the same time.

Longitudinal Research

Research that follows the same group of people over a long period.

Teratogens

Harmful substances that can cause birth defects during pregnancy.

Milestones

Key moments or achievements in development, like a baby’s first steps.

Prenatal Development

The development of a baby before birth.

Fine Motor Coordination

The ability to make small, precise movements with hands and fingers.

Gross Motor Coordination

The ability to make large movements, like walking or jumping.

Maturation

The natural process of growing and developing.

Reflexes

Automatic responses to certain stimuli, like babies sucking when something touches their mouth.

Genetic Mutations

Changes in DNA that can affect traits or health.

Rooting

A baby’s reflex to turn toward something that touches their cheek.

Visual Cliff

A test to see if babies can perceive depth, using a 'cliff' to see if they will crawl across.

Critical Periods

Specific times when certain skills or abilities must develop.

Imprinting

When animals form strong attachments to the first thing they see after birth.

Growth Spurt

A period of rapid physical growth, often during puberty.

Adolescence

The period between childhood and adulthood, marked by changes like puberty.

Puberty

The time when the body changes to become capable of reproduction.

Primary Sex Characteristics

The body parts directly related to reproduction, like genitalia.

Secondary Sex Characteristics

Traits that develop during puberty but aren’t directly involved in reproduction, like body hair.

Menarche

A girl’s first period.

Spermarche

A boy’s first ejaculation.

Menopause

When a woman stops having periods, usually around age 50.

Biological Sex

The physical characteristics (like chromosomes) that determine if someone is male or female.

Socialization

The process of learning how to behave in society.

Gender

The roles and behaviors that society expects from people based on their sex.

Jean Piaget

A psychologist who studied how children develop thinking and reasoning skills.

Object Permanence

The understanding that objects continue to exist even when they can’t be seen.

Preoperational Stage

Piaget’s stage where children start using language but don’t think logically yet (ages 2-7).

Conservation

Understanding that quantity remains the same despite changes in shape or appearance.

Reversibility

The ability to understand that things can be changed back to their original state.

Egocentrism

When children can’t understand that others may have different perspectives.

Theory of Mind

The ability to understand that others have different thoughts and feelings.

Concrete Operational Stage

Piaget’s stage where children start thinking logically about concrete objects (ages 7-11).

Lev Vygotsky

A psychologist who emphasized the role of social interactions in learning.

Scaffold

Support given to help someone learn, which is reduced as they become more capable.

Zone of Proximal Development

The difference between what a child can do alone and what they can do with help.

Crystallized Intelligence

Knowledge and skills that stay stable or improve with age.

Dementia

A decline in memory, thinking, and reasoning abilities, often due to aging.

Phonemes

The smallest sounds in a language, like 'b' or 't'.

Morphemes

The smallest units of meaning in a language, like 'dog' or 'un-'.

Semantics

The meaning of words and sentences.

Grammar

The rules that govern how words are put together in a language.

Syntax

The order in which words are arranged in a sentence.

Nonverbal Gestures

Communication through body language and facial expressions.

Cooing

The early vowel sounds babies make, like 'oo' or 'ah'.

Babbling

Repetitive consonant-vowel sounds babies make, like 'ba-ba' or 'da-da'.

Telegraphic Speech

Early speech in children where they use short sentences, like “want cookie.”},{