Ch. 1-4

Differential susceptibility

the idea that people vary in sensitivity to various experiences based on their genetics or past life experiences.

Critical period

a time when something must occur for normal development, or the only time when an abnormality might arise.

Sensitive period

certain time periods where particular developments occur more easily, but not exclusively.

Cohort

people born within the same historical period that experience — experiencing new events, technologies, and cultural shifts at the same time.

Socioeconomic status (SES)

a persons position in society determined by income, occupation, education, and place of residence

Difference-equals-deficit error

the mistaken idea that a deviation from some norm is necessarily inferior.

Intersectionality

the idea that various identities need to be combined to highlight how power and inequality are structed differently for oppressed groups based on their varied interlocking demographics.

Plasticity

the idea that abilities, personality, and other human characteristics are moldable and thus can be changed. It states that (1) people can change over time and (2) new behavior is affected by what has already happened.

Dynamic-systems approach

the view of human development as an ongoing, everchanging interaction between the physical, cognitive, and psychosocial influences.

Developmental theories

a systematic statement of principles and generalizations, providing a framework for understanding how and why people change over the life span.

Cross-sectional research

research design that compares people who differ in age but no in other important characteristics

Longitudinal research

research design that follows the same individuals over time

Cross-sequential research

hybrid research design that includes cross-sectional and longitudinal research (also called cohort-sequential or time-sequential research)

Gamete

a reproductive cell. In humans it is a sperm or an ovum.

Zygote

the single cell formed from the union of two gametes, a sperm and an ovum.

Genome

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

Allele

a variation that makes a gene different in some way from other genes for the same characteristics. Many genes never vary; other have several possible alleles.

Epigenetics

the study of how environmental factors affect genes and genetic expression — enhancing, haulting, shaping, or altering the expression of genes.

Phenotype

the observable characteristics of a person, including appearance, personality, intelligence, and all other traits.

Genotype

an organism’s entire genetic inheritance, or genetic potential.

Methylation

a chemical modification of DNA and other molecules that may be retained as cells divide to make more cells; can alter gene expression

Microbiome

all the microbes (bacteria, viruses, etc) with all their genes in a community.

Carrier

a person whose genotype included a gene that is not expressed in the phenotype. The carried gene occurs in half of the carrier’s children. If such a gene is inherited from both parents, the characteristics appears in the phenotype.

X-linked

a gene carried on the X chromosome.

Monozygotic twins

thins who originate from one zygote that splits apart very early in development.

Dizygotic twins

twins who are formed when two separate ova are fertilized by two separate sperm at roughly the same time.

Germinal period

the first two weeks of prenatal development after conception, characterized by rapid cell division and the beginning of cell differentiation.

Embryonic period

the stage of prenatal development from approximately the third week through the eighth week after conception, during which the basic forms of all body structures, including internal organs, develop.

Fetal period

the stage of prenatal development from the ninth week after conception until birth, during which the fetus gains about 7lbs and organs become more mature, gradually able to function on their own.

Embryo

the name for a developing human organism from about the third week through the eight week after conception.

Fetus

the name for a developing human organism from the start of the ninth week after conception until birth.

Age of viability

the age (~22 weeks after conception) at which a fetus might survive outside the mother’s uterus if specialized medical care is available.

Down syndrome

a condition in which a person has 47 chromosomes instead of the usual 46, with 3 rather than 2 chromosomes at the 21st site.

Fragile X syndrome

a genetic disorder in which part of the X chromosome seems to be attached to the rest of it by a very thin string of molecules. The cause is a single gene that has more than 200 repetitions of one triplet.

Teratogen

an agent or condition, including viruses, drugs, and chemicals, that can impair prenatal development and result in birth defects or even death.

Fetal Alcohol syndrome

a cluster of birth defects, including abnormal facial characteristics, slow physical growth, and reduced intellectual ability, that may occur in the fetus of a woman who drinks alcohol while pregnant.

LBW

a body weight of

VLBW

a body weight of

ELBW

a body weight of

Preterm

a birth that occurs two or more weeks before the full 38 weeks of the typical pregnancy.

Small for gestational age (SGA)

a term for a baby whose birthweight is significantly lower than expected, given the time since conception.

The Immigrant Paradox

the surprising, paradoxical fact that low-SES immigrant women tend to have fewer birth complications than native-born peers with higher incomes.

Doula

a woman who helps with the birth process.

Cesarean section

a surgical birth in which incisions through the mother’s abdomen and uterus allow the fetus to be removed quickly instead of being delivers through the vagina.

APGAR scale

a quick assessment of a newborn’s health, from 0 to 10. Below 5 is an emergency, most babies are at 7, 8, or 9 — almost never a perfect 10.

Brazelton Neonatal Behavioral Assessment Scale (NBSA)

a test that is often administered to newborns, which measures responsiveness and records 46 behaviors, including 20 reflexes.

Postpartum depression

a new mother’s feelings of inadequacy and sadness in the days and weeks after giving birth.

Couvade

symptoms of pregnancy and birth experienced by fathers.

Self-Awareness

A person’s realization that they are a distinct individual whose body, mind, and actions are separate from those of other people.

Temperament

Inborn differences between one person and another in emotions, activity, and self-regulation with relative stability over time. Measured by the person’s typical responses to the environment.

Synchrony

A coordinated, rapid, and smooth exchange of responses between a caregiver and an infant.

Attachment

According to Ainsworth, an affectional tie that an infant forms with a caregiver. The connection between one person and another, measured by how they respond to each other.

Social referencing

Seeking information about how to react to an unfamiliar or ambiguous object or event by observing someone else’s expression and reactions.

Trust vs Mistrust

The first crisis of psychological development is characterized by infants learning whether or not the world can be trusted to satisfy basic needs.

Autonomy vs Shame

The second crisis of psychological development where toddlers either succeed or fail in gaining a sense of self-autonomy over their actions and bodies.

Qualitative research

Research method of gathering observational, non-quantitative data.

Quantitative research

Research method of gathering numerical data.

T/F

Infant fear, as expressed in stranger wariness, signals abnormal development

F

T/F

Infants typically develop self-awareness by 6 months of age

F

T/F

Some children are more difficult to raise and harder to live with, in part because of inborn temperamental characteristics

T

T/F

Although temperament originates with the genes, its expression is modified by experience

T

T/F

Attachment patterns established in infancy almost never change

F

T/F

Social referencing refers to seeking emotional responses or information from other people

T

T/F

Infants use their fathers as much as their mothers for emotional cues in uncertain situations

T

T/F

According to Freud, an adult who eats, drinks, chews, bites, or smokes excessively may have been weaned too early

T

T/F

Erikson believed that problems that begin in early infancy can last a lifetime

T

T/F

High-quality day care during infancy likely benefits infants’ cognitive development

T

T/F

The normal birthweight of an infant is between 5 and 8 pounds

T

An infant born at 2lbs would be classified as….

\
a. Small for gestational age

b. low birth weight

c. very low birth weight

d. extremely low birth weight

d. extremely low birth weight

An infant born at 5.5lbs would be classified as….

\
a. Small for gestational age

b. low birth weight

c. very low birth weight

d. extremely low birth weight

b. low birth weight

An infant born at 3lbs would be classified as….

\
a. Small for gestational age

b. low birth weight

c. very low birth weight

d. extremely low birth weight

c. very low birth weight

An baby weighing 5.5lbs at 36 weeks would be classified as….

\
a. Small for gestational age

b. low birth weight

c. very low birth weight

d. extremely low birth weight

a. small for gestational age

The normal age in months for a child to start walking is around….

12 months

The normal age in months for a child to be able to sit unsupported is….

6 months

The normal age in months for an infant to start crawling is….

6 months

Brian and Kyle are the same age but grew up in different countries, Brain speaks English and Kyle speaks Spanish. This difference is an example of experience-____ growth.

dependent

Experience-expectant growth

Some basic experiences are needed for the brain to grow. Those experiences are part of almost every infant’s life and development suffers without them. Ie; visually perceiving things, manipulating objects, and forming relationships.

Experience-dependent growth

Dependent experiences that might happen; because of them, one brain differs from another (culturally). Such as language heard, faces seen, emotions expressed, and sleeping places. Depending on those varied experiences, some dendrites grow and some neurons die.