Ch. 4 Assignment

Read the article How the First Nine Months Shape the Rest of Your Life and answer the following questions on a word document. Type all answers in bullet point/note format.


1. Explain the field of "fetal origins," including the goals and claims involved.
2. Summarize David Barker's study  about the occurrence of heart disease in regions of England and Wales.






For #3-6, explain how the following topics are linked to the prenatal environment. Be specific and thorough in your answers.

3. Obesity
4. Type 2 diabetes
5. Air quality/ pollution
6. Stress

Due: Tuesday
Value: 12 points

Ch. 3 Test Guide

The Ch. 3 test will consist of objective (multiple choice) questions as well as short answer questions (like your quiz).
Re-read chapter 3 in your text, study all notes, and review the objectives below. 
Other important resources include the heredity basics worksheet, Nature/nurture video sheet, and Influences of nature/nurture (obesity, intelligence, personality, schizophrenia)

Pgs. 57-68

1.       Identify past theories and beliefs about conception.

2.    What happens during ovulation and fertilization? Define zygote.

3.       What is infertility? Identify causes for males and females.

4.       Cite the difference between monozygotic twins and dizygotic twins. (read green box on pg 62)

5.     Define DNA, chromosomes, genes, genetic code

6.       Define autosomes and sex chromosomes.

7.       How is the sex of the child determined? When does the embryo develop male or female   

 characteristics?

8.    Define alleles and identify the difference between homozygous and heterozygous transmission.

9.       Contrast dominant and recessive inheritance.

10.       What is meant by polygenic inheritance?

11.    Identify the difference between genotype and phenotype.

12.       How is multifactorial transmission linked to both genotype and environment?

13.    Review information on the ch. 3 Heredity Basics worksheet, including reaction range and canalization 

14. Why has the incidence of multiple births increased over the past several decades?

Pgs 68-82

1.      Contrast aspects of dominant and recessive inheritance of defects.

2.      Identify factors associated with sex-linked inheritance.

3.      How do chromosomal abnormalities occur?

4.      Identify the causes and characteristics of Down syndrome and discuss the outlook for a child born with this disorder.

5.      What is genetic counseling? Be sure to read the genetic testing box on pg 75.

Discuss the benefits and risks of genetic testing.

6.      Tell how researchers determine the heritability of a trait.

7.      Identify 3 common types of studies of the influence of hereditary and environmental factors in development.

8.      Explain the concepts of reaction range and canalization, and give at least one example of each.

9.      Give an example of genotype-environment interaction.

10.  Identify and explain 3 types of genotype-environment correlation.

11.  Explain why siblings tend to be more different than alike in intellect and personality, and why each experiences a unique environment within the family.

12. Study nature, nurture worksheet on obesity, intelligence, personality, schizophrenia

Study your Nature/Nurture video objectives

Ch. 1 Objectives

Answer the following questions on a separate word document. You may answer in note/bullet-point format.

Due: Tues. Sept. 3
Value: 30 points

Ch. 1- Studying a Child’s World

1.     Define child development. How is the field useful?

2.     Explain the contributions of Charles Darwin to the field of child development.

3.     Identify factors that led to child development becoming a science.

4.     Define physical, cognitive, and psychosocial development.

5.     How are the three domains from #4 intertwined?

6.     Summarize the history of adolescence as a separate stage.

7.     Identify the ages and stages of child development.

8.     Explain the role of individual differences on development.

9.     Identify the influences of heredity and environment

10. Define maturation. How does it affect development.

11. Summarize the impact of socioeconomic status on a person’s life.

12. Distinguish between normative and nonnormative life events.

13. Define critical period. How does it relate to imprinting?

14. Define plasticity. How does it relate to sensitive periods?

15. List the 6 emerging consensus statements in which most researchers agree.

Course Overview

Units of Study:

Ch. 1: Basic Concepts in the Study of Child Development and the Family

Early approaches; studying the lifespan; an emerging consensus; domains and periods of development; influences on development

Ch. 3: Forming a New Life: Conception, Heredity, and Environment

Becoming parents; mechanisms of heredity; nature and nurture

Ch. 4: Pregnancy and Prenatal Development

Stages of prenatal development; environmental influences on prenatal development; monitoring prenatal development

Ch. 5: Birth and the Newborn Baby

The birth process; characteristics of the newborn baby; monitoring baby’s health; newborns and parents

Ch. 6: Physical Development and Health During the First Three Years

Patterns of growth; molding the brain; early sensory capacities; motor development; health

Ch. 7 (Part 1): Cognitive Development During the First Three Years

Approaches to studying cognitive development- includes part of chapter 2

Ch. 7 (Part 2): Language development- includes parts of chapters 10 and 13

            Influences on language development from birth to early childhood

Ch. 8: Psychosocial Development During the First Three Years

Emotions and temperament; developing attachments with caregivers; developing autonomy in toddlerhood; sociability with siblings and non-siblings

Ch. 9 and 12: Physical Development and Health in Early and Middle Childhood

Nutrition; motor development; health and safety

Ch. 10: Cognitive Development in Early Childhood

The preoperational stage; memory development; intelligence; early childhood education

Ch. 11: Psychosocial Development in Early Childhood

            Self-concept, gender differences, parenting, relationships with other children

Ch. 13: Cognitive Development in Middle Childhood

The concrete operational stage; memory and processing; assessment of intelligence; the child in school

Ch. 14: Psychosocial Development in Middle Childhood

Self-esteem; family structure; peer relationships; mental health