Chapter 3 Vocab

Question 1

threadlike structures made of DNA molecules that contain the genes

Answer 1

Chromosomes

Question 2

a molecule containing the genetic info. that makes up the chromosomes

Answer 2

DNA

Question 3

the biochemical units of heredity that make up the chromosomes; segments of DNA

Answer 3

Genes

Question 4

the genetic transfer of characteristics from parents to offspring

Answer 4

heredity

Question 5

the complete instructions for making an organism, consisting of all the genetic material in that organisms chromosomes

Answer 5

genome

Question 6

every external influence, from prenatal nutrition to social support in later life

Answer 6

environment

Question 7

the interplay that occurs when the effect of one factor depends on another factor

Answer 7

interaction

Question 8

the study of environmental influences of gene expression that occur without a DNA change

Answer 8

epigenetic

Question 9

the fertilized egg; it enter a 2 week period of rapid cell division and develops into an embryo

Answer 9

zygote

Question 10

the developing human organism from about two weeks after fertilization through the second month

Answer 10

embryo

Question 11

twins who develop from a single fertilized egg that splits in two, creating two genetically identical twins

Answer 11

identical twins

Question 12

the developing human organism from 9 weeks after birth

Answer 12

fetus

Question 13

an agent such as a chemical or virus, that can reach the embryo or fetus during the prenatal development and cause harm

Answer 13

teratogen

Question 14

physical and mental abnormalities in children caused by a pregnant women heavy drinking’s, in severe cases signs include a small, out of proportion head and abnormal facial features

Answer 14

Fetal Alcohol Syndrome

Question 15

a simple, automatic responses to a sensory stimulus

Answer 15

reflex

Question 16

a persons characteristics emotional reactivity and intensity

Answer 16

temperament

Question 17

biological growth processes leading to orderly changes in behavior, mostly independent of experience

Answer 17

maturation

Question 18

a period early in life when exposure to certain stimuli or experiences is needed for proper development

Answer 18

critical period

Question 19

all the mental activities associated with thinking, knowing, remembering, and communicating

Answer 19

cognition

Question 20

a concept for framework that organizes and interprets info

Answer 20

schema

Question 21

interpreting our new experiences in terms of our existing schemas

Answer 21

assimilation

Question 22

adapting our current understandings in terms of our existing schemas

Answer 22

assimilation

Question 23

in P.’s theory, the stage in which a child learns to use language but cannot yet perform the mental operations of concrete logic

Answer 23

pre operational stage

Question 24

the principle that properties such as mass, volume, and number remain the same despite changes in shapes

Answer 24

conservation (Piaget)

Question 25

In p.'s theory, the pre operational child's difficulty taking another's point of view

Answer 25

egocentrism

Question 26

people's ideas about their own and others' mental states- about their feelings, perceptions, and thoughts, and behaviors these might predict

Answer 26

theory of mind

Question 27

in Piaget's theory of cognitive development (6 or 7-11) during which children gain the mental operations that enable them to think logically about concrete evidences

Answer 27

concrete operational stage

Question 28

in Piaget's theory the stage of cog. develop. (normall beginning about age 12) during which people begin to think logically about abstract concepts

Answer 28

formal operational stage

Question 29

the fear of strangers that infants commonly display, beginning by about 8 months

Answer 29

stranger anxiety

Question 30

an emotional tie with another person, shown in young children by their seeking closeness to the caregiver and showing distress on separation

Answer 30

attachment

Question 31

according to Erik Erikson, a sense that the world is predictable and trustworthy; said to be formed during infancy by appropriate experiences with responsive caregivers

Answer 31

basic trusts

Question 32

the transition period from child hood to adulthood, exending from puberty to independence

Answer 32

adolescence

Question 33

the period of sexual maturation, during which a person becomes capable of reproducing

Answer 33

puberty

Question 34

in Erikson's theory, the ability to form close, loving relationships, a primary developmental task in early adult hood

Answer 34

intimacy

Question 35

a period from about age 18 to mid-twenties, when many in Western cultures are no longer adolescents but have not yet achieved full independence as adults

Answer 35

emerging adulthood

Question 36

The end of menstruation. in every day use, it can also mean the biological transition a woman experiences from before until after the end of menstruation.

Answer 36

menopause

Question 37

The culturally preferred timing of social events such as marriage parenthood in retirement.

Answer 37

social clock

Question 38

Branch of psychology that studies physical, cognitive, and social changes throughout the life span

Answer 38

Developmental psychology