Developmental and Research Designs

8Developmental & Research Designs * Human development - the scientific study of the changes that occur in people as they age from conception until death. * How is human development studied? * Longitudinal design - research design in which one participant or group of participants is studied over a long period of time. * Cross-sectional design - research design in which several different age groups of participants are studied at one particular point in time. * Cross-sequential design - research design in which participants are first studied by means of a cross-sectional design but also followed and assessed for a period of no more than six years.
Nature vs. Nurture * Nature - the influence of our inherited characteristics on our personality, physical growth, intellectual growth, and social interactions. * Nurture - the influence of the environment on personality, physical growth, intellectual growth, and social interactions. * Behavioral genetics – study that focuses on nature vs. nurture.
The Beginnings of Human Life * Genetics - the science of inherited traits * Human life begins as a single cell which eventually evolves into about 50 to 100 trillion multiple cells. * The nucleus (control center) of each cell contains structures called chromosomes . Each chromosome is made up of DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) and protein. DNA contains tiny segments called genes that we inherit from our parents. Genetics & Development * Chromosome - tightly wound threadlike strands of genetic material that stores (DNA) and transmits (genes) genetic information. * DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) - special molecule that contains the genetic material of living organisms. It stores genetic information. * Gene - section of DNA having the same arrangement of chemical elements. It transmits genetic information. * Dominant - referring to a gene that actively controls the expression of a