Life Span Development chapters 1-3 – Flashcards
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life-span perspective
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view of development as being lifelong, multidimensional, multidirectional, plastic, multidisciplinary, and contextual; involving growth, maintenance, and regulation of loss; and constructed through biological, sociocultural, and individual factors working together.
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development as multidimensional
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development has biological, cognitive, and socioemotional dimensions
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normative age-graded influences:
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influences that are similar for individuals in a particular age group (ex. puberty, menopause, beginning formal education, retirement)
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nomative history-graded influences
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influences that are common to people of a particular generation because of historical circumstances (ex. American baby boomers shared experiences such as the assassination of JFK)
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nonnormative life events
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unusual occurrences that have a major impact on an individuals life (ex. surviving a fire, death of a parent as a child, winning the lottery)
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3 goals of human development
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growth, maintenance, and regulation of loss
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Biological processes
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processes that produce changes in an individual's physical nature (ex. genes inherited from parents, the development of the brain, height and weight gains, changes in motor skills, nutrition, exercise, hormonal changes, and cardiovascular decline)
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Cognitive Processes
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Processes that involve changes in an individual's thought, intelligence and language (ex. memorizing a poem, solving a crossword puzzle)
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Socioemotional Processes
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processes that involve changes in an individual's relationships with other people, emotions, and personality (ex. infant's smile in response to a parent's touch, a toddler's aggressive attack on a playmate etc.)
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the 8 periods of development
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prenatal, infancy, early childhood, middle and late childhood, adolescence, early adulthood, middle adulthood, late adulthood.
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Biological age
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is a person's age in terms of biological health
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psychological age
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reflects an individuals adaptive capacities compared with those of other individuals of the same chronological age
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social age
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refers to connectedness with others and the social roles individuals adopt
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stability-change issue
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debate as to whether and to what degree we become older renditions of our earlier selves (stability) or whether we develop into someone different from who we were at an earlier point in development (change)
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continuity-discontinuity issue
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debate that focuses on the extent to which development involves gradual, cumulate change (continuity) or distinct stages (discontinuity)
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5 theoretical orientations to development
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psychoanalytic, cognitive, behavioral and social cognitive, ethological, and ecological
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Psychoanalytic theories
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describe development as primarily unconscious (beyond awareness) and heavily colored by emotions. Behavior is merely a surface characteristic, and the symbolic workings of the mind must be analyzed to understand behavior. Early experiences with parents are emphasized.
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Freud's Theory
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-thought that patients problems were the results of experiences in early life -5 stages of psychosexual development: oral, anal, phallic, latency and genital
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Erikson's Psychosocial Theory
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-according to Erikson, the primary motivation for human behavior is social -development change occurs throughout the life span -8 stages, at each stage a developmental task confronts individuals with a crisis that must be resolved
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Erikson's eight life-span stages
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Individuals go though distinct, universal stages of development. Both Erikson and Freud favor the discontinuity side of the debate. Stages
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trust vs. mistrust
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1st year
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autonomy vs. shame and doubt
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1-3years
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initiative vs. guilt
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preschool
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industry vs. inferiority
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elementary
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5. Identity vs. confusion
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adolescence, 10-20
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Intimacy vs. isolation
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Early adulthood 20s, 30s
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Generativity vs. stagnation
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middle adulthood, 40s, 50s
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Integrity vs. despair
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late adulthood, 60+
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Cognitive Theories
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Piaget's cognitive developmental theory, Vygotsky's sociocultural cognitive theory, and information-processing theory
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Piaget's theory
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theory stating that children actively construct their understanding of the world and go through four stages of cognitive development 1. sensorimotor stage: birth-2 2. preoperational stage: 2-7 3. concrete operational stage: 7-11 4. formal operational stage: 11 onward
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Vygotsky's theory
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sociocultural cognitive theory that emphasizes how culture and social interaction guide cognitive development
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the information-processing theory
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Theory emphasizing that individuals manipulate information, monitor it, and strategize about it. Central to this theory are the processes of memory and thinking
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Behavioral and Social Cognitive Theories
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-idea that development is observable behavior that we can learn through experience with the environment -behavioral and social cognitive theories emphasize the continuity in development and argue that development doesn't occur in a stage-like fashion
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social cognitive theory
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theoretical view that behavior, environment, and cognition are the key factors in development -Bandura was a leading architect for the social cognitive theory
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bandura
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-early research focused on observational learning, which is also called imitation or modeling -proposes that people cognitively represent the behaviors of others and then sometimes adopt these behaviors themselves
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ethology
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theory stressing that behavior is strongly influenced by biology, is tied to evolution, and is characterized by critical or sensitive periods
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Bronfenbrenner's ecological theory
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Bronfenbrenner's environmental systems theory that focuses on five environmental systems: microsystem, mesosystem, exosysem, macrosystem, and chronosystem
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eclectic theoretical orientation
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an orientation that does not follow any one theoretical approach but rather selects from each theory whatever is considered best in it.
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3 main types of research design
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descriptive, correlational, and experimental
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descriptive research
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a type of research that aims to observe and record behavior
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correlational research
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a type of research that strives to describe the strength of the relationship between two or more events or characteristics
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cross-sectional approach
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a research strategy in which individuals of different ages are compared at one time
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Cohort Effects
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Characteristics attributable to a person's time of birth, era, or generation but not to actual age
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evolutionary psychology
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a branch of psychology that emphasized the importance of adaptation, reproduction, and "survival of the fittest" in shaping behavior -natural selection favors behaviors that increase reproductive success
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mitosis
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cellular reproduction in which the cell's nucleus duplicates itself; two new cells are formed, each containing the same DNA as the original cell, arranged in the same 23 pairs of chromosomes
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meiosis
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a specialized form of cell division that occurs to form eggs and sperm (or gametes)
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Polygenically determined
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characteristics reflect the influence of many different genes
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Down Syndrome
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a chromosomally transmitted form of intellectual disability caused by the presence of an extra copy of chromosome 21
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Klinefelter syndrome
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a chromosomal disorder in which males have an extra X chromosome, making them XXY instead of XY
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fragile X syndrome
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a chromosomal disorder involving an abnormality in the X chromosome, which becomes constricted and often breaks
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Turner Syndrome
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a chromosomal disorder in females in which either an X chromosome is missing making the person XO instead of XX or part of one X chromosome is deleted
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XYY syndrome
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a chromosomal disorder in which males have an extra y chromosome
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phenylketonuria (PKU)
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a genetic disorder in which an individual cannot properly metabolize phenylalanine, an amino acid; PKU is now easily detected- but if left untreated, results in intellectual disability and hyperactivity
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sickle-cell anemia
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a genetic disorder that affects the red blood cells and occurs most often in African Americans
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passive genotype-environment correlations
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correlations that exist when the biological parents who are genetically related to the child, provide a rearing environment for the child (ex. musically inclined parents usually have musically inclined children and they are likely to provide an environment rich in music for their children)
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evocative genotype-environment correlations
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correlations that exist when the child's characteristics elicit certain types of environments (ex. a happy, outgoing child elicits smiles and friendly responses from others)
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Active (niche-picking) genotype-environment correlations
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correlations that exist when children seek out environments they find compatible and stimulating (ex. libraries, sports fields, are examples of environmental niches children might seek out if they have intellectual interests in books, talent in sports etc.
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Epigenetic view
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perspective that emphasizes that development is the result of an ongoing, bidirectional interchange between heredity and environment -heredity and environment thus operate together-or collaborate to produce a person's intelligence, temperament, health, and abilities
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gene X environment (G X E) interaction
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the interaction of a specific measured variation in the DNA and a specific measured aspect of the environment
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germinal period
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the period of prenatal development that takes place during the first two weeks after conception; it includes the creation of the zygote, continued cell division, and the attachment of the zygote to the wall of the uterus.
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blastocysts
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group of cells that aren't fully developed but eventually become the embryo
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trophoblast
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an outer layer of cells that later provides nutrition and support to the embryo
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the embryonic period
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the period of prenatal development that occurs from two to eight weeks after conception. During the embryonic period, the rate of cell differentiation intensifies, support systems for the cells form, and organs appear.
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3 layers of cells form
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endoderm, mesoderm, and ectoderm
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organogenesis
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process of organ formation that takes place during the first two months of prenatal development
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placenta
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consists of disk shaped group of tissue in which small blood vessels from the mother and the offspring intertwine but do not join -any drug or chemical substance the pregnant woman ingests can cross the placenta to some degree, unless it is metabolized or altered during passage, or is too large
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fetal period
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the prenatal period of development that begins two months after conception and lasts for seven months, on average
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age of viability
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as early as 6 months of pregnancy the fetus has a chance of surviving outside the womb
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neurogenesis
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the generation of new neurons
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Ultrasound Sonography
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it is noninvasive procedure in which high-frequency sound waves are directed into the pregnant woman's abdomen. Can detect structural abnormalities, and give a clue as to the baby's sex.
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Fetal MRI
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used to diagnose fetal malformations
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Chorionic Villus Sampling
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used to screen for genetic defects and chromosomal abnormalities between the 10th and 12th weeks
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Amniocentesis
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between the 15th and 18th weeks of pregnancy a sample of amniotic fluid can be withdrawn by a syringe and tested for chromosome or metabolic disorders
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Maternal Blood Screening
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during the 16th to 18th week of pregnancy maternal blood screening may be performed -it identifies pregnancies that have an elevated risk for birth defects such as spina bifida and down syndrome
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Noninvasive Prenatal Diagnosis (NIPD)
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being explored as an alternative to procedures such as chorionic villus sampling and amniocentesis
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Fetal Sex Determination
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a babies sex can be detected as early as 7 weeks into a pregnancy
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teratogen
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any agent that can potentially cause a birth defect or negatively alter cognitive and behavioral outcomes (ex. drugs, incompatible blood types, environmental pollutants, infectious diseases, nutritional deficiencies, maternal stress, advanced maternal and paternal age, and environmental pollutants)
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fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD):
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a cluster of abnormalities that may appear in the offspring of mothers who drink alcohol heavily during pregnancy -low intelligence, some have an intellectual disability
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nicotine
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preterm births and low birth weights, fetal and neonatal deaths, respiratory problems, sudden infant death syndrome, and cardiovascular problems
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cocaine
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reduced birth weight, length and head circumference, lower arousal, less self-regulation, higher excitability, lower quality of reflexes, elevated blood pressure, impaired language development and information processing, attention deficits, increased behavioral problems
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heroin
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withdrawal symptoms, such as tremors, irritability, abnormal crying, disturbed sleep, and impaired motor control, attention deficits
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stages of birth
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-first stage lasts an average of 6-12 hours -the second birth stage begins when the baby's head starts to move through the cervics and the birth canal -afterbirth is the third stage, during which the placenta, umbilical cord and other membranes are detached and expelled from the uterus
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Anesthesia
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used to relieve pain
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Oxytocin
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a hormone that stimulates contractions; Pitocin is the most widely used synthetic oxytocin
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Natural childbirth
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is a childbirth method in which no drugs are given to relieve pain or assist in the birth process
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Prepared childbirth
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it includes a special breathing technique to control pushing in the final stages of labor, as well as detailed education about anatomy and physiology -other nonmedicated techniques to reduce pain include waterbirth, massage, and acupuncture
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anoxia
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a condition in which the fetus or newborn has an insufficient supply of oxygen
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apgar scale
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a widely used method to assess the health of newborns at one and five minutes after birth; it evaluates an infant's heart rate, respiratory effort, muscle tone, body color, and reflex ability
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Low birth weight infants
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weigh less than 5 ½ pounds at birth
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Preterm infants
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are born 3 weeks or more before the pregnancy has reached its full term
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Involuvtion
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the process by which the uterus returns to its prepgregnant size five or six weeks after birth.
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Cephalocaudal pattern
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the sequence in which the fastest growth occurs at the top of the body- the head -with physical growth in size, weight, and feature differentiation gradually working from top to bottom.
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Proximodistal pattern
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the sequence in which growth starts at the center of the body and moves towards the extremities.
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Hypothalamus
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a structure in the brain that is involved with eating and sexual behavior
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Gonads
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the sex glands, which are the testes in males and the ovaries in females
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Gonadotropins
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hormones that stimulate the testes or ovaries
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Sarcopenia
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term given to age-related loss of muscle mass and strength
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LDL
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bad cholesterol don't want it to be high
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HDL
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good cholesterol don't want it to be low
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Climacteric
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the midlife transition during which fertility declines
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Neuroconstructivist view
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developmental perspective in which biological processes and environmental conditions influence the brain's development; the brain has plasticity and is context dependent; and cognitive development is closely linked with brain development
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cerebral cortex
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is responsible for about 80 percent of the brain's volume and is critical in perception, thinking, language, and other important functions
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corpus callosum
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a large bundle of axon fibers that connects the brain's left and right hemispheres
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prefrontal cortex
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the highest level of the frontal lobes that is involved in reasoning, decision making, and self-control
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REM sleep
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by the time they reach adulthood, individuals spend about one-fifth of their night in REM sleep, and REM sleep usually appears about one hour after non-REM sleep. half of infants sleep is REM.
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Life span
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the upper boundary of life, which is the maximum number of years an individual can live. The maximum life span of humans is about 120 years of age. Average life expectancy of individuals born in the US is 78.3 years.
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Cellular clock theory
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Leonard Hayflick's theory that the number of times human cells can divide is about 75 to 80. As we age, our cells become less able to divide.
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free-radical theory
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a microbiological theory of aging stating that people age because when their cells metabolize energy, they generate waste that includes unstable oxygen molecules, known as free radicals, that damage DNA and other structures.
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Mitchochondrial theory
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the theory that aging is caused by the decay of mitochondria, which are tiny cellular bodies that supply energy for cell function, growth and repair
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Hormonal stress theory
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the theory that aging in the body's hormonal system can lower resistance to stress and increase the likelihood of disease
