ch. 4: development

developmental psychology

a branch of psychology that studies physical, cognitive, and social change throughout the life span

cross-sectional study

a study in which people of different ages are compared with one another

longitudinal study

a study that observes the same participants on many occasions over a long period of time

prenatal

conception to birth

zygote

fertilized egg

embryo

the developing human organism from about 2 weeks after fertilization through the second month

-organs begin to form and heartbeat

fetus

the developing human organism from 9 weeks after conception to birth

-response to sounds

placenta

-connects fetus to mother

-brings oxygen, nutrients, and takes away wastes

teratogens

agents, such as chemicals and viruses, that can reach the embryo or fetus during prenatal development and cause harm

newborn reflexes

inborn automatic response to a particular form of stimulation that all healthy babies are born with

-rooting

-sucking

-swallowing

-grasping

-stepping

-babinski

-moro

-crawling

newborn temperaments

-easy

-difficult

-slow-to-warm-up

-shy

newborn sensory learning

-visual

-auditory

-olfactory

-taste

newborn visual perception

-visual cliff tells us when a baby is able to perceive depth

neural pruning

brain eliminates extra synapses

neural paving

"paving" new pathways in brain

developmental norms

average age at which individuals display various behaviors and abilities

proximodistal

development pattern of growth observed in very young children where parts of the body closest to the trunk develop motor skills before parts of the body further away

cephalocaudal

development moves from top to bottom. Infants gain control of their head first

maturation

the internally programmed growth of a child

schema

a concept or framework that organizes and interprets information

assimilation

interpreting our new experiences in terms of our existing schemas

accommodation

adapting one's current understandings (schemas) to incorporate new information

equilibrium

reached when schemas are adjusted

disequilibrium

when new info doesn't fit with existing schemas

Piaget's Stages of Development

Sensorimotor Stage (birth to 2 years)

Preoperational Stage (2-7 years)

Concrete Operations (7-11 years)

Formal Operations (12 through adulthood)

Vygotsky

-zone of proximal development

-cognitive development is set by social environment not stages

egocentrism

the inability to see the world through anyone else's eyes

theory of mind

ability to reason about what other people know or believe

principles of conservation

the concept that the quantity of a substance is not altered by reversible changes in its appearance

object permanence

the understanding that objects continue to exist even when out of view

Sensorimotor Stage (birth to 2 years)

taking in the world by sensing

Preoperational Stage (2-7 years)

kids understanding the world as they see it

-theory of mind develops towards end of stage

Concrete Operations (7-11 yrs.)

logical reasoning about concrete operations

-principles of conservation

Formal Operations (12-adulthood)

-abstract/hypothetical thinking

-can understand consequences without actually taking the action

Harry Harlow

-monkeys

-attachment through physical contact

-comfort\>necessities for survival

secure attachment

will be sad when mom leaves

anxious-ambivalent attachment

attachment style in which infants become extremely upset when their caregiver leaves but reject the caregiver when he or she returns

anxious-avoidant attachment

an attachment classification in which the infant is not distressed when his mother leaves, is just as comfortable with the stranger as with his mother, and, when his mother returns, does not rush to greet her

self concept

our understanding and evaluation of who we are

Diana Baumrind's Parenting Styles

authoritarian, permissive, neglectful, and authoritative

authoritative

demanding and responsive

permissive

not demanding but responsive

authoritarian

demanding but not responsive

neglectful

not demanding and not responsive

solitary play

a child plays alone

parallel play

activity in which children play side by side without interacting

cooperative play

kids begin to play with each other (3-3.5 years)

peer groups

groups of individuals of approximately the same age

-almost more influential than family

primary sex characteristics

the body structures that make sexual reproduction possible

secondary sex characteristics

nonreproductive sexual characteristics, such as female breasts and hips, male voice quality, and body hair

gender identity

your gender in your mind (age 3)

gender constancy

realizing gender can not change (age 4-5)

gender-role awareness

knowing behavior of gender

gender stereotypes

beliefs that are assumed characteristics of gender

sex-typed behavior

-socially defined ways to behave different for boys and girls

-may be at least partly biological in origin

menarche

the first menstrual period

menopause

the time of natural cessation of menstruation; also refers to the biological changes a woman experiences as her ability to reproduce declines

cisgender

individuals whose gender identity matches his or her biological sex

transgender

Identification with a gender that does not match one's biological gender

David Elkin

-imaginary audience

-personal fable

-invulnerability

Marcia

-achievement

-foreclosure

-moratorium

-diffusion

Erikson's 8 Psychological Stages

-trust/distrust

-autonomy vs. shame and doubt

-initiative vs. guilt

-Industry vs. inferiority

-Identity vs. Role Confusion

-Intimacy vs. isolation