444 Glossary
emotional neglect.
Failure to meet a person’s
emotional needs or to provide psychological care, or
to allow a child to use alcohol or drugs. (14)
empathetic.
To be understanding or sensitive to the
feelings, thoughts, and experiences of others. (2)
employability skills.
Basic skills needed to obtain
and succeed on a job. (15)
empty nest.
A void in a couple’s life when the home
is empty and they are no longer focusing their
resources on rearing their children. (3, 11)
energy balance.
Calories gained through foods
consumed equal calories burned through everyday
movements and physical activities. (9)
entrepreneurship.
The process of creating and
managing one’s own business. (15)
enuresis.
Difficulty in controlling bathroom habits
overnight. (7)
environment.
All of a person’s surroundings and the
people in them. (1)
episiotomy.
A surgical cut that allows the baby to
pass through more easily during delivery. (4)
episodic memories.
Includes personal experiences
or events such as remembering where the car keys
were placed. (11)
estrogen.
Hormone that is important in the
development of female bodily characteristics. (11)
ethnicity.
A person’s identity with a particular racial,
national, or cultural group and support of that
group’s customs, beliefs, and language. (3)
ethnic or cultural diversity.
In the United States,
people of different backgrounds, languages, races,
ethnicities, religions, and socioeconomic classes live
in one society. (3)
ethological theory.
Assigning traits and behaviors
based on a person’s biology or genetic make-up. (2)
executive director.
Professional who is responsible
for the overall management and leadership of an
organization. (17)
executive strategies.
Skills used to solve problems,
which involve assessing problems, making goals,
and developing plans to meet goals. They also
involve implementing and evaluating solutions. (8)
expansion mode.
When the economy accelerates
and increases. (3)
expenses.
Goods and services that require
payment. (14)
expulsion stage.
The delivery stage of childbirth. (4)
extracurricular activities.
Before or after school
activities that promote group interactions and have
a positive effect on social skills. (9)
F
family.
Two or more people living in the same
household who are related by blood (birth),
marriage, or adoption. (3)
Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA).
Federal
law that allows full-time employed individuals to
take job-protected leave without pay for the family
transitions that involve close family members such
as spouses, children, and parents. (3)
family child care centers.
Programs operated in
a caregiver’s private home for a small number of
children. (13)
family life cycle.
Six basic stages that many families
go through as a normal part of life. Includes the
beginning, childbearing, parenting, launching, mid-
years, and aging stages. (3)
fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS).
Conditions such as
cognitive disabilities caused by prenatal exposure to
alcohol. (4)
fetal monitoring.
Device used to track a baby’s
heart rate, the mother’s contractions, and to alert the
medical staff to any signs of distress. (4)
fetal period.
Pregnancy stage that extends from the
ninth week of pregnancy until birth at the end of the
third trimester. (4)
fetus.
Term used to describe the developing baby
during the fetal period. (4)
financial advisor.
Professional who helps people set
financial goals, establish and keep a budget, make
investment decisions, and plan for future purchases
and expenses. (17)
fine-motor skills.
Physical tasks involving small
muscle movements such as cutting with scissors,
typing on a keyboard, and writing with a pen or
pencil. (1)
first trimester.
Begins at conception and lasts until
about the ninth week of pregnancy. (4)
fixed expenses.
Costs that do not vary from time
period to time period. (14)
flexible expenses.
Costs that fluctuate or vary in
price and frequency. (14)
fluid intelligence.
The ability to reason abstractly,
which includes calculating mathematical problems
with speed or learning things quickly. (10)
folic acid.
A vitamin that when taken prenatally, helps
reduce brain and spinal cord birth defects. (4)
food allergies.
When foods trigger a response by
the body’s immune system, which can cause severe
reactions, including breathing problems or death. (7)
food intolerances.
Reactions to foods that are
unpleasant, such as digestive or behavioral
problems. (5, 7)