Ch. 3 Definitions

Question 1

Cephalocaudal pattern

Answer 1

Sequence in which fastest growth occurs top to bottom

Question 2

Proximodistal pattern

Answer 2

Sequence in which growth starts at the center of the body and moves to extremities

Question 3

Puberty

Answer 3

Brain-neuroendocrine process in early adolescence that stimulates rapid physical changes (start in boys 10-13; start in girls 9-15)

Question 4

Menarche

Answer 4

A girl’s first menstruation

Question 5

Hormones

Answer 5

Powerful chemical substances secreted by endocrine glands and carried through bloodstream

Question 6

Hypothalamus

Answer 6

Structure in the brain involved with eating/sexual behavior

Question 7

Pituitary gland

Answer 7

Endocrine gland that controls growth/regulates other glands

Question 8

Gonads

Answer 8

Sex glands (testes in males; ovaries in females)

Question 9

Gonadotrophins

Answer 9

Hormones that stimulate testes/ovaries

Question 10

Testosterone

Answer 10

Hormone associated in boys with development of genitals, height, voice changes

Question 11

Estradiol

Answer 11

Hormone associated in girls with breast, uterine, skeletal devlopment

Question 12

Sarcopenia

Answer 12

Age-related loss of lean muscle mass and strength

Question 13

Climacteric

Answer 13

Midlife transition in which fertility declines

Question 14

Menopause

Answer 14

Time in middle age once menstruation ceases one full year

Question 15

Neuroconstructivist view

Answer 15

Developmental perspective in which biological processes and environmental conditions influence brain’s development; brain has plasticity and is context dependent; cognitive and brain development linked

Question 16

Myelination

Answer 16

Encasing neurons with myelin sheath, improving speed and efficiency of information processing

(Huge impact on development; visual first)

Question 17

Lateralization

Answer 17

Specialized functioning in one hemisphere or the other (occurs, but not exclusively)

Left: speech, grammar
Right: humor, metaphors

Question 18

Prefrontal cortex

Answer 18

Highest level of frontal lobes involved in reasoning, decision-making, self-control

Question 19

Corpus callosum

Answer 19

Bundle of axon fibers connecting left and right hemispheres

Question 20

Limbic system

Answer 20

Region of brain for emotions and rewards

Question 21

Amygdala

Answer 21

Part of limbic system especially involved in emotion such as anger

Question 22

Neurogenesis

Answer 22

Generation of new neurons

Question 23

Sudden infant death syndrome

Answer 23

When an infant stops breathing while sleeping and dies without cause

Question 24

Life span

Answer 24

Upper boundary of life which is maximum a person can live (max. 120ish)

Question 25

Cellular clock theory

Answer 25

Human cells can only divide 75-80 times (less able to divide later) (Hayflick)

Question 26

Free-radical theory

Answer 26

Microbiological theory stating unstable oxygen molecules (produced by cells metabolizing energy) cause damage to DNA

Question 27

Mitochondrial theory

Answer 27

Aging is caused by mitochondrial decay

Question 28

Telomeres

Answer 28

DNA sequences that cap chromosomes and shorten with each division

Question 29

Mitochondria

Answer 29

Bodies within cells supplying energy for function, growth, repair

Question 30

Sirtuins

Answer 30

Family of proteins linked to longevity, regulation of mitochondria functioning in energy, possible benefits of calorie restriction, stress resistance, and a lower incidence of cardiovascular disease and cancer

Question 31

mTOR pathway

Answer 31

Cellular pathway involving regulation of growth and metabolism

Question 32

Rapamycin

Answer 32

Naturally derived antibiotic/immune system suppressant

Question 33

Hormonal stress theory

Answer 33

Aging in the body’s hormonal system can lower resistance to stress and increase likelihood of disease

Question 34

Allostasis

Answer 34

Process of adaptation and adjustment in stress