Chapter 5: Human Development Key Terms Flashcards
(47 cards)
Germinal stage:
The first prenatal stage of development, which begins at conception and lasts 2 weeks.
Zygote:
The single cell that results when a sperm fertilizes an egg.
Embryo:
A developing organism from 2 weeks until about 8 weeks after conception.
Embryonic stage:
The second prenatal stage, from 2 weeks to 8 weeks after conception, when all of the major organs form (nervous system, heart, eyes, ears, arms, lets, teeth, palate, and external genitalia)
Fetal stage:
The third prenatal stage, which begins with the formation of bone cells 8 weeks after conception and ends at birth.
Neuronal migration:
The movement of neurons from one part of the fetal brain to their more permanent destination; occurs during months 3–5 of the fetal stage.
Prenatal programming:
The process by which events in the womb alter the development of physical and psychological health; includes stress and teratogens.
Fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD):
A consequence of prenatal alcohol exposure that causes multiple problems, notably brain damage.
Temperament:
The biologically based tendency to behave in particular ways from very early in life.
Where personality stems from.
Personality:
The unique and relatively enduring set of behaviors, feelings, thoughts, and motives that characterize an individual.
Pruning:
The degradation of synapses and dying off of neurons that are not strengthened by experience.
Think of it as a prune.
Sensorimotor stage:
Piaget’s first stage of cognitive development (ages 0–2), when infants learn about the world by using their senses and by moving their bodies.
Object permanence develops between 4 and 9 months.
Object permanence:
The ability to realize that objects still exist when they are not being sensed.
Preoperational stage:
The second major stage of cognitive development (ages 2–5), which begins with the emergence of symbolic thought.
- Verbal and egocentric thinking develop
- Can do mentally what once could only do physically
- Conservation of shape, number, liquid not yet possible
Egocentrism:
Viewing the world from one’s own perspective and not being capable of seeing things from another person’s perspective.
Conservation:
Recognition that when some properties (such as shape) of an object change, other properties (such as volume) remain constant.
Concrete operational stage:
Piaget’s third stage of cognitive development, which spans ages 6–11, during which the child can perform mental operations—such as reversing—on real objects or events.
- Conservation of shape, number, liquid are now possible
- Logic and reasoning develop, but are limited to appearance and what is concretely observed
Formal operational stage:
Piaget’s final stage of cognitive development, from age 11 or 12 through adulthood, when formal logic is possible.
- Abstract reasoning - principles and ideals develop
- Systematic problem-solving is now possible (no longer just trial and error)
- Metacognition
- Scientific reasoning
Zone of proximal development:
The distance between what a child can learn ALONE and what that child can learn when ASSISTED by someone else, usually an adult.
Preconventional level:
The first level in Kohlberg’s theory of moral reasoning, focusing on avoiding punishment or maximizing rewards.
Judgements are based on personal needs.
“Heinz should not steal the drug because he will get in trouble and go to jail.”
Conventional level:
The second level in Kohlberg’s theory of moral reasoning, during which the person values caring, trust, and relationships as well as the social order and lawfulness.
- Rules are rules and they are not to be broken
- Judgements are based on the needs of society; individual needs serve group needs
“Heinz should not steal the drug because stealing is wrong. Society cannot function if people steal all the time.”
Postconventional level:
The third level in Kohlberg’s theory of moral reasoning, in which the person recognizes that universal moral rules may trump unjust or immoral local rules.
- Willing to break law - and suffer the consequences - if it is perceived as unjust or immoral
- Judgements balance needs of society with personal convictions
“Although it is legally wrong, Heinz should steal the drug to save his wife’s life. But he also has to be willing to suffer the consequences and go to jail if need be.”
Imprinting:
The rapid and innate learning (by the baby) of the characteristics of a caregiver very soon after birth.
Caregiver = first large creature = protector
Attachment:
The strong emotional connection that develops early in life between infants and their caregivers.
This relationship shapes the child’s social and emotional development and forms the foundation for social relationships later in life.
