unit 1 key terms

• Abstract logical thinking – The ability to solve problems using imagination without having to be involved practically.
• Adolescence - An important status change following the onset of puberty during which a young person develops from a child to adult.
• Advocate – A person who speaks for someone else and represents his or her views and preferences.
• Antenatal care – Care provided for a mother and her baby before the birth of the baby.
• Chromosomes – Long threads of DNA and protein seen in a dividing cell, which contain genetic material.
• Cognitive impairment – A condition, ranging from mild to moderate in which an individual has trouble remembering, learning skills, concentrating or making decision that affect day-to-day life.
• Conservation – The ability to reason logically that a certain quantity will remain the same despite change in its shape or appearance.
• Culture – The beliefs, language, styles of dress, cooking, religion or ways of behaving shared particular group of people.
• Depression – A mental disorder in which the individual is unable to cope with daily life and experiences feelings of worthlessness.
• Deprivation – Being deprived of a caregiver to whom an attachment already exists.
• Development – Complex changes including an increase in skills, abilities and capabilities.
• Developmental norms – A description of an average set of expectations with respect to a young child’s development.
• Disempower – Make a person or group less confident or less likely to succeed.
• Egocentric thinking – Not being able to see a situation from another person’s point of view
• Fine motor skills – Involve smaller movements that require precise muscles
• Genetic predisposition - increased likelihood of developing a particular disease based on a person's genetic makeup.
• Gross motor skills – Large movements that involve using the larger muscles of the body, which are required for mobility.
• Growth – An increase in height and weight, which is easily measured.
• Hormones – Chemical substances produced in the body and transported in the blood that control or regulate body organs.
• Hypothermia – A body temperature lower than normal range.
• Informal care – Care and support provided by family and friends, normally unpaid and in addition to health professionals.
• Insecure attachment – Applies to infants whose caregivers are inconsistent in the care they provide.
• Maturation – A genetically programmed sequence of change, e.g. the onset of menopause.
• Menopause – When a woman’s menstrual cycle gradually stops and she is no longer able to become pregnant naturally.
• Milestone – An ability achieved by most children by a certain age.
• Nature – Genetic inheritance and other biological factors; all aspects of a person that are inherited.
• Negative reinforcement – The behaviour is not repeated to avoid an adverse experience such as lack of satisfaction or being told off.
• Nurture – The influence of external factors after conception such as social and environmental factors that shape behaviour and development.
• Puberty – A period of rapid growth which young people reach sexual maturity and become biologically able to reproduce.
• Positive reinforcement – The behaviour is repeated to receive a positive experience such as a reward.
• Secure attachment – The attachment or bond between an infant and its primary caregiver is strong so that the infant feels confident to explore the environment using the caregiver as a safe base.
• Self-concept – Sense of identity formed during early childhood, an awareness that the individual is different and a unique person.
• Self-esteem – The confidence a person feels about himself or herself, self-worth or pride, value based on how we have been treated by others.
• Self-image – The mental image a person has of himself or herself, the way an individual sees himself or herself.
• Separation anxiety – The fear or apprehension that infants experience when separated from their primary care giver.
• Susceptibility – An increased likelihood of acquiring a disease because of an individual’s genetics.
• Unpredictable events – Events that happen unexpectedly and which have physical or psychological effects on an individual, can be positive or negative.