Learning
1.Chronological development: A method of organization that describes
events in the order in which they occurred
2.Lifespan development: the field of study that examines patterns of
growth, change, and stability in behavior that occur throughout the
entire life span
3.Nature and nurture: the debate of weather you are shaped by your
environment or genes
4.Continuous development: view that development is a cumulative
process: grad- ually improving on existing skills
5.Discontinuous development: view that development takes place in
unique stages, which happen at specific times or ages
6.teratogens: agents, such as chemicals and viruses, that can reach the
embryo or fetus during prenatal development and cause harm
7.Fine motor coordination: - involves small muscle groups
- usually includes finger dexterity and/or skilled manipulation of
objects with the hands
8.Gross motor coordination: -- Ability to coordinate large muscle
movements as in running, walking, skipping, and throwing.
9.Maturation: biological growth processes that enable orderly changes in
behavior, relatively uninfluenced by experience
10.Reflexes: specific patterns of motor response that are triggered
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, by specific patterns of sensory stimulation
11.Rooting reflex: a baby's tendency, when touched on the cheek, to
turn toward the touch, open the mouth, and search for the nipple
12.Visual cliff: a laboratory device for testing depth perception in infants
and young animals
13.Critical periods: Periods in the developmental sequence during which
an or- ganism must experience certain kinds of social or sensory
experiences in order for normal development to take place
14.Sensitive periods: time periods when specific skills develop most easil
15.Imprinting: the process by which certain animals form strong
attachments during an early-life critical period
16.Growth spurt: The relatively sudden and rapid physical growth
that occurs during puberty. Each body part increases in size on a
schedule: Weight usually precedes height, and growth of the limbs
precedes growth of the torso.
17.Puberty: the period of sexual maturation, during which a person
becomes capable of reproducing
18.Primary sex characteristics: the body structures (ovaries, testes, and
external genitalia) that make sexual reproduction possible
19.Secondary sex characteristics: nonreproductive sexual
characteristics, such as female breasts and hips, male voice quality,
and body hair
20.Menarche: the first menstrual period
21.Spermarche: first ejaculation
22.Menopause: the time of natural cessation of menstruation; also
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