Developmental Psychology and Prenatal Development Flashcards

Vocabulary flashcards covering evolutionary, psychosexual, humanistic, cognitive, systems, and learning theories of human development, research methods, and prenatal care.

Ethology

Genetic survival behaviors assumed to have evolved through natural selection.

Evolutionary Psychology

Genetically inherited cognitive social traits evolved through natural selection.

Behaviour Genetics

Traits influenced by genes; more similar to those we are related to.

Evolutionary Developmental Psychology

Genetically inherited cognitive and social characteristics promote survival and adaptations at different times across lifespan.

Freud-Psychosexual Theory

Theory asserting behavior is determined by conscious and unconscious processes, libido is instinctual, and personality structure consists of three parts (Id, Ego, Superego).

Id

Part of the tripartite personality present at birth with primitive features driven by unconscious pleasures.

Ego

Part of the tripartite personality developing at age $2$ that focuses on the reality principle and implements defense mechanisms.

Superego

Part of the tripartite personality developing at age $5$ consisting of internal morals learned from same-sex parent that punish the ego through guilt.

Oral Stage

Psychosexual stage ($0-2$ years) focused on gratification via oral activities like feeding, babbling, and thumb sucking; fixations include smoking, overeating, passivity, and gullibility.

Anal Stage

Psychosexual stage ($2-3$ years) where the child learns to respond to societal demands like bladder control; fixations include orderliness, parsimoniousness, or the opposite.

Phallic Stage

Psychosexual stage ($3-7$ years) where children realize differences between men and women; fixations include vanity, recklessness, or the opposite.

Latency Stage

Psychosexual stage ($7-11$ years) where development quietly continues and no specific fixation forms.

Genital Stage

Psychosexual stage ($11+$ years) where individuals shake off old dependencies and learn to deal maturely with the opposite sex.

Carl Rogers

Humanistic theorist who focused on inherent optimism and the capacity of each person to become a fully functioning person without guilt or distorting defenses.

Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs

Humanistic model categorizing needs into basic needs (physiological, safety), psychological needs (belongingness/love, esteem), and self-fulfillment needs (self-actualization).

Little Albert Experiment

Famous experiment associated with Watson demonstrating that most fears and emotional responses are classically conditioned.

Scheme

Internal framework that gives an individual a procedure to follow in a specific circumstance.

Assimilation

Applying existing cognitive schemes to new experiences.

Accommodation

Changing a cognitive scheme as a result of new information.

Equilibrium

Balance between assimilation and accommodation to create a scheme for the environment.

Socio-cultural Theory

Vygotsky's theory asserting that complex forms of thinking have their origins in social interactions.

Scaffolding

Guidance from an adult or competent peer that supports learners through the learning process.

Zone of Proximal Development

Difference between what a child can do independently and what they are capable of doing with targeted assistance.

Reciprocal Determinism

Albert Bandura's concept proposing that personal factors, behaviors, and environmental influences continuously interact and influence one another.

Bronfenbrenner Bioecological System Theory

Theory explaining development in terms of relationships between people and their environment by classifying individual and contextual variables.

Complexity Theory

Theory emphasizing interactions and feedback loops in changing systems that are unpredictable yet constrained by order-generating rules.

Observational Research

Research method involving watching and recording actions of participants in a natural setting or laboratory.

Experimental Research

Research method designed to test hypotheses, operationalized to control for variables.

Cross-sectional Research

Developmental design beginning with a sample representing a cross-section of the population, commonly using surveys.

Longitudinal Research

Developmental design starting with a group of similar age and background and measuring them repeatedly over a long period of time.

Sequential Research

Developmental research design combining aspects of cross-sectional and longitudinal research over time.

100 Year Effect

Concept that nutrition flows from one egg to another across successive generations, requiring good nutrition in every generation to prevent disease.

Hyperemesis

Extreme morning sickness during pregnancy that serves as a cause of malnutrition in the first trimester.

Prenatal Development

Process that transforms a zygote into a newborn.

Ectopic Pregnancy

Abnormal pregnancy condition associated with abnormal urine/blood tests, increased blood pressure, malnutrition, bleeding, or miscarriage.

Preeclampsia

Sudden spike in blood pressure during pregnancy that can lead to seizures or coma.

Teratogens

Agents causing damage to a fetus that lead to deviations in prenatal development, with the greatest risk occurring in the first $8$\,weeks.

Vernix

An oily substance that protects fetal skin in utero, forming around weeks $21-22$.

Lanugo

Fine hair that covers the body of a fetus in utero.

Age of Viability

Point in prenatal development (around weeks $21-22$) at which survival outside the womb becomes possible.

Prenatal Care

Type of healthcare focused on monitoring and maintaining the health of the mother during pregnancy.

Interpartum Care

Type of medical care focused on labor and delivery.

Postpartum Care

Medical care provided to the mother during the $6-8$\,weeks following birth.

Stage 1 of Labour

Stage of labor where uterine muscles contract and relax to thin and dilate the cervix so the baby can pass via the birth canal.

Stage 2 of Labour

Stage of labor where the cervix dilates completely ($10\,cm$) and the baby is born.

Stage 3 of Labour

Stage of labor involving contractions until the placenta is delivered.

Stage 4 of Labour

Stage of labor covering the first few hours immediately after birth.

Placenta

Temporary organ forming in the uterus during pregnancy that provides oxygen/nutrients, removes waste, produces hormones, and passes immunity to the fetus.

Fetal Distress

Condition during birth marked by a sudden change in fetal heart rate.

Anoxia

Oxygen deprivation during birth that can cause brain damage or death to the fetus.

Feynman Technique

Evidence-based learning strategy of breaking down information into its simplest form to build understanding.

Picture Superiority Effect

Cognitive learning concept stating that memory for images is superior to memory for words.