Developmental Psychology

combination of st. anne and kyuti

Human Development

scientific study of processes of change and stability throughout the human lifespan

Human Development

Development is complex and multifaceted; Research findings are often applied to child

rearing, education, health, and social policy

Systematic

coherent and organized

Adaptive

aimed at dealing with internal and external conditions of existence

Lifespan Development

Concept of human development as a lifelong process, which can be studied scientifically

Lifespan Development

“womb” to “tomb”

Lifespan Development

Comprising the entire lifespan from conception to death

Describe

Goal of development: behavior and how it changes

Explain

Goal of development: processes / causes of change

Predict

Goal of development: future behavior

Intervene

Goal of development: to enhance / modify behavior

Growth

physical and physiological changes (structure and form); quantitative

Development

relatively predictable pattern of changes (organization and function); qualitative

Maturation

unfolding of traits resulting from the interaction of heredity and environment; broad term

Physical Development

Growth of the body and brain, sensory capacities, motor skills, and health

Cognitive Development

Learning, attention, memory, language, thinking, reasoning, and creativity

Psychosocial Development

Emotions, personality, and social relationships

Physical Development

Domain of human development bound by the rules of biology

Cognitive Development

Domain of human development: capacity to learn / make use of mental processes

Psychosocial Development

Domain of human development: involves social environment; Also called “socioemotional”

Risk Factor

increase likelihood of negative developmental outcomes

Protective Factor

reduce likelihood of negative developmental outcomes

Casual Factor

leads to the negative developmental outcome

Cephalocaudal Principle

“head to tail”

Cephalocaudal Principle

development proceeds from the head to the lower part of the trunk

Proximodistal Principle

“near to far”

Proximodistal Principle

development proceeds from parts near the center of the body to outer ones

Plasticity

capacity for adaptive reorganization of the neurological, psychological, and behavioral levels

Continuity

refers to the stability in characteristics from one period of life to another

Continuity

refers to a sense of of sameness over time built on a history of memories, identity, and reflected self

Developmental Change

patterns of growth and reorganization which may be attributed to biological maturation, systematic socialization, self-directed striving, and to the interactions of these forces

Prenatal Period

• Rapid formation of basic body structures and organs

• Fetus begins to learn how to respond to mother’s voice and other sensory stimuli

Conception to death

Age range for prenatal period

Infancy and Toddlerhood

• More physical growth, especially cognitive and motor skills

• Centers around attachment to parents

Birth to 3 Years

Age range for infancy and toddlerhood

Early Childhood

• Preschool Years: acquisition of school readiness skills (ex. identifying numbers & letters)

• Egocentrism: inability to differentiate between own perspective with others

Preschool Years

acquisition of school readiness skills (ex. identifying numbers & letters)

Egocentrism

inability to differentiate between own perspective with others

3 to 6 Years

Age range for early childhood

Middle Childhood

• Elementary Years: building of fundamental skills in reading, writing, and arithmetic

• Exposure to a larger world

• Achievement is a central theme

Elementary Years

building of fundamental skills in reading, writing, and arithmetic

6 to 11 Years

Age range for middle childhood

Adolescence

• Rapid physical changes due to puberty

• Identity and independence

• Logical, idealistic, and abstract thought

• More time outside family

11 to 20 Years

Age range for adolescence

Emerging and Young Adulthood

• Transition between adolescence and adulthood

• Marked by exploration and experimentation of occupational, sexual, ideological roles

20 to 40 Years

Age range for emerging and young adulthood

Middle Adulthood

• Expansion of personal and social responsibilities beyond family

• Maintaining career satisfaction

40 to 65 Years

Age range for middle adulthood

Late Adulthood

• Period of life review, retirement, and adjustment to new social roles

• Decline in health and abilities

65 Years and over

Age range for late adulthood

Young-Old

In late adulthood, refers to ages 65 – 74

Old-Old

In late adulthood, refers to ages 75 – 84

Oldest-Old

In late adulthood, refers to ages 85 – 99

Centenarians

In late adulthood, refers to ages greater than or equal to 100

Chronological Age

Conception of age that is the number of years that have elapsed since birth

Biological Age

Conception of age that is the age in terms of individual’s biological health

Psychological Age

Conception of age that is the individual’s adaptive capacities compared with those of other individuals of the same chronological age

Social Age

Conception of age that is the social roles and expectations related to a person’s age

Biological Clock

The timelines set by the body

Social Clock

The timelines set by society

Social Construction

a concept or practice that is an invention of a particular culture or society

Heredity

it consists of the inborn traits and characteristics inherited from the biological parents

Heredity

Genetic roll of the dice

Maturation

unfolding of a natural sequence of physical changes and behavioral patterns

Environment

totality of nonhereditary, or experiential, influences on development

Behavioral Genetics

scientific study of the extent to which genetic and environmental differences among people and animals are responsible for differences in their traits

Heritability

proportion of all the variability that can be linked to genetic differences among those individuals

Heritability

statistical estimate of contribution of heredity to individual differences in a specific trait within a given population

Chromosomes

coils of DNA that consist of smaller segments called genes

Chromosomes

coils of DNA that consist of smaller segments called genes

DNA

a double-helix structure of chemicals that carries inherited instructions for the development of all cellular forms of life

Deoxyribonucleic Acid

what does DNA stand for

Gene

segments of DNA that contain the instructions for building and maintaining an organism

Gene

functional units of heredity

Bases

the “letters” of the genetic code

Adenine

the ‘A’ base

Thymine

the ‘T’ base

Cytosine

the ‘C’ base

Guanine

the ‘G’ base

Human Genome

complete sequence of genes in the human body

Human Genome

complete sequence of genes in the human body

Mitosis

a process by which the non-sex cells divide in half over and over again, the DNA replicates itself, so that each newly formed cell has the same DNA structure as all the others

Meiosis

which the sex cells undergo when they are developing—each sex cell ends up with only 23 chromosomes—one from each pair

46

How many chromosomes do we have in almost every cell

23

How many pairs chromosomes do we have

Mutation

permanent alterations in genes or chromosomes that may produce harmful characteristics

Mutation

can result from errors in DNA replication during cell division, exposure to mutagens or a viral infection

Autosomes

in humans, the 22 pairs of chromosomes not related to sexual expression

Sex Chromosomes

pair of chromosomes that determines sex

Sex-Linked Genes

genes that determine an individual's sex / gender at birth; twenty-third pair of chromosomes

XX

Female sex chromosomes

XY

Male sex chromosomes

SRY Gene

the gene for maleness

X-linked Inheritance

when a mutated gene is carried on the X chromosome

X-linked Inheritance

More commonly expressed in males because they lack a second X chromosome to mask the effects of the recessive allele

Carriers

What are females called when they’re carrying one normal and one mutated X-linked allele and may not express the disorder

Alleles

two or more alternative forms of a gene that occupies the same position on paired chromosomes and affect the same trait

Homozygous

possessing two identical alleles for a trait

Homozygous Dominant

RR; two copies of the allele

Homozygous Recessive

rr; inherited one allele from each parent