AP Psychology - Human Development

Chronological Development

People grow as they age

Stability and Change

The concept that some characteristics remain stable while others change

Temperament

Fancy name for a baby’s personality

Nature vs. Nurture

The debate on whether genetics or environment has more influence on human development.

Continous Development

The view that development is a gradual process (theory)

Discontinuous development

Development occurs in distinct stages. (theory)

Teratogens

Per-natal poison, what can cause harm to a developing fetus?

Fetal Alcohol Syndrome

BAD. Damaged chromosomes due to heavy drinking while pregnant.

Fine Motor Coordination

The ability to use small muscle groups to perform precise movements.

Gross Motor Coordination

The ability to use large muscle groups for movement.

Maturation

Development follows an order, and when it happens, it is based on the environment. (Both nurture and nature)

Reflexes

Automatic response to stimuli, present at birth.

Rooting

Helps newborns find their mother’s breasts for feeding.

Visual cliff

An experiment that tests depth perception in infants, and relationship with their caregiver

Ciritical Period

The only time for a person to learn something.

Sensitive Period

The best time for a person to learn something

Imprinting

Ducks think the first thing they see is their mother. (Humans dont do this)

Primary sex characteristics

The body structures involved in reproduction. Functional

Secondary Sex Characteristics

Advertisement, men and women develop different traits to display maturity.

Menarche

A female’s first period

Spermarche

A man’s first ejaculation

Jean Piaget’s stages

A theory of how a childs mind grows up until adolescnece. Each stage is reached by resolving a challange of the earlier stage.

Stage 1: Sensorimotor

No thought, only sense and movement. Simple reactions to stimuli. This happens at the infantile stage.

Object permanence

The world exists when you close your eyes. This is the conflict of stage 1.

Stage 2: Preoperational

Children believe in fictional characters, and use language, but do not have logic yet.

Law of conservation

The size of the cup does not equal the amount of water. This is the conflict of stage 2.

Theory of Mind

The belief that you and others have a mind and know you exist

Egocentrism

In Piaget’s theory, the inability of kids in the preoperational stage to not think of other’s feelings

Stage 3: Concrete operation

Kids can use logic, but not abstract thinking. Happens in elementary school.

Stage 4: Formal operations

The ability for abstract thoughts. Critical thoughts. Kids view love differently than older teens.

Scaffolding

Vygotsky’s principle that temporary support will help a child reach a higher level of understanding

Zone of proximal development

What you can do with help

Dementia

Mental decline with age, a category of disorders.

Micro-system

Closest family/friends

Meso-system

School and relationships that are not as close to you

Exo-System

Environment, workplace, good or bad teachers at a school.

Macro-system

Broader social influences such as the government or the economy

Chrono-system

Changes in social events, life changing events, such as covid 19 or the development of AI.

Authoritarian parenting style

High demands, strict, say “no” a lot.

Authoritative parenting style

Demanding, but responsive. Kids get a vote.

Permissive parenting style

Keeping the kid happy all the time (not good)

Attachment styles

The types of relationships that babies form with their caregivers

Secure attachment

Healthy, easily forgiving, trusting, and confident.

Insecure attachment

Clingy, a child is less confident in the relationship

Avoidant attachment

A child avoids closeness with their caregiver

Anxious attachment

A child shows inconsistent/confused behavior towards their caregiver

Adverse childhood experiences (ACE)

Traumatic events experienced during childhood that may shape an individual

Erik Erickson’s 8 Stages

Theory of psychosocial development, eight stages, each with a specific conflict.

1. Trust vs. Mistrust

Occurring in infancy, where caregivers' reliability fosters trust. Is the world safe?

2. Autonomy vs. Shame

Occurs in early childhood, toddlers develop independence or doubt in their abilities. An example would be potty training.

3. Initiative vs. Guilt

Occurs during Preschool, learning about empathy.

4. Industry vs. Inferiority

Occurs in elementary school, competence through school and social interactions. Children develop skills or feel inadequate.

5. Identity vs. Confusion

Occurs in adolescence, where teens unconsciously explore their itentity or sense of self.

Imaginary audience

A type of adolescent egocentrism, the belief that others are watching you, and they care about who you are or what your story is.

Personal fable

A second type of adolescent egocentrism, the belief held by adolescents that they are unique and invincible.

Acheivement

Expored options, but committed

Diffusion

Has not explored, nor committed

Foreclosure

No exploration, but committed

Moratorium

Actively exploring, no commitment.

6. Intimacy vs. Isolation

The unconscious desire to find a life partner

7. Generativity vs. Stagnation

Are you building something? The struggle to create or contribute to society, typically evaluated during middle adulthood.

8. Integrity vs. Despair

Happens in the late stages of life, was life worth it? Was the world a slightly better place because you lived?

Emerging adulthood

Late teens to mid 20’s, going to college and having your first apartment.

Social Clock

Cultural expectations for when you get married, have kids, and retire.