Lifespan Development: Prenatal to Adolescence

Comprehensive vocabulary flashcards covering prenatal stages, childbirth, infant growth, neonatal reflexes, perceptual experiments, attachment theory, temperament, Piagetian cognition, Vygotsky, Erikson's psychosocial stages, Kohlberg and Gilligan's moral development, and adolescent development.

Zygote

A fertilized egg.

Embryo

The prenatal organism from implantation until the 49th day.

Fetus

The prenatal organism from the 8th week until birth.

Placenta

The prenatal organ that acts as the filter.

APGAR Scores

Infant assessment scores that are lower in babies born to mothers with increased mental health struggles.

First Trimester

Prenatal stage from week 1 to 12 characterized by the feeling of "I'm not really pregnant."

Second Trimester

Prenatal stage from week 13 to 24 where the belly shows, skin, hair, and nails improve, the fetus grows to about $3\,\text{in. to } 1.5\,\text{feet}$, and bones and the vascular system develop.

Third Trimester

Prenatal stage from week 25 to 38 ($266\,\text{days}$) where the fetus is fully developed, puts on body weight, and maternal risks such as preeclampsia, pregnancy-induced diabetes, depression/anxiety, and back pain are monitored.

Nesting Syndrome

The late pregnancy urge characterized by having the house spotless.

Nicotine (as a Teratogen)

A teratogen showing a negative correlation, where high nicotine is linked to low birth weight or abortion.

Early Labor (Stage 1)

The labor phase where the cervix is $3\,\text{cm}$ dilated with contractions occurring every $30\,\text{min}$.

Active Labor (Stage 1)

The labor phase where the cervix is $5\,\text{cm}$ dilated, contractions occur every $3\text{--}5\,\text{min}$, and moderate discomfort occurs.

Transition (Stage 1 Labor)

The phase where the cervix is fully dilated, the baby enters the vaginal canal, monitoring occurs, and a slower birth is considered better.

Stage 2 Labor

The stage of labor characterized by acute concern for the umbilical cord.

Cephalocaudal Trend

A physical growth pattern describing growing into our heads, progressing from head to tail.

Proximodistal Trend

A physical growth pattern describing growth from the center of the body outward (trunk first, extremities second).

Primary Reflexes

Innate responses to stimuli that slowly disappear over the first year of life; used by medical doctors to assess neurological functioning, predict problems, and monitor development speed.

Babinski Reflex

A primary reflex involving the projection of the toes outward and upward when the sole of the infant's foot is stroked.

Plantar Reflex

A primary reflex where pressing a finger against the ball of the infant's foot causes the toes to curl under.

Moro Reflex

A primary reflex characterized by outstretching of arms and legs and crying in response to a loud noise.

Rooting Reflex

A primary reflex where touching the infant's cheek causes them to turn their head toward that side (typically toward a breast, bottle, or finger).

Sucking Reflex

A primary reflex involving sucking when a nipple, finger, or pacifier is placed into the mouth.

Grasping Reflex

A primary reflex characterized by vigorously grasping objects placed in the hand.

Fantz (1961)

Researcher who designed a viewing box to secretly monitor baby looking patterns, finding babies prefer good-looking stimuli and like red, black, and white.

Gibson and Walk (1960)

Researchers who studied depth perception in infants using the visual cliff experiment.

Attachment

Strong emotional ties that a person feels towards a special other person in his/her life.

Bowlby (1969)

Psychoanalyst who proposed that infants emit signals that adults are biologically predisposed to respond to in emotional communication.

Indiscriminate Social Responsiveness

Phase 1 of attachment formation occurring from $1\text{--}2\,\text{months}$ of age.

Discriminating Sociability

Phase 2 of attachment formation occurring from $2\text{--}7\,\text{months}$ of age.

The Goal-Corrected Partnership

Phase 4 of attachment formation occurring from $2\text{--}6\,\text{years}$ of age.

Reciprocal Socialization

A bidirectional process where parents and children create a socialization circle.

Secure Attachment (Ainsworth, 1979)

Attachment pattern where the child believes the attachment figure will consistently meet their needs, fostered by parents who respond quickly and sensitively to different cries and signals.

Type A Insecure Attachment

Attachment pattern where babies exhibit insecurity by avoiding the mother or failing to seek proximity.

Type C Insecure Attachment

Attachment pattern where babies exhibit insecurity by resisting the mother.

Disorganized Attachment

Attachment pattern where babies may act angry, sad, and/or ambivalent at any time; associated with anxious and distressed feelings in $5\%$ of insecure children at age 6.

Temperament

Long-lasting individual differences in the intensity and especially in the quality of a person's emotional reaction.

Easy Child (Chess & Thomas, 1991)

A temperament classification describing a child who is generally positive, quickly establishes regular routines in infancy, and adapts easily to new experiences.

Difficult Child (Chess & Thomas, 1991)

A temperament classification describing a child who tends to react negatively, cries frequently, maintains irregular daily routines, and is slow to accept new experiences.

Slow to Warm Up Child (Chess & Thomas, 1991)

A temperament classification marked by low activity level, somewhat negative mood, low adaptability, and low intensity of mood.

Organization and Adaptation (Piaget)

Cognitive processes of connecting ideas to each other (similar/dissimilar) and adapting to new or novel situations through induction and deduction.

Assimilation (Piaget)

The cognitive process of adding information to already existing information.

Accommodation (Piaget)

The cognitive process of adjusting mental structures to new information.

Sensorimotor Stage

Piaget's first cognitive stage spanning birth to about 2 years old, wherein individuals know the world through their bodies.

Object Permanence

The cognitive awareness that objects and people continue to exist even when not seen, developing around 9 months.

Preoperational Stage

Piaget's stage from 2 to 7 years old where language is established and becomes more sophisticated, marked by egocentrism and decentration difficulties.

Egocentrism (Piaget)

A preoperational cognitive limitation defined as "we only know what we know."

Decentration

A cognitive failure common in the preoperational stage characterized by failing to focus on a variable.

Concrete Operational Stage

Piaget's cognitive stage spanning ages 7 to 11 years, marked by the achievement of conservation.

Formal Operational Stage

Piaget's stage spanning ages 11 to 15 years, characterized by abstract thinking, induction vs. deduction, advanced adult thinking, and abstract hypothesis testing.

Post Formal Operations

An adult cognitive stage characterized by dichotomous thinking (wrong or right).

Social Learning Theory (Vygotsky)

The theoretical view that children construct their knowledge within a social context rather than individually.

Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD)

The gap between what a learner can do independently and what they can do with guidance.

Trust vs. Mistrust

Erikson's first psychosocial stage (1st year of life) resolving whether basic needs, such as nourishment and affection, will be met.

Autonomy vs. Shame and Doubt

Erikson's psychosocial stage from ages 1 to 3 years focused on developing a sense of independence in many tasks.

Initiative vs. Guilt

Erikson's preschool psychosocial stage involving taking initiative on activities, where guilt may develop if unsuccessful or boundaries are overstepped.

Industry vs. Inferiority

Erikson's elementary school psychosocial stage focused on developing self-confidence when competent or a sense of inferiority when not.

Internalization (Kohlberg)

The developmental change from behavior that is externally controlled to behavior that is internally controlled.

Preconventional Reasoning (Level One)

Kohlberg's level where moral reasoning is controlled by external rewards and punishments.

Punishment and Obedience Orientation (Stage 1)

Kohlberg's moral stage focused on avoiding punishment and fear of authority.

Individualism and Purpose (Stage 2)

Kohlberg's moral stage where thinking is based on rewards and self-interest, and reciprocity is understood.

Conventional Reasoning (Level Two)

Kohlberg's level where individuals abide by certain standards that have become internal, though they were previously external.

Interpersonal Norms (Stage 3)

Kohlberg's moral stage valuing trust, care, and loyalty to others as the basis of moral judgment, including an understanding of the Golden Rule.

Social System Morality (Stage 4)

Kohlberg's moral stage where judgments are based on understanding the social order, law, justice, and duty.

Postconventional Reasoning (Level Three)

Kohlberg's highest level where morality is internalized and defined according to abstract principles and values applying to all situations.

Community Rights vs. Individual Rights (Stage 5)

Kohlberg's moral stage where an individual understands that values and laws are relative and that standards may vary.

Universal Ethical Principles (Stage 6)

Kohlberg's moral stage where morality is defined by self-chosen ethical principles valid for all people, regardless of laws and social agreements.

Justice Perspective

A moral orientation centered on the rights of the individual, where individuals stand alone and independently make moral decisions.

Care Perspective (Carol Gilligan)

A moral orientation critiquing Kohlberg, focusing on connectedness with others and emphasizing interpersonal communication, relationships, and concern for others.

Adolescence (G. Stanley Hall)

A developmental period defined by G. Stanley Hall as spanning from puberty to age 24.

Puberty

The physical change when a person becomes sexually mature, typically occurring between ages 10-14 for girls and ages 12-16 for boys.

Adolescent Egocentrism (David Elkind, 1978)

A form of egocentrism composed of two distinct components: the imaginary audience and the personal fable.

Imaginary Audience

The adolescent belief that one is constantly being watched, listened to, and judged by everyone around them.

Personal Fable

The adolescent belief that one is special, unique, and invulnerable, with thoughts, feelings, and experiences completely different from anyone else's.