Unit 3 Development & Learning AP Psych

Developmental Psychology

Scientific study of how and why people change over time

Nature & Nurture

how our genetic inheritance (nature) & life experience (nurture) shape our development

Continuity & Stages

C - Development changes that are slow and steady, steps build on each other
S - Development happens in specific, sudden shifts, clear difference between phases

Stability & Change

understand how and why people remain the same in some aspects but evolve and adapt through different life stages

Longitudinal Research

Studying the same individuals overtime, identify long-term trends

Cross-sectional Research

studying different groups of various ages at the same point in life, compare differences and similarities to infer developmental changes

Psychosocial Development

theory that individuals progress through stages, each characterized by specific conflict

Trust Vs. Mistrust

Birth - 18 months, develop trust, future relationships and emotional health

Autonomy & Shame & Doubt stage

18m - 3 years, develop personal control and self-esteem toddlers doing things alone

Initiative & Guilt stage

3-6y, develop initiative, initiate actions and make early decisions, leadership skills

Industry & Inferiority stage

6-12y, building skills, demonstrate abilities, essential for confidence and social skills

Identity & Isolation stage

18-40Y, establishing connections, close committed relationships, emotional depth

Generatively & Stagnation stage

40-65Y, nurturing next generation, parenting, mentoring, make an impact around them

Integrity & Despair stage

65Y and over, reflecting life, look back on life achievements and regrets, having peace at the end

Prenatal Development

growth and development within the womb, before birth

Teratogens

harmful substances drugs, alcohol, infections that cause birth defects ibuprofen

Reflexes

autonomic response that newborns are born with, aid in survival

Rooting reflex

autonomic response, newborns when they turn their head towards a touch on the cheek

Maturation

biological growth process, guided by genetics not by experience, changes in behavior

Development Milestones

Key skills most children achieve by specific ages walking, talking

Sensitive period

critical time in early development, brain learning specific skills, critical time in early development, brain learning specific skills language

Fine motor coordination

ability to control small muscle movements writing, using utensils

Gross motor coordination

ability to control large muscle movements walking, jumping

Visual Cliff

experimental set up used to study depth perception in infants, clear glass makes a cliff perception

Puberty

period of physical and hormonal changes, lead to sexual maturity and ability to reproduce

Adolescent Growth Spurt

rapid increase in physical growth like height and weight that occurs during puberty

Menopause

natural biological process, end of women’s menstrual cycle, around age 50

Andropause

reduction of testosterone production 30-40 years, males

Sex

biologically influenced characteristics, people define male, female, and intersex

x-chromosome

sex chromosome that both males and females have, females typically have 2

y-chromosome

chromosome found only in males, typically have 1 X and 1 Y chromosome, determines male sex

primary sex characteristics

reproductive organs/structures involved in reproduction (ovaries, genitalia)

secondary sex characterists

physical traits that develop during puberty not involved in reproduction (facial hair)

Menarche

a girls first menstrual period, beginning of puberty

spermarche

a boys first production of sperm, beginning of puberty

gender

attitudes, feelings, and behaviors that a given culture associates with a biological sex

sexual orientation

persons sexual and emotional attraction to another person

gender roles

social expectations and norms for behavior, attitudes, and achievements

gender identity

individuals internal sense of being male, female, both, or neither

gender typing

process when children learn and adapt behaviors, interprets, and roles conceded appropriate for their gender according to cultural norms

Ecological development theory

child’s development is influenced by multiple layers of environmental factors

Authoritarian Parenting style

parenting approach where parents enforce high expectations and rigid rules, often relying on punishment and discipline

Permissive Parenting style

relaxed approach to parenting, low expectations, flexible

Authoritative Parenting style

balanced approach, combining high exceptions and support team

Temperament

traits that influence how children respond to their environment

Imprinting

rapid form of early learning, form strong attachments to first moving object they see most common with animals

Contact Comfort

sense of security and emotional relief from physical touch skin-to-skin

Separation Anxiety

distress response experienced by infants when separated from their primary caregiver

Attachment Styles

Patterns of behavior, describe how children form emotional bonds with caregivers, influencing relationships later in life

Secure Attachment

patterns where children feel confident and trust that caregiver will meet needs

Avoidant Attachment

pattern where children exhibit independence and avoid comfort

Disorganized Attachment

pattern, inconsistent/confused behaviors toward caregiver from trauma or abuse

Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE’S)

potentially traumatic events or conditions such as abuse, neglect, or household dysfunction, occurs before age 18, long-term impacts on health and well-being

Social Clock

cultural timeline thats sets expected ages for key life events getting married

Emerging Adulthood

transitional life stage from late-teens to mid 20’s; exploration and self-discovery

Adolescent Egocentrism

stage in teenage development, increased self-focus, belief that others are always observing them

Imaginary Audience

Individuals believe others are constantly watching and judging their behavior, making them self-conscious

Personal Fable

belief that one’s experiences are unique and special, leading to feeling invulnerable

Possible Selves

various versions of who individuals might become in the future

Social Identity

individuals sense of who they are based on their membership in social groups

Identity Diffusion

state where individuals have not yet explored or committed to life choices

Identity Foreclosure

stage where individuals commit to goals, beliefs without exploring alternatives, often for parents expectations or society

Identity Moratorium

stage when individuals explore different paths, but not yet made a full commitment

Identity Achievement

stage where individuals explored various life paths and made firm decisions about beliefs, values, and goals

Jean Piaget

he studied children’s developing cognition mental activities, thinking, knowing

Schemas

mental frameworks, help organize & interpret info based on past

assimilation

“adding to existing” filtering new info into existing schemas

accommodation

“adjusting” changing/making new schemas based on new info

sensorimotor stage

first of Piaget’s stages of cognitive development; infants learn about the world through sensory experiences and motor actions

object permanence

understanding that objects continue to exist even when they cannot be seen or heard

Preoperational stage

second of Piaget’s stages of cognitive development; (2-7y) children develop language, symbolic thinking and imagination but struggle with logical reasoning

Pretend play

involves children acting out scenarios, roles, or situations using their imagination

Parallel play

children play alongside each other without directly interacting

animism

belief in early childhood, children attribute lifelike qualities like feelings and intentions to inanimate objects

egocentrism

children struggle to see things from anothers pov

theory of mind

ability to understand that others have thoughts, feelings, and perspectives different from owns

concrete operational stage

third of Piaget’s stages of cognitive development; (7-11y) children develop logical thinking about concrete objects

conservation

understanding certain properties of objects remain consistent despite changes

reversibilty

ability to mentally reverse an action or operation, understanding objects can be returned to original state

formal operational stage

final of Piaget’s stages of cognitive development; (12 and older) develop ability to think abstractly, hypothetical

Lev Vygotsky

developmental psychologist known for his theory that social interactions plays a crutial role in cognitive development

scaffolding

teaching method where a knowledgeable person provides support to achieve new skills

zone of proximal development

the range between what a learner can do independently and what can be achieved with guidance

crystalized inteligence

knowledge and skills accumulated over time through education and experience, increases with age “permanent“

fluid intelligence

capacity to reason, solve problems and think abstractly without relying on prior knowledge, peaking in early adulthood

dementia

decline in cognitive development that interferes with daily life, memory loss

language

system of communication using symbols, sounds to convey thoughts, feelings, and meaning

critical period

specific time frame in early childhood when the brain is most receptive to learning language

phonemes

smallest distinct units of sound in a language that can change meaning of a word

morphemes

smallest unit of meaning in a language prefixes, suffixes, root words

semantics

study of meaning in a language, focusing on how words, phrases convey meaning

grammer

rules how words are combined to form sentences for a clear and meaningful communication

syntax

rules that determine the arrangment of words and phrases to form sentences sentence and meaning

cooing

early stage, infants produce receptive soft vowel sounds

babbling stage

phase in development, infants produce repetitive consonant-vowel combinations ba-ba

one-word stage

phase in development, around age 1 where children start to use one word to convey a whole idea or sentence cookie

two-word stage

phase in development, around age 2, simple two-word sentences are used showing early grammar use more juice

telegraphic speech

children speak in condensed phrases, omitting less critical words

overgeneralization

common error, children apply grammatical rules too broadly tooths-teeth

nonverbal manual gestures

hand or arm movements used to communicate without speaking painting, waving, making signs