Unit 4: Chapter 11: Human Development Across the Lifespan Flashcards
The Prenatal Period
Extend from conception to birth, usually encompassing nine months of pregnancy.
Germinal Stage
First two weeks of prenatal development after conception. Begins when a zygote is created through fertilization.
Embryonic Stage
Second stage of prenatal development, lasting from two weeks until the end of the second month. Vital organs and bodily systems begin to form.
Fetal Stage
Third stage of prenatal development, lasting from two months through birth. Muscles and bones begin to form, and brain cells multiply during the final three months.
Age of Viability
Age at which a baby can survive in the event of a premature birth; between 22 and 26 weeks.
Teratogens
Any external agents, such as drugs or viruses, that can harm an embryo or fetus.
Fetal Alcohol Syndrome Disorder (FASD)
A collection of congenital (inborn) problems associated with excessive alcohol use during pregnancy.
Motor Development
The progression of muscular coordination required for physical activities.
Development Norms
The median age at which individuals display various behavior and abilities.
Alexander Thomas and Stella Chess
Conducted a major longitudinal study of temperament, and found that “temperamental individuality is well established by the time the infant is two to three months old.”
Temperment
Characteristic moods, activity level, and emotional reactivity.
Longitudinal Design
Investigators observe one group of participants repeatedly over a period of time; can extend over many years.
Cross-Sectional Design
Investigators compare groups of participants of differing age at a single point in time; more sensitive to developmental changes.
Cohort Effects
Occur when differences between age groups are due to the groups growing up in different time periods.
Attachment
Close, emotional bonds of affections that develop between infants and their caregivers.
Harry Harlow
Studies of attachment in infant rhesus monkeys. Removed monkeys from their mothers at birth and raised them in the laboratory with two types of artificial “substitute mothers.”
John Bowlby
Argued there must be a biological basis for attachment; infants are biologically programmed to emit behavior that triggers an affectionate protective response from adults.
Ainsworth
Method called strange situation procedure; infants-mother attachments follow three patterns: secure attachment, anxious-ambivalent attachment, and avoidant attachment.
Strange Situation Procedure
Where infants are exposed to a series of eight separation and reunion episodes to assess the quality of their attachment.
Stage
Developmental period during which characteristic patterns of behavior are exhibited and certain capacities become established.
Erikson’s Stage Theory
Divided the life span into eight stages-each which brings a psychosocial crisis.
Trust Versus Mistrust
First stage of Erikson’s Stage Theory (age 1); when an infant has to depend on adults.
Autonomy Versus Shame and Doubt
Second stage of Erikson’s Stage Theory (age 2-3); when parents begin toilet training and other efforts to regulate child’s behavior.
Initiative Versus Guilt
Third stage of Erikson’s Stage Theory (age 3-6); when children experiment and take initiative that may conflict with their parents’ rules.
