Nursing 200 Exam 1

Science of Human Development

Seeks to understand how and why people of all ages and circumstances change or remain the same over time

Scientific Method

Begin with curiosity and pose a question, develop a hypothesis, test the hypothesis, draw conclusions, and report the results

Empirical

Based on observations, repeated experiences, verifiable experiments and not theories

Hypothesis

A specific prediction that can be tested

Nature

General term for the traits, capacities, and limitations that each individual inherits genetically from his or her parents are the moment of conception

Nurture

General term for all the environmental influences that affect development after an individual is conceived

Replication

Repetition of a study using different participants

Life Span Perspective

Approach to the study of human development that takes into account all phases of life, not just childhood or adulthood (contains multidirectional, multi contextual, multicultural, multidisciplinary, plasticity)

Multidirectional

Over time, human characteristics change in every direction

Critical Period

Time when a particular type of developmental growth (in body or behavior) must happen if it is ever going to happen (ex. growing limbs after conception)

Sensitive Period

Time when a certain type of development is most likely to happen or happens most easily, although it may still happen later with more difficulty (ex. learning a language)

Ecological Systems Approach

In the study of human development, the person should be considered in all contexts and interactions that constitute a life (multicontextual)

Cohort

All persons born within a few years of one another; group defined by the shared age of its members (multicontextual)

Socioeconomic Status

Person's position in society as determined by income, wealth, occupation, education, and place of residence (multicontextual)

Culture

Patterns of behavior passed from one generation to the next

Social Construction

An idea that is based on shared perceptions, not on objective reality

Difference equals deficit error

The mistaken belief that deviations from average development are always inferior (people unlike us aren't as good)

Ethnic Group

A collection of people whose ancestors were born in the same region, usually sharing a language, culture, and religion

Race

A misleading social construction for a group of people who are regarded as distinct on the basis of physical appearance

Epigenetic

Refers to the effects of environmental forces on the expressions of genes

Dynamic Systems Approach

Views human development as an ongoing, ever changing interaction between the body and mind and between the individual and every aspect of the environment

Differential Sensitivity

The idea that some people are more vulnerable than others to certain experiences

Scientific Observation

A method of testing a hypothesis by unobtrusively watching and recording participants' behavior in a systematic and objective manner, in the lab, in a natural setting, or in searches of archival data

Independent Variable

The variable that is introduced to see what effect it has on the d.v.

Dependent Variable

Variable that may change as a result of whatever new condition or situation the experimenter adds

Survey

Research method in which information is collected from a large number of people, either through written questionnaires, personal interviews, or some other means

Case Study

A research method in which one person is studied in depth

Cross Sectional Research

Groups of people who differ in age but share other important characteristics are compared with regard to the variable under investigation

Longitudinal Research

The same group of individuals is studied over time to measure both change and stability as they age

Cross Sequential Research

Follows a group of people of different ages over time

Correlation

Number between +1.0 and -1.0 indicating the degree of relationship between two variables, such that one is likely (or unlikely) to occur when the other occurs or one is likely to increase (or decrease) when the other increases (or decreases)

Developmental Theory

A systematic statement of principles and generalizations that provides a coherent framework for understanding how and why people change as they grow older

Norm

Average, typical, or standard level of developmental among a large group of individuals

Psychoanalytic Theory

A grand theory, interprets human development in terms of inner drives and motives, many of which are irrational and unconscious

Conditioning

Learning process that occurs either through the association of two stimuli (classical conditioning) or through the use of positive or negative reinforcement or punishment (operant conditioning)

Classical Conditioning

The process by which a neutral stimulus becomes associated with a meaningful one so that both are responded to in the same way

Operant Conditioning

The process by which a response is gradually learned through reinforcement or punishment

Reinforcement

Process by which a particular action is followed by something desired

Modeling

The process by which we observe other people's behavior and then copy it

Cognitive Theory

Emphasizes that the way people think and understand the world shapes their attitudes, beliefs and behaviors

Cognitive Equilibrium

State of mental balance, in which a person's thoughts about the world seem not to clash with each other or with his or her experiences

Assimilation

Process by which new experiences are reinterpreted are reinterpreted to fit into old ideas

Accommodation

Process in which old ideas are restructured to incorporate new experiences

Information Processing

Perspective that compares human thinking processes to the way a computer analyzes data

Sociocultural Theory

Seeks to explain development as the result of dynamic interaction between developing persons and the surrounding social and cultural forces

Selective Adaptation

Process by which humans and other species gradually adjust to their environment. Whether a genetic trait increases or decreases over generations depends on whether it contributes to survival and reproductive ability

Eclectic

Accept elements from several theories instead of adhering to only a single perspective

Gamete

Human reproductive cells

Zygote

Single cell formed during conception by the fusing of two gametes, a sperm and an ovum

DNA

Chemical composition of the molecules that contain the genes, which are the chemical instructions for cells to manufacture various proteins

Chromosome

1/46 molecules of dna

Gene

Segments of a chromosome, which is a dan molecule, basic units

Allele

One of the normal versions of a gene that has several possible sequences of base pairs

Genome

Full set of genes that are the instructions to make an individual member of a certain species

Homozygous

Refers to two genes of one pair that are exactly the same in every letter of their code

Heterozygous

Refers to two genes of one pair that differ in some way

23rd

what pair of chromosomes determines the sex

XX

23rd chromosome pair of females

XY

23rd chromosome pair of males

Monozygotic Twins

Develop from one zygote that splits apart producing genetically identical zygotes

Dizygotic Twins

Develop from two separate ova fertilized by different sperm at roughly the same time and are no more genetically similar than siblings

Phenotype

Observable characteristics of a person, including appearance, personality, intelligence and other traits

Genotype

Total of all the genes a person inherits

Polygenic

Affected by many genes

Human Genome Project

International effort to map the complete genetic code

Carrier

A person who has a recessive gene that is not expressed in his or her phenotype but that can be passed on to the person's offspring

X Linked

Genes are genes that are located on the X chromosome. Because males have only one X chromosome, they are more likely than females to have the characteristics determined by these genes in their phenotype

Heritability

Statistic that refers to the percentage of variation in a particular trait within a particular population

Down Syndrome

Trisomy 21, most common extra chromosomal condition

Germinal Period

First stage in the development of an organism (1st two weeks after conception)

Embryonic Period

3rd-8th week of prenatal development when the basic forms of all body structures develop

Fetal Period

9th week till birth and is when the organs grow in size and mature in functioning

Implantation

Process by which the zygote burrows into the placenta that lines the uterus, where it can be nourished and protected during growth

Embryo

Developing human organism from about the third through the eighth week after conception

Fetus

Name for the developing human organism from the start of the ninth week after conception until birth

Ultrasound

An image of an unborn fetus produced with high frequency sound waves

Apgar Scale

Newborns are rated at one minute and five minutes rating from 0-2 on 5 things and a score of 7 or more is good

C Section

Fetus is removed from the mother surgically

Doula

Woman who works alongside medical staff to assist a woman through labor, delivery, breast feeding and newborn care

Teratogen

Agents and conditions such as viruses, drugs, chemicals, extreme stress and can lead to death

Fetal Alcohol Syndrome

Abnormal conditions caused by prenatal alcohol exposure

False Positive

Result of a prenatal diagnostic test that reports something as true when in face it is not

Low Birthweight

A birthweight of less than 5 1/2 pounds

Very Low Birthweight

A birthweight of less than 3 pounds, 5 ounces

Extremely Low Birthweight

A birthweight of less than 2 pounds, 5 ounces

Preterm

When an infant is born 3 or more weeks before the due date

Cerebral Palsy

Muscular control disorder caused by damage to brain's motor centers during or before birth

Anoxia

Temporary lack of oxygen during the birth process

Reflex

Unlearned, involuntary action or movement emitted in response to a stimulus

Couvade

Experience where some fathers have symptoms of pregnancy and birth

Infancy

Children develop a sense of trust when caregivers provide reliability and care and a lack of this will lead to mistrust (Erikson) 1st stage (birth - 18 months)

Early Childhood

Children need to develop a sense of personal control and success leads to autonomy and failure to doubt (Erikson) 2nd stage (2-3 years)

Preschool

Children need to begin asserting control and power over the environment guilt v initiative (Erikson) 3rd stage (3-5 years)

School Age

Children need to cope with new social and academic demands and success leads to competence and failure in inferiority (Erikson) 4th stage (6-11 years)

Adolescence

Teens need to develop a sense of self and personal identity; success leads to ability to stay true to yourself while failure leads to role confusion (Erikson) 5th stage (12-18 years)

Young Adulthood

Young adults need to form intimate loving relationships where success leads to strong relationships while failure leads to isolation (Erikson) 6th stage (19-40 years)

Middle Adulthood

Adults need to create or nourish things that will outlast them success leads to usefulness and failure is shallow involvement in the world (Erikson) 7th stage (40-65 years)

Maturity

Older adults need to look back on life and feel a sense of fulfillment success leads to wisdom and failure results in despair (Erikson) 8th stage (65-death)

Plasticity

Human traits can be molded and people maintain a certain durability of identity

Humanism

Theory that stresses the potential of all humans for good and the belief that all people have the same basic needs