Human Growth and Development Study Guide

A comprehensive study guide in flashcard format covering key terms and concepts related to human growth and development throughout the lifespan.

Lifespan Development

The field of study that examines patterns of growth, change, and stability in behavior throughout the entire life span.

Physical Development

Involves the body’s physical makeup, including the brain, nervous system, muscles, and senses.

Cognitive Development

The ways that growth and change in learning, memory, problem solving, and intelligence influence a person’s behavior.

Psychosocial Development

The development of enduring characteristics that differentiate one person from another.

Teratogens

Environmental agents that can cause birth defects during sensitive periods of development.

Motor Skills

Refers to the abilities required for movement and coordination.

Fine Motor Skills

Small movements such as writing and grasping.

Gross Motor Skills

Large movements such as crawling and walking.

Attachment

The bond between a child and their primary caregiver.

Authoritative Parenting

A parenting style characterized by clear rules and communication.

Erikson's Stages of Psychosocial Development

A theory that outlines eight stages focusing on core conflicts that shape personality.

Puberty

The onset of reproductive capability marked by growth spurts and secondary sex characteristics.

Formal Operational Stage

Piaget's stage where adolescents can think abstractly and hypothetically.

Identity Development

The process of forming a cohesive sense of self through various stages and experiences.

Eating Disorders

Mental disorders characterized by abnormal eating habits, such as Anorexia Nervosa and Bulimia Nervosa.

Integrity vs. Despair

Erikson's stage in late adulthood focused on reflecting on life and accomplishments.

Fluid Intelligence

The ability to solve new problems and think abstractly, which tends to decline with age.

Crystallized Intelligence

Accumulated knowledge and verbal skills that remain stable or improve with age.

Primary Aging

The natural, biological aging process.

Secondary Aging

Aging influenced by environmental and lifestyle factors.

Selective Optimization with Compensation

A strategy for older adults to maintain strengths while compensating for aging declines.

Nature vs. Nurture

The debate over hereditary versus environmental factors in development.