WGU D202 Human Growth and Development
1. What is the embryonic period?: Weeks 3-8 of pregnancy, formation of placenta and brain
development
2. What is the fetal period?: From the end of the embryonic period until the end of pregnancy,
viability at 24 weeks
3. What influences sexual orientation?: Genetics, birth order, hormones
4. What are some maternal factors that can affect fetal development?: Age, environmental
teratogens, diabetes, high blood pressure, Rh factor, weight gain, stress, depression
5. What are some risks during pregnancy?: Ectopic pregnancy, preeclampsia, spontaneous
abortion
6. How many stages are there in labor for vaginal delivery?: Three
7. What are the other types of delivery?: Cesarean and induced
8. What is the APGAR score?: Assessment of newborn's heart rate, muscle tone, reflexes, etc.
9. What is NBAS?: Neonatal Behavioral Assessment Scale used to assess new- borns.
10.When does the postpartum phase begin and end?: Begins after birth and ends when
mother's body returns to pre-pregnancy form.
11.What are maternal worries in the postpartum phase?: Mother's needs and changes in taking
on new responsibilities.
12.What is postpartum anxiety?: Elevated sense of worry about the infant follow- ing childbirth.
13.What is postpartum depression?: Unusual sadness occurring after childbirth.
14.What is postpartum psychosis?: Serious mental illness affecting new mothers after childbirth.
15.Why should new mothers seek medical assistance for postpartum anxi- ety?: To address
elevated worries about the infant.
16.What is physical growth?: Increase in body size and organ size in babies.
17.What does physical development aid in?: Maintenance of healthy weight, strong bones,
muscles, and heart.
18.What is motor development?: Physical growth and strengthening of bones and muscles in
children.
19.What do gross motor skills focus on?: Large muscle groups controlling head, torso, arms, and
legs.
20.What is the cephalocaudal path of development?: Development that pro- ceeds from head
to tail.
21.What is the proximodistal path of development?: Development that proceeds from midline
outward.
, WGU D202 Human Growth and Development
22.What is sensory development?: Processes used to take in information from the
environment.
23.How can sensory processes be affected?: By the infant's developing motor abilities.
24.Why is nutrition important for health and development?: It is related to improved infant,
child, and maternal health and stronger immune systems.
25.What is kwashiorkor?: A disease caused by protein deficiency.
26.When does kwashiorkor often occur?: After the birth of another sibling.
27.What are genes?: Inherited building blocks that determine development.
28.What is mitosis?: Nucleus makes copy of chromosomes and splits into two cells.
29.What happens in meiosis?: Chromosomes duplicate and divide twice, result- ing in four cells.
30.What is genotype?: Sum total of inherited genes.
31.What is phenotype?: Features that are expressed.
32.What are dominant genes?: Express themselves in phenotype.
33.What are recessive genes?: Express themselves only when paired with similar gene.
34.What disorders are linked to genetics?: Sickle cell disease, Tay-Sachs dis- ease, Tourette's
syndrome, fragile X syndrome, hemophilia.
35.What is a chromosomal abnormality?: Inheriting too many or too few chromo- somes.
36.What are teratogens?: Environmental factors that can cause disorders in in- fants.
37.What are examples of teratogens?: Smoking, binge drinking, mercury expo- sure, rubella.
38.What is synaptogenesis?: Rapid growth of synapses in the brain.
39.What is synaptic pruning?: Elimination of unnecessary synapses.
40.What is neuroplasticity?: Brain's ability to change and adapt.
41.Where does most neural activity occur in the infant brain?: Cortex.
42.How many hemispheres does the brain cortex have?: Two.
43.How many lobes are in each hemisphere of the brain?: Four.
44.What are the folds separating the lobes called?: Fissures.
45.What is the average amount of sleep for a newborn?: Approximately 16.5 hours per 24-hour
period.
46. What percentage of sleep time do newborns spend in the REM phase?: -
Close to 50 percent.
47.What are the grasping and stepping reflexes eventually replaced by?: More voluntary behaviors.
, WGU D202 Human Growth and Development
48.Which reflexes disappear within the first few months of life?: Grasping and stepping reflexes.
49.Which reflexes remain and serve important functions?: Eye-blink, swallow- ing, sneezing, and
others.
50.What is the pincer grasp?: Ability to grasp an object using the forefinger and thumb.
51.What is the palmer grasp?: The use of the fingers and palm, but no thumbs.
52.What are schemata or schemas?: Mental frameworks or concepts developed through
assimilation and accommodation.
53.What is infantile amnesia?: The inability to recall memories from the first few years of life.
54.What is a phoneme?: The smallest unit of sound that makes a meaningful difference in a
language.
55.What are phonemes?: Distinct sounds used in language.
56.What is cooing?: One-syllable combination of consonant and vowel sound.
57.How do deaf babies communicate?: Through gestures.
58.When do children start using their first words?: Around 12 or 13 months of age.
59.What is divided attention?: Ability to switch focus between tasks or stimuli.
60.Do younger children have more difficulty maintaining attention?: Yes.
61.What is sensory memory?: First stage of the memory system.
62.What is short-term or working memory?: Second stage of the memory sys- tem.
63.What is long-term memory?: Third stage of the memory system.
64.What are semantic memories?: Memories for facts and knowledge not tied to a timeline.
65.What are episodic memories?: Memories tied to specific events in time.
66.What is epigenetics?: Study of how modifications in DNA affect gene expres- sion.
67.What are genotype-environment correlations?: Processes by which genetic factors contribute
to variations in the environment.
68.What is bi-directional influence?: Parents and children mutually influence each other.
69.What is temperament?: Child characteristics that affect parenting behaviors and roles.
70.What is goodness of fit?: Rapport between individual temperament and the surrounding
environment.
71.What do infants show attraction to?: Pleasant situations and withdrawal from unpleasant
stimulation.
1. What is the embryonic period?: Weeks 3-8 of pregnancy, formation of placenta and brain
development
2. What is the fetal period?: From the end of the embryonic period until the end of pregnancy,
viability at 24 weeks
3. What influences sexual orientation?: Genetics, birth order, hormones
4. What are some maternal factors that can affect fetal development?: Age, environmental
teratogens, diabetes, high blood pressure, Rh factor, weight gain, stress, depression
5. What are some risks during pregnancy?: Ectopic pregnancy, preeclampsia, spontaneous
abortion
6. How many stages are there in labor for vaginal delivery?: Three
7. What are the other types of delivery?: Cesarean and induced
8. What is the APGAR score?: Assessment of newborn's heart rate, muscle tone, reflexes, etc.
9. What is NBAS?: Neonatal Behavioral Assessment Scale used to assess new- borns.
10.When does the postpartum phase begin and end?: Begins after birth and ends when
mother's body returns to pre-pregnancy form.
11.What are maternal worries in the postpartum phase?: Mother's needs and changes in taking
on new responsibilities.
12.What is postpartum anxiety?: Elevated sense of worry about the infant follow- ing childbirth.
13.What is postpartum depression?: Unusual sadness occurring after childbirth.
14.What is postpartum psychosis?: Serious mental illness affecting new mothers after childbirth.
15.Why should new mothers seek medical assistance for postpartum anxi- ety?: To address
elevated worries about the infant.
16.What is physical growth?: Increase in body size and organ size in babies.
17.What does physical development aid in?: Maintenance of healthy weight, strong bones,
muscles, and heart.
18.What is motor development?: Physical growth and strengthening of bones and muscles in
children.
19.What do gross motor skills focus on?: Large muscle groups controlling head, torso, arms, and
legs.
20.What is the cephalocaudal path of development?: Development that pro- ceeds from head
to tail.
21.What is the proximodistal path of development?: Development that proceeds from midline
outward.
, WGU D202 Human Growth and Development
22.What is sensory development?: Processes used to take in information from the
environment.
23.How can sensory processes be affected?: By the infant's developing motor abilities.
24.Why is nutrition important for health and development?: It is related to improved infant,
child, and maternal health and stronger immune systems.
25.What is kwashiorkor?: A disease caused by protein deficiency.
26.When does kwashiorkor often occur?: After the birth of another sibling.
27.What are genes?: Inherited building blocks that determine development.
28.What is mitosis?: Nucleus makes copy of chromosomes and splits into two cells.
29.What happens in meiosis?: Chromosomes duplicate and divide twice, result- ing in four cells.
30.What is genotype?: Sum total of inherited genes.
31.What is phenotype?: Features that are expressed.
32.What are dominant genes?: Express themselves in phenotype.
33.What are recessive genes?: Express themselves only when paired with similar gene.
34.What disorders are linked to genetics?: Sickle cell disease, Tay-Sachs dis- ease, Tourette's
syndrome, fragile X syndrome, hemophilia.
35.What is a chromosomal abnormality?: Inheriting too many or too few chromo- somes.
36.What are teratogens?: Environmental factors that can cause disorders in in- fants.
37.What are examples of teratogens?: Smoking, binge drinking, mercury expo- sure, rubella.
38.What is synaptogenesis?: Rapid growth of synapses in the brain.
39.What is synaptic pruning?: Elimination of unnecessary synapses.
40.What is neuroplasticity?: Brain's ability to change and adapt.
41.Where does most neural activity occur in the infant brain?: Cortex.
42.How many hemispheres does the brain cortex have?: Two.
43.How many lobes are in each hemisphere of the brain?: Four.
44.What are the folds separating the lobes called?: Fissures.
45.What is the average amount of sleep for a newborn?: Approximately 16.5 hours per 24-hour
period.
46. What percentage of sleep time do newborns spend in the REM phase?: -
Close to 50 percent.
47.What are the grasping and stepping reflexes eventually replaced by?: More voluntary behaviors.
, WGU D202 Human Growth and Development
48.Which reflexes disappear within the first few months of life?: Grasping and stepping reflexes.
49.Which reflexes remain and serve important functions?: Eye-blink, swallow- ing, sneezing, and
others.
50.What is the pincer grasp?: Ability to grasp an object using the forefinger and thumb.
51.What is the palmer grasp?: The use of the fingers and palm, but no thumbs.
52.What are schemata or schemas?: Mental frameworks or concepts developed through
assimilation and accommodation.
53.What is infantile amnesia?: The inability to recall memories from the first few years of life.
54.What is a phoneme?: The smallest unit of sound that makes a meaningful difference in a
language.
55.What are phonemes?: Distinct sounds used in language.
56.What is cooing?: One-syllable combination of consonant and vowel sound.
57.How do deaf babies communicate?: Through gestures.
58.When do children start using their first words?: Around 12 or 13 months of age.
59.What is divided attention?: Ability to switch focus between tasks or stimuli.
60.Do younger children have more difficulty maintaining attention?: Yes.
61.What is sensory memory?: First stage of the memory system.
62.What is short-term or working memory?: Second stage of the memory sys- tem.
63.What is long-term memory?: Third stage of the memory system.
64.What are semantic memories?: Memories for facts and knowledge not tied to a timeline.
65.What are episodic memories?: Memories tied to specific events in time.
66.What is epigenetics?: Study of how modifications in DNA affect gene expres- sion.
67.What are genotype-environment correlations?: Processes by which genetic factors contribute
to variations in the environment.
68.What is bi-directional influence?: Parents and children mutually influence each other.
69.What is temperament?: Child characteristics that affect parenting behaviors and roles.
70.What is goodness of fit?: Rapport between individual temperament and the surrounding
environment.
71.What do infants show attraction to?: Pleasant situations and withdrawal from unpleasant
stimulation.
