Unit 3 - Development and Learning

Prenatal

Development begins before we are born. During pregnancy, teratogens, maternal illness, genetic mutations, and environmental factors all affect our development

Infancy and Childhood

Infants are born with reflexes, such as the rooting reflex, which help with survival. While humans don’t imprint like other species, there are critical or sensitive periods in - especially for language - when experiences have a greater impact

Puberty

The period of sexual maturation during which a person becomes capable of reproducing, triggering due to a flood of hormones

Primary Sex Characterisitics

Includes the body structures (ovaries, testes, etc) that make reproduction possible

Secondary Sex Characteristics

The non-reproductive sexual traits

Ex: breast growth, widening of hips, deepening of voice, hair, etc)

Adolescence

Major growth spurt and puberty

Menopause

Women experience end of menstrual cycles between 45-55 that comes with other hormonal changes

Physical Decline

Muscular strength and performance peaks in our 20’s. Then joints and muscles stiffen, range of motion decreases, and telomeres shorten

Sensory Decline

Visual and auditory acuity decline with age. So do touch and smell

-Reactions also slows

Sex

Biological classification based on physical characteristics

Ex: Chromosomes, hormones, and physical organs

Gender

A social understanding or construct of norms, behaviors, and roles typically associated with assigned sex

Sexual Orientation

A person’s pattern of romantic/sexual attraction

Socialization

Lifelong process through which we learn the norms, values, and behaviors of our society/culture (including gender norms)

Jean Piaget’s Theory of Cognitive Development

Lev Vygotsky’s sociocultural Theory of Cognitive Development

Sensorimotor Stage

Preoperational Stage

Theory of Mind

Concrete Operational Stage

Formal Operational Stage

Scaffolding

Zone of Proximal Development