Physical and Cognitve Development Flashcards
Urie Bronfenbrenner
Ecological Approach to development 5 levels of environmental influence Microsystem Mesosystem Exosystem Macrosystem Chronosystem
Microsystem
Urie Bronfenbrenner
everyday environment the person encounters - home, school, work, neighborhood
consists of bi-directional relationships with parents, siblings, teachers, friends, etc
Mesosystem
Bronfenbrenner
Links between various microsystems - e.g. home and school, work and friends, etc
Exosystem
Bronfenbrenner
relationship between two or more settings, at least one of which does not contain the person, but indirectly affects him or her
e.g. children influenced by how parents’ workplace affects the parents
Macrosystem
Bronfenbrenner
influences of culture, religion, economic systems, political systems
Chronosystem
Bronfenbrenner
addresses the role of the passage of time in the person’s life
includes changes that take place in the family, such as birth of siblings or moving to a new neighborhood, as well as changes in the larger environment, such as economic growth or war
age-graded normative events
an event that is commonly experienced by people of a particular age group
e.g. puberty, menopause, entering kindergarten
history-graded normative events
an event that is common to a particular cohort
e.g. Vietnam war, women’s liberation
non-normative influences on development
unusual events that have a major impact on an individual’s life
e.g. death of a parent when child is young, birth defect, fire consuming one’s home
critical periods
specific time during an organism’s life span when it is most sensitive to environmental influences or stimulation
specific structure or phenomenon must occur during the critical period, or it will not occur at all
e.g. if certain organs do not form during embryonic stage of development,w ill never be able to form properly
sensitive periods
during a sensitive period, stimulation and learning has more of an impact that it will at another time
e.g. children learn language best and most easily from ages of 1 to 3, but can still develop language later
each human cell contains ____ pairs of chromosomes
23
RNA
contains genetic code
significant role in memory functioning
gene is composed of
DNA and RNA
genotype
genetic makeup of the person, containing both expressed and unexpressed characteristics
phenotype
observable characteristics of the person
autosomes
chromosomes unrelated to sexual expression
of 23 chromosomes, 22 are autosomes
23rd pair of chromosomes
sex chromosomes
sex chromosome of every ovum is an X, but sperm may contain either an X or a Y
XX = female
XY = male
sex chromosome abnormalities
Klinefelter’s
Turner’s
autosomal abnormalities
Down Syndrome
PKU
sickle cell anemia
Klinefelter’s Syndrome
occurs only in men
results from an extra X chromosome (XXY)
men tend to be taller, less intelligent (IQ around 90), have abnormal development development of secondary sex characteristics (e.g. partial breast development, small testicles, high pitched voice)
unable to have children
Turner’s syndrome
occurs only in women
results from a missing X chromosome (X0)
generally have normal intelligence, but have abnormal development of secondary sexual characteristics (e.g. no menstruation, no ovulation)
Down’s Syndrome
aka Trisomy 21
involves three chromosomes on chromosome 21
characterized by mental retardation, broad skull, slanted eyes, physical deformities, reduced activity
PKU (Phenylketonuria)
inherited autosomal recessive disorder caused by a defective gene that affects metabolish such that phenylalanine cannot be metabolized
can results in severe mental deficiency
if detected early, babies can put on a special phenylalanine-free diet, which will ward off these serious problems
hemophelia
sex-linked recessive disorder that causes excessive bleeding
found predominantly in males
requires frequent transfusion of blood with clotting factors
sickle-cell anemia
autosomal recessive disorder that occurs primarily in African Americans
results in deformed, fragile red blood cells that can clog the blood vessels, causing anemia, severe pain, stunted growth and frequent infections
treatment includes transfusions and painkillers
3 stages of prenatal period
germinal (conception to two weeks)
embryonic (two weeks to eight to twelve weeks)
fetal stage (eight to twelve weeks until birth)
germinal period
conception to two weeks
zygote rapidly divides and ultimately plants itself only uterus wall
embryonic period
two weeks (time of implantation on uterus wall) to eight to twelves weeks involves start and rapid development of the major organ systems and structures, including nervous, respiratory, circulatory and digestive systems, as well as the eyes, ears, and limbs almost all birth defects occur during the first trimester embryo most vulnerable to effects of teratogenic agents (agents which cause birth defects) during embryonic period
teratogenic agents
agents that cause birth defects
e.g. medications, virus, or radiation
fetal period
eight to twelve weeks until birth
involves rapid growth, with the organs and other systems developing more complexity
less crucial body parts (e.g. nails and lashes) begin to form
cephalocaudal
from top of body down
during fetal period and for first few years of life, growth and development proceed in a cephalocaudal fashion, which means that the head and upper body develop before the lower body
impact of maternal nutrition on embryo or fetus
malnutrition most detrimental when fetus is still in utero
impact of maternal alcohol use on embryo or fetus
excessive alcohol use during pregnancy can result in Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS), characterized by delayed growth, physical deformities, delayed motor development, deceased intelligence and learning disabilities, short attention span, restlessness, irritability, and hyperactivity
impact of maternal cocaine use on embryo or fetus
increases the risk for spontaneous abortion and stillbirth
Infants often have a low birthweight, a piercing cry, and an exaggerated startle response; are irritable and hypersensitive; and do not respond in normal ways to the sound and sight of caregivers.
impacts of maternal nicotine use on embryo or fetus
can result in infant death or low birth weight
in school aged children, long-term complications are similar to those found in children whose mothers abused alcohol during pregnancy (poor attention span, hyperactivity, lower IQ, perceptual-motor problems)
Moro reflex
involves baby extending legs, arms, and fingers, and arching the back in response to being startled
Rooting reflex
characterized by baby turning the head, opening the mouth, and beginning sucking movements in response to the baby’s cheek being stroked with a finger or nipple
Babinski reflex
characterized by baby spreading out toes and twisting the foot when the sole of the baby’s foot is stroked
Grasp reflex
baby makes firm fist around an object placed in hand
development of touch and pain
first to develop
most mature of sense during first few months of life
infants feel pain on first day of life and become more sensitive to pain in days after delivery
development of taste
newborns seem to prefer sweet tastes to sour or bitter tastes - adaptive function bc mother’s milk is rather sweet
infants tend to reject foods that do not taste good
development of hearing
well-developed at birth
believed to be acute before birth
infants prefer female voices
development of smell
well-developed at birth
infants can differentiate between smell of mother’s milk from that of stranger
development of vision
not well-developed at birth - acuity between 20/200 and 20/600
newborn’s peripheral vision very narrow, but develops rapidly between two to ten weeks
color perception poor until about four months
infant achieves 20/20 between six months and two years
at birth, infant incapable of binocular vision, thus lacks capacity for depth perception
binocular vision develops at about four to five months of age
neurons and brain development
infant’s brain contains majority of neurons it will ever have
brain development occurs as neurons grow in size, develop more axons and dendrites, and increase their connections
plasticity
flexibility in functioning
brain of young child has significant capacity for plasticity
plasticity and age
by age 7 or 9, considerably sensory integration has occurred and brain has lateralized functioning (different hemispheres control different functions)
until age 7 or 8, children can recover language function if the dominant hemisphere has been damaged
myelination
continues into a person’s 20s, enhancing processing speed, attention span, and frontal lobe functioning
puberty
involves maturation of sexual system and marks possibility for successful reproduction
growth hormones and gonadal hormones initiate and sustain growth spurt that causes dramatic increases in height, weight, and skeletal system
hormonal secretions lead to development of secondary sexual characteristics (e.g. facial hair, breasts, deepening of voice, etc)
ages of puberty boys vs. girls
girls 10-12 - menarche (first menstrual period)
boys 12-14 - spemarche (first ejaculation)
