PSY 1001 Chapter Notes - Chapter 10: Midlife Crisis, Spermarche, Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder
7 May 2018
School
Department
Course
Professor
Psychology 1001 / Temple University
Chapter 10: Human Development: How and Why We Change / March 19-22
Book and Lecture notes
Book: Psychology: From Inquiry to Understanding (4th Edition) / Professor: Dr. Weinraub
*Disclaimer: Most of the definitions used in this these notes are copied directly from the book. All sources listed on the last page. *
Notes by: Kirstin Ortiz
Developmental Psychology – Study of how behavior changes over the life span
Longitudinal Study – A research design that involves repeated observations of the same group
over long periods of time, often many decades
Gene-Environment Interaction – Situation in which the effects of genes depend on the
environment in which they are expressed
Nature Via Nurture – Tendency of individuals with certain genetic predispositions to seek out
and create environments that permit the expression of those predispositions
• Ex. Fearful children later seek out environments that protect them from their anxieties
Gene Expression – Activation or deactivation of genes by environment experiences throughout
development
Cross-Sectional Design – Research design that examines people of different ages at a single
point in time
Post Hoc Fallacy – False assumption that because one event occurred before another event, it
must have caused that event
Prenatal – Prior to birth
Zygote – Fertilized egg
*Prenatal physical development unfolds in 3 stages
➢ Germinal stage – The zygote divides forming a blastocyst – a ball of identical cells early
in pregnancy that haven’t yet begun to take on any specific function as a body part
➢ It keeps growing as cells keep dividing for the 1st week and a half
➢ Embryonic stage – Limbs, facial features, and major organs take shape
➢ Embryo – Second to eighth week of prenatal development, during which limbs, facial
features, and major organs take form
➢ Fetal Stage – Period of prenatal development from ninth week until birth after all major
organs are established and physical maturation is the primary change
*Brain begins to develop 18 days after fertilization
Proliferation – Neuron development (18 days – 6 months)
➢ Very fast; at times 250,000 cells/minute
➢ More neurons are produced that needed
➢ From the fourth month through pregnancy, cells organize into the structures of the brain
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
Obstacles to Normal Fetal Development:
1) Premature Birth
2) Low Birth Weight
3) Exposure to Hazardous Environmental Influences
4) Biological Influences Resulting from Genetic Disorders or Errors in Cell Duplication
During Cell Division
Teratogen – An environmental factor that can exert a negative impact on prenatal development
Fetal Alcohol Syndrome – Condition resulting from high levels of alcohol exposure, causing
learning disabilities, physical growth retardation, facial malformation, and behavioral disorders
The Progression of Motor Development:
1) Sitting without support – 6 months
2) Crawling – 9 months
3) Standing – 11 months
4) Cruising – 12 months
5) Walking without assistance – 13 months
6) Running – 18-24 months
Motor Behavior – Bodily motion that occurs as a result of self-initiated force that moves the
bones and muscles
Adolescence – The transition between childhood and adulthood commonly associated with the
teenage years
Puberty – The achievement of sexual maturation resulting in the potential to reproduce
Primary Sex Characteristics – A physical feature such as the reproductive organs and genitals
that distinguish the sexes
Secondary Sex Characteristics – A sex-differentiating characteristic that doesn’t relate directly to
reproduction, such as breasts in women and deeper voices in men
Menarche – State of menstruation
Spermarche – Boys’ first ejaculation
Cognitive Development – Study of how children acquire the ability to learn, think, reason,
communicate, and remember
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
Document Summary
Chapter 10: human development: how and why we change / march 19-22. Book: psychology: from inquiry to understanding (4th edition) / professor: dr. weinraub. *disclaimer: most of the definitions used in this these notes are copied directly from the book. Developmental psychology study of how behavior changes over the life span. Longitudinal study a research design that involves repeated observations of the same group over long periods of time, often many decades. Gene-environment interaction situation in which the effects of genes depend on the environment in which they are expressed. Nature via nurture tendency of individuals with certain genetic predispositions to seek out and create environments that permit the expression of those predispositions: ex. Fearful children later seek out environments that protect them from their anxieties. Gene expression activation or deactivation of genes by environment experiences throughout development. Cross-sectional design research design that examines people of different ages at a single point in time.
