Exam 9: Section 3: Lifespan Development

According to the Focus on Neuroscience box, "Boosting the Aging Brain," dozens of studies have shown that remaining sedentary can improve cognitive functioning in old age.

According to Kohlberg's theory of moral development there are three levels of moral reasoning. Each level has two stages that represent different degrees of sophistication in moral reasoning.

Girls who are very thin or who are involved in physically demanding sports can experience a delay of up to two years in menarche beyond the average age.

By the third week after conception, a sheet of primitive neural cells has formed, which curls to form a hollow tube called the neural tube.

Stem cells are long, threadlike structures composed of twisted parallel strands of deoxyribonucleic acid.

According to psychoanalyst Erik Erikson each stage of the lifespan is marked by a particular conflict that can be resolved in either a psychologically positive or negative way.

Generally, well-nourished and healthy children begin puberty later than children who have experienced serious health problems or inadequate nutrition.

Infants are capable of forming multiple attachments.

Some teratogens such as cocaine, cigarette smoke, and alcohol can damage the developing organism during the germinal fetal periods but not in the embryonic period.

Brain-imaging studies have shown that there are three main spurts of brain development, and they occur at roughly six-year intervals, most commonly at ages 8, 14, and 20.

Kyle is 8 years old. When playing games with his classmates, he believes that they should all obey the rules of the games so that it is fair for everyone. Kyle is in the preconventional stage of Kohlberg's moral development model.

Intellectual abilities tend to peak during a person's late twenties and early thirties, and then decline gradually through the forties and fifties. After age 60, intellectual abilities show a steady decrease with each passing decade.

In general, the greatest vulnerability to teratogens occurs during the fetal period.

High-quality day care can potentially benefit children, even when it begins in early infancy.

Stressful family environments can activate some of the same hormones that are involved in activating puberty, leading to earlier maturation in some adolescents.

Authoritative parents are demanding, exert a high degree of control over their children, and expect their children to obey their rules without question.

Epigenetics refers to the study of the mechanisms that control gene expression and its effect on behavior and health.

Kohlberg and his colleagues eventually dropped stage six from his theory of moral reasoning because longitudinal research showed that none of the participants demonstrated stage six moral reasoning, and that clear-cut expressions of "universal moral principles" are very rare.

As people make the transition from one stage of the lifespan to another they undergo sudden, age-related changes in physical, mental, and social development.

The shortest phase of prenatal development is called the germinal, or zygotic, period.