Glossary For Human Development Flashcards
(56 cards)
Define growth
An increase in some measured quantity, such as weight and height
Define development
Complex changes including an increase in skills, abilities and capabilities
Define centile lines (percentiles)
Lines in a graph used to show average measurements of height, weight and head circumference. The lines represent the values of the measurements taking into account age and sex
Define development norms
A description of an average set of expectations with respect to a young child’s development. For example, by the age of 12 months a child has the ability to stand alone
Define milestone
An ability achieved by most children by a certain age. It can involve physical, social, emotional, cognitive and communication skills, for example walking, sharing with others, expressing emotions, recognising sounds and talking
Define gross motor skills
Large movement that involve using the large muscle of the body which are required for mobility, for example- Rolling over
Define fine motor skills
Involves smaller movements that require more precise direction (dexterity) and use smaller muscles, for example- picking up a pencil
Define adolescence
An important status change following the onset of puberty during which a young person develops from a child into an adult
Define menopause
The ending of female fertility, including the cessation of menstruation and reduction in production of female sec hormones
Define life expectancy
An estimate of the number of years, on average, that a person can expect to live. Sometimes called longevity
Define cognitive impairment
When a person has trouble remembering, learning new skills, concentrating or making decisions that affect their everyday life
Define puberty
A period of rapid growth during which young people reach sexual maturity, and become biologically able to reproduce and secondary sexual characteristics develop
Define hormones
Chemical substances produced in the body and transported in the blood stream that control or regulate body cells or body organs. For example, the sex hormones produced by the ovaries and testes are responsible for the development of secondary sexual characteristics in puberty
Define abstract logical thinking
The ability to solve problems using imagination without having to be involved practically. This is an advanced form of thinking that does not always need a practical context in order to take place
Define egocentric thinking
Not being able to see a situation from another persons point of view. Piaget thought that a young child assumed that other people see, heat and feel exactly the same as the child does
Define concrete logical thinking
The ability to solve problems providing an individual can see or physically handle the issues involved
Define equilibrium
A state of cognitive imbalance between experience and what is understood
Define disequilibrium
A state of cognitive imbalance between experience and what is understood
Define accommodation
Modifying schemas in relation to new information and experiences
Define self concept (sense of identity)
An awareness formed in early childhood of being an individual, a unique person and different from everyone else
Define emotional literacy
The ability to recognise, understand and appropriately express emotions. Emotional literacy is essential for forming positive social relationships
Define empathy
The ability to identify with or understand another’s situation or feelings
Define attachment
A strong emotional connection between a child and caregiver
Define self image
The way an individual sees themselves, their mental image of themselves
