EXAM 2 LIFE SPAN DEVELOPMENT

puberty

the time at the end of childhood between the first onrush of growth hormones and full adult size. Usually lasts three to five years. Many more years are required to achieve psychosocial maturity.

menarche

a girl's first menstrual period, signaling that she has begun ovulation. Pregnancy is biologically possible, but ovulation and menstruation are often irregular for years after it.

spermarche

a boy's first ejaculation of sperm. Erections can occur as early as infancy, but ejaculation signals sperm production. May occur during sleep (in a "wet dream") or via direct stimulation.

pituitary gland

a gland in the brain that produces many hormones, including those that regulate growth and that signal the adrenal and sex glands to produce additional hormones.

adrenal glands

two glands, located above the kidneys, that produce hormones in response to signals from the pituitary.

circadian rhythms

a day-night cycle of biological activity that occurs approximately every 24 hours.

growth spurt

the relatively sudden and rapid physical growth that occurs during puberty. Each body part increases in size on a schedule: Weight usually precedes height, and growth of the limbs precedes growth of the torso.

primary sex characteristics

the parts of the body that are directly involved in reproduction, including the vagina, ovaries, testicles, and penis.

secondary sex characteristics

physical traits that are not directly involved in reproduction but that indicate sexual maturity, such as a mean's beard and women's breasts.

body image

a person's idea of how his or her body looks, especially related to size and shape.

formal operational thought

in Piaget's theory, the fourth and final stage of cognitive development, characterized by systematic logical thinking and by understanding abstractions.

adolescent egocentrism

a characteristic of adolescent thinking that leads young people to believe in their own uniqueness, and to imagine that other people are also focused on them.

personal fable

the belief that one's own emotions, experiences, and destiny are unique, more wonderful or awful than anyone else's.

invincibility fable

the fantasy that a person cannot be harmed by anything that might defeat a normal mortal, such as unprotected sex, drug abuse, or high-speed driving.

hypothetical thought

reasoning that includes propositions and possibilities that do not reflect reality.

deductive reasoning

reasoning from a general statement, premise, or principle, through logical steps, to figure out (deduce) specifics. (top-down reasoning)

inductive reasoning

reasoning from specific experiences or facts to reach (induce) a general conclusion. (also called bottom-up reasoning).

dual-process model

the idea that two modes of thinking exist within the human brain, one for intuitive emotional responses and one for analytical reasoning.

intuitive thought

thought that arises from an emotion or a hunch, a "gut feeling" influenced by past experiences and cultural assumptions.

analytic thought

thought that results from analysis, such as a systematic exploration of pros and cons, risks and consequences, possibilities and facts. Analytic thought depends on logic and rationality.

STIs

infections passed through vaginal, anal, or oral sex, caused by bacteria, viruses, or parasites

rumination

a cycle of repetitive, negative thinking focused on past mistakes, distress, or future worries, acting as a mental "loop" rather than active problem-solving

fixed/growth mindset

A growth mindset thrives on challenges and sees failure as a springboard for growth, believing abilities can be developed through effort. Conversely, a fixed mindset assumes intelligence and talents are innate, unchangeable traits, leading to a fear of failure and avoidance of challenges

Myelination

The process by which axons become coated with myelin, a fatty substance that speeds the transmission of nerve impulses from neuron to neuron.

Lateralization

Literally, "sidedness," referring to the specialization in certain functions by each side of the brain, with one side dominant for each activity. The left side of the brain controls the right side of the body, and vice versa.

corpus callosum

A long, thick band of nerve fibers that connects the left and right hemispheres of the brain and allows communication between them.

Impulse control and emotion regulation

Ability to deny immediate response to an idea.

perseverate

To stay stuck, or persevere, in one thought or action for a long time. The ability to be flexible, switching from one task to another, is beyond most young children.

Theory-Theory

The idea that children attempt to explain everything they see and hear by constructing theories.

Theory of mind

A person's theory of what other people might be thinking. In order to have a theory of mind, children must realize that other people are not necessarily thinking the same thoughts that they themselves are. That realization seldom occurs before age 4.

Preoperational Intellignece

Piaget's term for cognitive development between the ages of about 2 and 6: it includes language and imagination (which involve symbolic thought), but logical, operational thinking is not yet possible at this stage.

Egocentrism

Piaget's term for children's tendency to think about the world entirely from their own personal persepctive.

Animism

The belief that natural objects and phenomena are alive, moving around, and having sensations and abilities that are humanlike.

Conservation

The principle that the amount of a substance remains the same (i.e., is conserved) even when its appearance changes.

Scaffolding

Temporary support that is tailored to the learner's needs and abilities and aimed at helping the learner master the next task in a given learning process.

Z.P.D. (Zone of Proximal Development)

Vygotsky's term for the skills- cognitive as well as physical- that a person can exercise only with assistance, not yet independently.

Fast mapping

The speedy and sometimes imprecise way in which children learn new words by tentatively placing them in mental categories according to their perceived meaning.

Overregularization

The application of rules of grammar even when expectations occur, making the language seem more "regular" than it actually is.

Pregmatics

The practical use of language that includes that ability to adjust language communication according to audience and context.

executive functioning

a set of cognitive processes managed by the prefrontal cortex—acting as the brain’s "air traffic control"—that enable goal-directed behavior, planning, focus, memory, and emotional regulation

head start

focuses on fostering the social, emotional, and cognitive development of low-income children through a holistic, prevention-based mental health approach

identity versus role confusion

Erikson's term for his fifth stage of development, in which the person tries to figure out "who am I?" but is confused as to which of many possible roles to adopt

identity achievement

Erikson's term for the attainment of identity, or the point at which a person understands who he or she is as a unique individual, in accord with past experiences and future plans. Includes many identities--religions, sexual-gender, political-ethnic, and vocational

role confusion

a situation in which people do not seem to know or care about their identity

foreclosure

Erikson's term for premature identity formation, when a person adopts parents' or society's roles and values wholesale, without questioning or analysis.

moratorium

In Erikson's identity stage, a socially acceptable way to postpone achievement. Going to college is a common example.

parental monitoring

parents' ongoing awareness of what their children are doing, where and with whom.

peer pressure

when people of the same age group encourage particular behavior, dress, and attitude. This is usually considered negative, when peers encourage behavior that is contrary to norms or morals, but can also be positive.

sexual orientation

a person's sexual and romantic attraction to others of the same sex, the other sex, or both sexes.

parasuicide

any potentially lethal action against the self that does not result in death.

cluster suicides

several suicides committed by members of a group within a brief period

adolescence-limited offender

a person whose criminal activity occurs only during adolescence.

life-course-persistent offender

a person whose criminal activity continues throughout life; a career criminal.

ethnic identity

an individual’s subjective sense of belonging to a particular ethnic group, shaped by shared culture, ancestry, language, traditions, and history

gender identity

a person's deep internal sense of being male, female, a combination of both, or neither, which may or may not align with their sex assigned at birth

familism

a cultural value and social structure that prioritizes the family unit’s needs, well-being, and solidarity over individual desires

cyber bullying

the use of digital devices (phones, computers, social media, gaming) to intentionally and repeatedly harass, threaten, or humiliate others

sexting

sending, receiving, or forwarding sexually explicit messages or images via digital devices

play years

around 2-5/6, spend most of their time playing while being easy to entertain, outspoken and will talk back alot more

growth patterns

grow slimmer but more proportional and get taller (slimmest at 5 or 6)

eating patterns

• get picky with preferences

• need less food per lb (eat less than in infancy)

• “clean your plate” is discouraged

obesity in children

20% of their age group

gross vs fine motor skills

gross- large muscle groups (run and jump)

fine- small muscle groups (writing and drawling) *think of universal tadpole drawling of kids

protection in play

overestimates their abilities (need protection), accident prone

rough and tumble play

physical play that highlights engaging using large portions of body that mimic aggression

gender difference

boys move more and more vigorously, move also more in utero

myelination

fatty substance that coats the brains network and allows children to think more clearly

corpus callosum

divides 2 hemispheres and allows for lateralization, with thicken in early childhood

amygdala, hippocampus, and hypothalamus

emotional centers of the brain, if overstimulated raises base line of stress level (conflict/maltreatment)

prefrontal cortex

• last area to develop

• executing functioning center

• lower in judgement and emotional regulation

Piaget Preoperational Thought

• defined by lacking logic but have symbolic thought

• around 2 years old we want to see pretend play (elaborate scenario)

• highly entertaining/different based on family

conservation

understanding that the amount of substance doesn’t change by container

egocentric

from their pov

cintration

one aspect at a time

theory of mind

understanding our thoughts are our own

fast mapping

quickly link words with others they know and immediately use

over regularization

over applying ed or s to ends of words

other aspects of language

• vocab increases

• grammatical understanding

• comprehension outpaces production

bilingualism

30% of people are exposed to another language resulting in them being more cognitively complex and interested in learning about other cultures

2 types of preschool

teacher (curriculum planned with HW or worksheets) or child directed (child can choose what to do and is more activity focused)

self impression

view positively good at most things

3 types of play

onlooker (watching others without joining), parallel play (play side by side but not together), or fully interactive (joined play)

reactive parenting

shifting from one parenting style to another

child maltreatment

including abuse(action that is harmful physically, emotionally, sexually) and neglect(inaction or failing to provide)

what are ways we vary in maltreatment

• we vary in what is normal in our family/what we consider maltreatment

• vary by cultures and even state wide

• legal interpretation- what is punished at state level

prevalence of maltreatment

there is more under reporting found (reported every 10s in the US and around 3 children die every day)

who is most at risk of maltreatment

the youngest children (80% that die are under the age of 4)

strongest predictors of maltreatment of a child

• thinking it doesn’t happen in the home (child being taken, even though its majority of the caregivers)

• women are more likely

• stress connected to concerns of money

• lacking developmental education- many are unrealistic about what their child should be doing

• having experienced maltreatment before makes you more likely

• psychopathology

intro of 1st, 2nd, and 3rd grade (middle childhood years)

recess

middle childhood

care free part of childhood, less injuries, and mortality is relatively low, often remembered as a fun time

early onset of puberty in girls

developing at the age of 8 is abnormal but today this is seen as normal (around 35%) *possibly due to hormones in meat and milk or weight (estrogen is stored in fat cells), think of the outcomes this will cause nowadays (unwanted adult attention, passing as an older age)

Piaget 5 to 7 shift- concrete operational thought

children gain logical thinking ability, begin to understand classification, seriation, class inclusion

language

increases in vocabulary/complexity of words and grammar (around ages 5 and 6)

creativity

increased creativity in activities and school assignments (plays and fun days at school), creative use test, likely to have creative parts of their life in the future (high on introversion and extroversion), require more sleep due to high energy levels, getting an extra arm (what would that lead too, how would people use it)

Erickson Industry vs Inferiority

a child feeling very positive or negative about themselves (they are more likely to compare themselves to others)

peer status

spending most of their time around their peers, teasing and bullying are prominent here, judging attractiveness

sociometric techniques

pictures of each child and bring child individually and ask them which kid they like the best and the least (can alter children’s network) who got the most votes were the most popular or even the bully (dominant)

Kohlberg stages of moral reasoning (think through emotional dilemmas)

preconventional (avoiding punishment and getting rewards), conventional (social rules), and postconventional (moral principles) *stages of each one (1 and 2)

Gilligan morality

men and women differ in how they deal with moral dilemmas

• women more likely have a mortality of care, women take in relationships, circumstances, feelings more

• men have a mortality of justice

family

• younger generation not wanting to follow their parents path

• fewer people are getting married

• emphasis on being more independent (spending time in education)

• divorce

• single headed female household-raised without a father

• role of the child (high conflict homes can cause child not the be a typical child)