Test 1

Question 1

Why does childhood exist?

Answer 1

Walking upright narrows the possible size of the birth canal.

Newborn infants’ heads can only reach a certain size before both mother and child die during childbirth.

Processes that were once prenatal in our ancestors became postnatal for humans.

Primates’ brain growth occurs mostly in utero.
Brains are 70% developed at birth and reach full maturity within the next 6 months.

At birth, the human brain has reached only 23% of its full weight.
The brain triples in size over the first 3 years of life.

Human brain is not fully mature until the mid 20’s.

Question 2

What are the disadvantages of long childhoods?

Answer 2

requires greater parental investment

increases the risk that offspring will die before reproducing

Question 3

What are the four themes in CD?

Answer 3

1. Continuity and Discontinuity
2. Nature and Nurture
3. Active vs. Passive Child
4. Links between domains

Question 4

What term describes the fact that experience can alter the expression of genes, and genes influence the experiences we seek out?

Answer 4

Bidirectional influences

Question 5

Alternative term for the nature vs. nurture debate

Answer 5

Nativists vs. Empiricists

Question 6

Provide examples of links between domains

Answer 6

Increases in motor development lead to increases in cognitive development

Increases in language development lead to increases in emotional development

Question 7

Define “gene”

Answer 7

a segment of DNA that acts as instructions for creating a particular protein

Question 8

What are chromosomes, and how many do humans have?

Answer 8

Humans have 46 chromosomes total

Chromosomes are made up of thousands of genes, long strands of DNA

Question 9

What is the term for the development that results from the bidirectional interactions between genotype and environment?

Answer 9

Epigenisis

Question 10

Provide examples of epigenesis

Answer 10

Environmental factors such as food, drugs, or toxins can cause epigenetic changes by alteringthe way molecules bind to DNA or changingthe structure of proteins that DNA wraps around.
These structural changes can result in slight changesin gene activity
They also can produce more dramaticchanges by switching genes on when theyshould be off or vice versa.
Example: girls usually begin menstruating between the ages of 11-16. It is part of the genotype for girls to begin menstruating around these ages. The exact age is determined by environmental influences: Anorexia, extreme exercise, obesity, exposure to hormones from food

Question 11

Provide an example of reaction range

Answer 11

In Western countries, height rose steadily for the first half of the 20th century as nutrition improved.

Genes themselves did not change within one generation; the environment allowed the phenotype to reach a higher point in the possible reaction range.

Question 12

Define “passive effects”

Answer 12

During infancy, individuals’ environments are provided by their parents. The rearing environment reflects the parents’ genes.

Question 13

Define “evocative effects”

Answer 13

A person’s inherited characteristics evoke responses from others in their environment.

Question 14

Define “active effects”

Answer 14

People pay attention to aspects of environments that best correspond with their genotype.
They actively seek out environments that correspond to their genotypic characteristics.
Niche-picking

Question 15

Effects Over Time: When does each effect have the most influence?

Answer 15

In childhood, passive effects are especially pronounced

Active effects are relatively weak

Question 16

Define “reaction range”

Answer 16

an individual genotype establishes a range of possible responses to different
kinds of life experiences: the so-called range of reaction. . In other words, Gottesman
claims that genotype sets boundaries on the range of possible phenotypes that one
might display to different environments.

Question 17

What is the term for the process of seeking out environments that fit one’s heredity?

Answer 17

Define “niche picking”

Question 18

What is the fertilized egg called (weeks 1-2)?

Answer 18

Zygote

Question 19

What is a blastocyst and when does it form?

Answer 19

4 days after fertilization, when growth becomes a hollow ball with 100 cells

Question 20

What and when is the next step after blastocyst formation?

Answer 20

Implantation- blastocyst burrows into the uterine wall

Question 21

What is the cluster of cells in the center of the blastocyst called?

Answer 21

Germ disc (eventually to become the baby)

Question 22

What does the layer of cells of the blastocyst closest to the uterus become?

Answer 22

Placenta

Question 23

When is an “embryo” in existence? (event and time period)

Answer 23

When blastocyst is completely embedded in the uterine wall. Embryo is weeks 3-8.

Question 24

What does the amniotic sac do?

Answer 24

cushions the embryo and helps maintain its temperature

Question 25

What does the umbilical cord connect the embryo to?

Answer 25

Placenta

Question 26

What weeks of pregnancy are called the "fetus"?

Answer 26

9-38

Question 27

What drug led to deformed limbs?

Answer 27

Thalidomide, for morning sickness

Question 28

What are the three primary types of teratogens?

Answer 28

Diseases, drugs, environmental hazards

Question 29

Define "neuron"

Answer 29

A cell that specializes in receiving and transmitting information

Question 30

What is the receiving end of the neuron called?

Answer 30

Dendrite

Question 31

What is the end of the neuron that sends info out called?

Answer 31

Axon

Question 32

What is myelin?

Answer 32

A fatty sheath that allows neurons to transmit information more rapidly

Question 33

How does information travel between neurons?

Answer 33

Neurotransmitters cross synapses

Question 34

What is the first stage of brain development?

Answer 34

3 weeks after conception- neural plate

Question 35

What happens in brain development four weeks after conception?

Answer 35

The neural plate folds into a tube that ultimately becomes the brain and spinal cord

Question 36

When does production of neurons begin?

Answer 36

10 weeks after conception, once the ends of the neural tube have fused shut

Question 37

What part of the brain is developed first? Last?

Answer 37

Innermost layers are built first

Question 38

When are all six layers of the brain complete?

Answer 38

7 months after conception

Question 39

When does acquirement of myelin begin? End?

Answer 39

4 months after conception until early adulthood

Question 40

What are the benefits of breastfeeding?

Answer 40

Like formula, breast milk provides the proper nutrients for a child’s growth. Breast milk contains antibodies that protect child from illness. Breast fed infants are less prone to digestive problems (diarrhea and constipation), and transition to solid foods more easily because they are accustomed to breast milk changing tastes. Also, in areas with sanitation issues, breastmilk cannot be contaminated the way formula can. Formula-fed infants are more likely to develop allergies.

Question 41

Why do teratogens have differential effects?

Answer 41

Effects depend on: genotype of organism (for example, thalidomide did not harm rats or rabbits, not did it harm all embryos that encountered it), timing (exposure for zygotes usually causes spontaneous abortion, type of teratogen (i.e. rubella will affect the heart, eyes, and ears, but not the limbs), dose

Question 42

What is it called when the neural plate folds into a tube, and when does this occur?

Answer 42

Neurulation, 3-4 weeks after gestation

Question 43

What are the four stages of neural development?

Answer 43

Neurulation, proliferation, migration, differentiation

Question 44

What is the difference between gray and white matter?

Answer 44

Gray matter and synapses decline in teens and twenties; white matter grows into thirties. White matter is composed of myelinated axons; gray matter is composed of nerve cell bodies and dendrites.

Question 45

What are the two types of synaptogenesis?

Answer 45

Experience-expectant, experience-dependent

Question 46

Why is mother stress a risk during the prenatal period?

Answer 46

Weakened immune system, less likely to get adequate sleep and nutrition, stress turns "off" genes that help regulate behavior in fetuses

Question 47

What are the greatest risks to the developing child?

Answer 47

malnutrition, anorexia/bulimia, obesity, diseases, accidents

Question 48

What might environmental factors do to DNA and proteins?

Answer 48

Alter the way molecules bind to DNA, change the structure of the protein that the DNA wraps around

Question 49

What are causes of early puberty?

Answer 49

``` Obesity Environmental contaminants Estrogen related chemicals and hormones Social Environments Inadequate resources High stress Insecure attachment Father absence ```

Question 50

Why might absence of an active father lead to earlier puberty in girls?

Answer 50

mating strategy of short term bonds and limited parental investment. Women have greater investment in offspring, and thus should be more sensitive to environmental factors related to rearing offspring

Question 51

What are the effects of early maturation for girls?

Answer 51

Lower self esteem Higher rates of anxiety, depression, and eating disorders More likely to engage in drug/alcohol use Display problems in school Engage in sexual activity earlier

Question 52

What are the effects of early maturation for boys?

Answer 52

More popular Self assured Sociable Higher achievement aspirations

Question 53

Why is early maturation a better psychological experience for boys than for girls?

Answer 53

Unlike girls, are not overly conspicuous Growth is seen as positive Tend to excel in sports