Infancy and Childhood

Attachment

Emotional ties between people

Assimilation

Process by which new information is placed into categories that already exist

Accomodation

Change brought about by new information

Child Sexual Abuse

the exploitation of children through rape, incest, and molestation by parents or other adults

Perceptual Development

The process by which infants learn to make sense of the sights, sounds, tastes, and other sensations to which they are exposed.

Gross Motor Development

development of arms, legs, and torso

Fetal Stage

8 weeks to birth

Contact Comfort

the instinctual need to touch and be touched by something soft, such as skin or fur

Neglect

the failure to provide for a child's basic needs (shelter, clothing, emotional support)

Separation Anxiety

the distress displayed by infants when a customary care provider departs

Insecurely Attached

if the caregiver is unresponsive or unreliable

Cross-Sectional Method

a method of research that looks at different age groups at the same time in order to understand changes that occur during the life span

Longitudinal Method

a type of research in which the same people are studied over a long time period

Stranger Anxiety

the fear of strangers that infants commonly display, beginning by about 8 months of age

Securely Attached

When caregivers are affectionate and reliable

Autism

A developmental disorder marked by disabilities in language, social interaction, and the ability to understand another person's state of mind.

Child Abuse

physical, emotional, or sexual mistreatment of a child.

Alcohol Abuse

drinking too much alcohol, drinking it too often, or drinking it at inappropriate times

Authoritative Parents

parents who are firm, setting clear and consistent limits, but who try to reason with their children, giving explanations for why they should behave in a particular way

Developmental Psychology

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

Social Development

the way in which individuals' interactions with others and their social relationships grow, change, and remain stable over the course of life

Self-Esteem

how much you value, respect, and feel confident about yourself

Physical Abuse

intentionally causing physical harm to another person

Unconditional Positive Regard

a caring, accepting, nonjudgmental attitude, which Carl Rogers believed would help clients to develop self-awareness and self-acceptance

Fine Motor Development

The develop of the smaller muscle groups

Authoritarian Parents

parents who enforce rigid rules and demand strict obedience to authority

Critical Period

an optimal period early in the life of an organism when exposure to certain stimuli or experiences produces normal development

Maturation

the automatic and sequential process of development that results from genetic signals

Conditional Positive Regard

In Roger's theory, the sense that you will be valued and loved only if you behave in a way that is acceptable to others; conditional love or acceptance.

Imprinting

the process by which certain animals form strong attachments during an early-life critical period

Attachment

an emotional tie with another person; shown in young children by their seeking closeness to the caregiver and showing distress on separation

Warm Parents

open and affectionate with their children; they enjoy their presence

Tabula Rasa

blank slate

Permissive Parents

Parenting style consisting of very few rules and allowing children to make most decisions and control their own behavior.

8 week embryo

has eyes, ears, a heart, and circulatory system

Strict Parents

impose many rules and supervise their children closely

Reflex

a simple, automatic response to a sensory stimulus, such as the knee-jerk response