Lifespan Development and Learning Concepts

These flashcards cover key concepts from lifespan development theories and learning processes in psychology.

Preoperational Stage

According to Piaget, children in the preoperational stage exhibit symbolic thinking but lack logical operations and are egocentric.

Concrete Operational Stage

Children in the concrete operational stage can think logically about concrete events but struggle with abstract or hypothetical concepts.

Attachment Theory

Ainsworth identified three main types of attachment: secure, avoidant, and ambivalent, reflecting children's behaviors in relationships.

Parenting Styles

Baumrind's typology includes authoritarian (strict), authoritative (responsive), permissive (lenient), and uninvolved (neglectful) styles.

Emerging Adulthood

Jeffrey Johnson Arnett proposed emerging adulthood as a distinct developmental stage characterized by exploration and identity formation.

Classical Conditioning

A learning process that involves associating a neutral stimulus with an unconditioned stimulus to elicit a conditioned response.

Operant Conditioning

A type of associative learning where behaviors are modified through reinforcement or punishment.

Reinforcement

In operant conditioning, reinforcement increases the likelihood of a behavior being repeated, which can be positive (adding a pleasurable stimulus) or negative (removing an aversive stimulus).

Punishment

Punishment decreases the likelihood of a behavior recurring and can also be positive (adding an aversive stimulus) or negative (removing a pleasant stimulus).

Generalization

In conditioning, generalization is when a conditioned response occurs in response to stimuli that are similar to the conditioned stimulus.

Discrimination

The ability to distinguish between different stimuli and respond only to the conditioned stimulus in classical conditioning.