mod 6

• Human Development


  The scientific study of the changes that occur in people as they age from conception until death
• Research Methods to Study Human Development

  • Longitudinal design
  • Cross-sectional design
  • Cross-sequential design
• Longitudinal design


  Research design in which one participant or group of participants is studied over a long period of time
• Cross-sectional design


  Research design in which several different age groups of participants are studied at one particular point in time
• Cross-sequential design


  Research design in which participants are first studied by means of a cross-sectional design but also followed and assessed for a period of no more than six years
• Nature


  Influence of our inherited characteristics on our personality, physical growth, intellectual growth, and social interactions
• Nurture


  Influence of the environment on personality, physical growth, intellectual growth, and social interactions
• Behavioral Genetics


  Focuses on nature vs. nurture
• DNA


  Special molecule that contains the genetic material of the organism

  
• Gene


  Section of DNA having a certain pattern of chemical elements

  
• Dominant gene


  Gene that actively controls the expression of a trait
• Recessive gene


  Gene that only influences the expression of a trait when paired with an identical gene
• Chromosome


  Tightly wound strand of genetic material or DNA
• Chromosome Disorders


  • Down Syndrome
  • Klinefelter's syndrome
  • Turner's syndrome
• Conception


  The moment at which a female becomes pregnant
• Ovum


  The female sex cell, or egg
• Fertilization


  The union of the ovum and sperm
• Zygote


  Cell resulting from the uniting of the ovum and sperm; divides into many cells, eventually forming the baby
• Monozygotic twins


  Identical twins. Formed when one zygote splits into two separate masses of cells, each of which develops into a separate embryo
• Dizygotic twins


  Fraternal twins. Occur when two eggs get fertilized by two different sperm, resulting in the development of two zygotes in the uterus at the same time
• Germinal period


  First two weeks after fertilization, during which the zygote moves down to the uterus and begins to implant in the lining
• Embryonic period


  Period from two to eight weeks after fertilization, during which the major organs and structures of the organism develop
• Embryo


  Name for the developing organism from two weeks to eight weeks after fertilization
• Critical periods


  Times during which certain environmental influences can have an impact on the development of the infant
• Teratogen


  Any substance such as a drug, chemical, virus, or other factor that can cause a birth defect

  
• Fetal Alcohol syndrome (FAS)


  Series of physical and mental defects including stunted growth, facial deformities, and brain damage
• Fetal period


  Time from about eight weeks after conception until the birth of the child
• Fetus


  Name for the developing organism from eight weeks after fertilization to the birth of the baby
• Most babies are born 38 and 40 weeks
• Babies born before 38 weeks are called preterm and may need life support to survive
• Viability


  The point at which it is possible for an infant to survive outside the womb, usually about 22-26 weeks
• The most likely time for a miscarriage, or spontaneous abortion, is in the first 3 months, as the organs are forming and first becoming functional
• Infant reflexes


  • Grasping
  • Moro (startle)
  • Rooting
  • Stepping
  • Sucking

  
• The senses, except for vision, are fairly well developed at birth
• Synaptic pruning


  Unused synaptic connections and nerve cells are cleared away to make way for functioning connections and cells
• Cognitive Development


  The development of thinking, problem solving, and memory
• Schemes


  Mental concepts formed by children as they experience new situations and events
• Assimilation


  Children first try to understand new things in terms of schemes they already possess
• Accommodation


  Process of altering or adjusting old schemes to fit new information and experiences
• Sensorimotor stage


  First stage of cognitive development, in which the infant uses its senses and motor abilities to interact with objects in the environment