midterm

Cohort

A group of people born around the same time who may experience similar historical events or social changes.

Cumulative advantage/disadvantage

How advantages or disadvantages build up over time, such as a child with access to good education having more opportunities as an adult.

Life course perspective

A way of understanding how people develop and change throughout their lives based on their experiences, relationships, and environment.

Life event

An important event that can change a person’s life, such as getting married, having a baby, or losing a job.

Period effects

Events or conditions that affect many people living during the same historical period, such as a pandemic or an economic recession.

Protective factors

Things that help protect people from risks and negative outcomes, like supportive family members or access to resources.

Trajectories

The long-term patterns or paths a person’s life follows, including their education, career, or health over time.

Chromosomes

Structures inside cells that contain genetic information, with humans typically having 46 chromosomes arranged in 23 pairs.

Genes

Sections of DNA that carry instructions for traits and how the body develops and functions.

Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD)

A range of physical, behavioral, and learning problems that can occur when a developing baby is exposed to alcohol during pregnancy.

Fetal viability

The point in pregnancy when a fetus may be able to survive outside the uterus, usually with medical support.

Health inequity

Unfair and avoidable differences in people’s health caused by disadvantages in social, economic, or environmental conditions.

Infertility

Difficulty achieving pregnancy, defined as not achieving pregnancy after 12 months of regular, unprotected sex.

Low birth weight (LBW)

When a baby weighs less than 2,500 grams (5 pounds, 8 ounces) at birth.

Miscarriage

The loss of a pregnancy before the fetus can survive outside the uterus.

Multifactorial inheritance

When a trait or condition results from a combination of multiple genes and environmental influences.

Teratogens

Substances or environmental factors that can harm a developing embryo or fetus.

Brain plasticity

The brain’s ability to change and adapt by forming and strengthening connections based on experiences and learning.

Co-regulation

When a caregiver helps a baby or young child manage their emotions and behavior until they develop those skills themselves.

Developmental niche

The environment a child grows up in, including their physical surroundings, caregiving practices, and cultural beliefs.

Infant mortality

The death of a baby before their first birthday.

Motor skills

Abilities that involve movement and coordination of the body.

Neurons

Specialized nerve cells that send and receive information throughout the brain and body.

Object permanence

Understanding that an object still exists even when you cannot see it.

Parental sensitivity

A parent’s ability to notice a child’s needs and respond to them appropriately and consistently.

Preoperational stage

Piaget’s stage of cognitive development (ages 2–7) when children use language and symbols but struggle with logical thinking.

Reflex

An automatic response to a stimulus.

Sensorimotor stage

Piaget’s first stage of cognitive development (birth to about age 2) when babies learn through their senses and physical actions.

Serve and return

When a baby does something and a caregiver responds, supporting brain development.

Synapses

Connections between neurons that allow information to pass from one nerve cell to another.

Synaptic pruning

The brain’s process of removing weaker or less-used connections between neurons.

Temperament

A person’s natural way of reacting to situations and expressing emotions.