Prenatal and Childhood Development

1. Zygote: Fertilized egg; the first stage of human development.

2. Genes: DNA segments that determine traits, inherited from parents.

3. Embryo: Early development stage (2-8 weeks) with basic organs forming.

4. Fetus: Later development stage (9 weeks-birth) where growth and organs continue maturing.

5. Teratogens: Harmful substances (e.g., drugs) that can cause birth defects.

6. Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS): Birth defects from alcohol exposure during pregnancy.

1. Rooting Reflex: Baby turns head and opens mouth when cheek is touched, helping find food.

2. Sucking Reflex: Baby sucks when the roof of the mouth is touched, allowing for feeding.

3. Moro Reflex: Baby spreads arms and then pulls them in when startled by loud noise or feeling of falling.

4. Grasping Reflex: Baby automatically grasps objects placed in their palm.

5. Babinski Reflex: Baby’s toes fan out when the sole of the foot is stroked.

6. Stepping Reflex: Baby makes walking movements when their feet touch a surface.

8. Temperament: Inborn emotional and activity level patterns, sociability and something that remains constant

9. Maturation: Biological growth that happens naturally, aiding motor and cognitive development.

10. Cognition: Mental processes like thinking, learning, and memory.

Piaget’s Stages of Cognitive Development

11. Sensorimotor Stage: (0-2 yrs) Learning through senses and actions; develops object permanence.

12. Schemas: Mental structures for organizing information (mental molds)

13. Assimilation: Fitting new info into existing schemas.

14. Accommodation: Changing schemas to include new info.

15. Object Permanence: Understanding objects exist even when out of sight. “out of sight out of mind”

16. Preoperational Stage: (2-7 yrs) Language and symbolic thought but lacks logic; too young to perform mental operations

17. Conservation: Understanding that quantity remains the same despite changes in shape.

18. Egocentrism: Difficulty seeing others’ perspectives.

Theory of Mind: The ability to understand that others have thoughts, feelings, and perspectives different from your own

19. Concrete Operational Stage: (7-11 yrs) Logical thinking about concrete events and the ability to do basic math

20. Formal Operational Stage: (12+ yrs) Abstract and hypothetical thinking.

21. Stranger Anxiety: Fear of strangers, typically beginning around 8 months and can recognize family.

Secure Attachment: A healthy attachment where the child feels safe to explore and is upset when the caregiver leaves but is easily comforted upon return.

Insecure Attachment: An unhealthy attachment where the child may be anxious, avoidant, or ambivalent toward the caregiver, showing distress or indifference when the caregiver leaves or returns.

22. Attachment: Emotional bond with caregiver.

23. Critical Period: Key time for forming bonds and learning certain skills, language period

24. Imprinting: Rapid attachment process in some animals during early life; first thing they see they love.

Parenting Styles

25. Authoritarian Parenting: Strict rules, high expectations.

26. Permissive Parenting: Few rules, lenient.

27. Authoritative Parenting: Balanced, demanding yet responsive; best outcomes.

Module 5: Adolescence

1. Adolescence: Transition from childhood to adulthood; starts with puberty.

2. Puberty: Physical and hormonal changes for sexual maturity.

3. Primary Sex Characteristics: Organs directly involved in reproduction.

Secondary Sex Characteristics: traits that emerge during puberty and distinguish the sexes, including body hair, voice changes, and breast development in females.

Kohlberg’s Stages of Moral Development

4. Preconventional Morality: Obeying rules to avoid punishment or gain rewards; normally under age of nine.

5. Conventional Morality: Following rules to maintain social order; most adults

6. Postconventional Morality: Acting based on personal ethical principles; barely anyone achieves this.

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Erikson’s Psychosocial Stages

7. Trust vs. Mistrust: (Infancy) Developing trust if needs are met.

8. Autonomy vs. Shame and Doubt: (Toddlerhood) Learning independence.

9. Initiative vs. Guilt: (Preschool) Trying new things, taking initiative.

10. Competency vs. Inferiority: (School age) Building skills or feeling inferior.

11. Identity vs. Role Confusion: (Adolescence) Developing a sense of self.

12. Intimacy vs. Isolation: (Young adulthood) Forming close relationships.

13. Generativity vs. Stagnation: (Middle adulthood) Contributing to society.

14. Integrity vs. Despair: (Late adulthood) Reflecting on life with satisfaction or regret.

Module 6: Adulthood and Aging

1. Social Clock: Societal timing for life milestones (e.g., marriage, retirement).

2. Menopause: End of menstrual cycles in women, typically in middle age.

3. Alzheimer’s Disease: Progressive memory and cognitive loss in old age.

4. Senile Dementia: Decline in mental ability with age.

5. Fluid Intelligence: Quick, abstract reasoning; decreases with age.

6. Crystallized Intelligence: Accumulated knowledge; remains stable or increases.

Key People

1. Jean Piaget: Developed stages of cognitive development.

2. Harry Harlow: Studied attachment through monkey experiments.

3. Konrad Lorenz: Discovered imprinting in animals.

4. Mary Ainsworth: Created Strange Situation Test to study attachment.

5. Lawrence Kohlberg: Developed stages of moral reasoning.

6. Erik Erikson: Proposed stages of psychosocial development across the lifespan.