Chapter 2: Key Terms

Question 1

amniotic sac

Answer 1

A transparent, fluid filled membrane that surrounds and protects the fetus.

Question 2

Apgar score

Answer 2

Method for evaluating the health of the newborn immediately following birth based on skin tone, pulse rate, facial response, arm and leg activity, and breathing.

Question 3

apoptosis

Answer 3

Genetically programmed cell death.

Question 4

cephalocaudal development

Answer 4

The pattern of growth in which areas near the head develop earlier than areas farther from the head.

Question 5

colic

Answer 5

Excessive, inconsolable crying by a young infant for no apparent reason.

Question 6

conception

Answer 6

The union of an egg and sperm.

Question 7

developmental resilience

Answer 7

Successful development in spite of multiple and seemingly overwhelming developmental hazards.

Question 8

dishabituation

Answer 8

The introduction of a new stimulus rekindles interest following habituation to a repeated stimulus.

Question 9

dose-response relation

Answer 9

A relation in which the effect of exposure to an element increases with the extent of exposure (prenatally, the more exposure a fetus has to a potential teratogen, the more severe its effect is likely to be).

Question 10

ectopic pregnancy

Answer 10

Pregnancy in which fertilized egg implants and grows in an organ outside of the uterus (most often in a fallopian tube, preventing normal growth of the fetus and putting the expectant parent at risk of life threatening injury.

Question 11

embryo

Answer 11

The developing organism from th 3rd to 8th week of prenatal development.

Question 12

embryonic stem cells

Answer 12

Embryonic cells, which can develop into any type of body cell.

Question 13

epigenesis

Answer 13

The emergence of new structures and functions in the course development.

Question 14

fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD)

Answer 14

The harmful effects of alcohol consumption on a developing fetus, including characteristic facial features, intellectual development disorder, attentional challenges, and hyperactivity.

Question 15

fetus

Answer 15

The developing organism from the 9th week to birth.

Question 16

fraternal (dizygotic) twins

Answer 16

Twins that result when two eggs happen to be released into the fallopian tube at the same time and are fertilized by two different sperm; fraternal twins have only half their genes in common.

Question 17

gametes

Answer 17

reproductive cells-egg and sperm-that contain only half the genetic material of all other cells in the body.

Question 18

habituation

Answer 18

A simple from of learning that involves a decrease in response to repeated or continued stimulation.

Question 19

identical (monozygotic) twins

Answer 19

Twins that result from the splitting in half of the zygote, resulting in each of the two resulting zygotes having exactly the same set of genes.

Question 20

infant mortality

Answer 20

Death during the first year of birth.

Question 21

low birth weight (LBW)

Answer 21

A birth weight less than 5 1/2 pounds (2500 grams)

Question 22

meiosis

Answer 22

Cell division that produces gametes.

Question 23

mitosis

Answer 23

Call division that results in two identical cells.

Question 24

neural tube

Answer 24

A groove formed in the top layer of differentiated cells in the embryo that eventually becomes the brain and spinal cord.

Question 25

non-REM sleep

Answer 25

A quiet or deep sleep state characterized by the absence of motor activity or eye movements and more regular, slow brain waves, breathing, and heart rate.

Question 26

phylogenetic continuity

Answer 26

Humans share many characteristics, behaviours, and developmental processes with nonhuman animals, especially mammals, due to our common evolutionary history.

Question 27

placenta

Answer 27

A support organ to the fetus; It keeps circulatory systems of the fetus and pregnant mother separate, but a semipermeable membrane permits the exchange of some materials between them (oxygen and nutrients from pregnant mother to fetus, and carbon dioxide and waste products from fetus to pregnant parent).

Question 28

premature

Answer 28

Any child born at 37 weeks after conception or earlier (as opposed to the normal term of 38 weeks).

Question 29

rapid eye movement (REM) sleep

Answer 29

An active sleep state characterized by quick, jerky eye movements under closed lids and associated with dreaming in adults.

Question 30

sensitive period

Answer 30

The period during which a developing organism is most sensitive to the effects of external factors.

Question 31

small for gestational age

Answer 31

Babies who weigh substantially less than normal for whatever their gestational age.

Question 32

state

Answer 32

Level of arousal and engagement in the environment, ranging from deep sleep to intense activity.

Question 33

sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS)

Answer 33

The sudden, unexpected death of an infant less than one year of age that has np identifiable cause.

Question 34

swaddling

Answer 34

A soothing technique, used in many cultures, that involves wrapping a baby tightly in cloths or a blanket.

Question 35

teratogen

Answer 35

An external agent that can cause damage or death during prenatal development.

Question 36

umbilical chord

Answer 36

A tube containing the blood vessels connecting the fetus and placenta.

Question 37

zygote

Answer 37

A fertilized egg cell.