1.1 Perspectives on Nature and Nurture

Human Development (Developmental Psychology)

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

Systematic

Characterizes human development as coherent and organized

Adaptive

Characterizes human development as 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, from conception to death

Describe, Explain, Predict, & Intervene

Four goals of human development

Domains of Development

Physical, Cognitive, & Psychosocial

Physical Development

Development involving the growth of the body and brain, sensory capacities, motor skills, & health

Cognitive Development

Development that encompasses learning, attention, memory, language, thinking, reasoning, & creativity

Psychosocial Development

Development that includes emotions, personality, & social relationships

2 Types of Developmental Principles

Cephalocaudal Principle & Proximodistal Principle

Cephalocaudal Principle

"Head to tail” in which development proceeds from the head to the lower part of the trunk

Proximodistal Principle

"Near to far" in which development proceeds from parts near the center of the body to outer ones

5 Assumptions of Human Development

1. Growth occurs at every period of life, from conception through very old age

2. Individual lives show both continuity and developmental change over time

3. We need to understand the whole person, because we function in an integrated manner

4. Behavior must be interpreted in the context of relevant settings and personal relationships

5. People contribute actively to their development

Plasticity

Term related to the 1st assumption of human development in which people have the capacity for adaptive reorganization of the neurological, psychological, & behavioral levels

Continuity

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

Developmental Change

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

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

Environment

Totality of nonhereditary, or experiential, influences on development

Maturation

The unfolding of a natural sequence of physical changes and behavior pattern

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

Chromosomes

Coils of DNA that consist of smaller segments called genes

DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid)

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

Genes

Small segments of DNA located in definite positions on particular chromosomes; functional units of heredity

Bases

The “letters” of the genetic code: adenine (A), thymine (T), cytosine (C), and guanine (G)

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

Mutation

Permanent alterations in genes or chromosomes that may produce harmful characteristics

Autosomes

In humans, these are the 22 pairs of chromosomes not related to sexual expression

Sex Chromosomes

Pair chromosomes that determines sex

XX

Chromosome pair for the normal female

XY

Chromosome pair for the normal male

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 (RR or rr)

Heterozygous

Possessing differing alleles for a trait (Rr)

Dominant Inheritance

Pattern of inheritance in which, when a child receives different alleles, only the dominant one is expressed

Recessive Inheritance

Pattern of inheritance in which a child receives identical recessive alleles, resulting in expression of a nondominant trait

Polygenic Inheritance

Pattern of inheritance in which multiple genes at different sites on chromosomes affect a complex trait

Genotype

Genetic makeup of a person, containing both expressed and unexpressed characteristics

Phenotype

Observable characteristics of a person

Multifactorial Transmission

Combination of genetic and environmental factors to produce certain complex traits

Epigenesis

Mechanism when the genes are turned off or on as they are needed by the developing body or when triggered by the environment

Selective Breeding

Involves attempting to breed animals for a particular trait to determine whether the trait is heritable

Concordance Rate

The percentage of pairs of people studied in which if one member of a pair displays the trait, the others does too

Reaction Range

Wide range of possibility that it might exhibit differently

Canalized Range

Limited possible changes of changing (fixed)

Gene-Environment Correlation

The effects of genes depend on what kind of environment we experience, and how we respond to the environment depends on what genes we have

Passive Gene-Environment

Parents provide for their children is influenced partly by the parents’ genotypes

Evocative (Reactive) Gene-Environment

Child’s genotype evokes certain kind of reactions from other people which then affects their development

Active Gene-Environment

Children’s genotype influence the kinds of environment they seek

Nuclear Family

Two-generational kinship, economic, and household unit consisting of one or two parents and their biological children, adopted children, or stepchildren

Extended Family

Multigenerational kinship network of parents, children, and other relatives, sometimes living together in an extended

Socioeconomic Status

Combination of economic and social factors describing an individual or family, including income, education, and occupation

Culture

A society’s or group’s total way of life, including its customs, traditions, laws, knowledge, beliefs, values, language, and physical products, from tools to artworks—all of the behavior and attitudes that are learned, shared, and transmitted among members of a social group

Ethnic Group

Consists of people united by a distinctive culture, ancestry, religion, language, or national origin, all of which contribute to a sense of shared identity and shared attitudes, beliefs, and values

Ethnic Gloss

Overgeneralization about ethnic or cultural group that obscures differences within the group