psychology unit two flash cards

accomodation

adapting to our current understandings (schemas) to incorporate new information

adolescence

the transition period from childhood to adulthood, extending from puberty to independence

assimilation

interpreting our new experinces in terms of our existing schemas

attachment

an emotional tie with another person

centration

the tendency to focus on just one feature of a problem, neglecting other important aspects

cognitive development 

the development of thinking, problem solving, and memory

conservation

properties such as mass, volume, and number remain the same despite changes in the forms of objects

egocentrism

the inablity to see the world through anyone elses eyes

genetics 

science of heredity

human development

the scientific study of the changes that occur in people as they age from conception until death

lawrence kohlberg

moral developement

language development 

the process by which children come to understand and communicate language during early childhood

nature vs nuture

whether genertics of enviorment is responsible for driving behavior

object permanence

the awareness that things continue to exsist even when not perceived

jean piaget

cognitive development

sensorimotor development

birth to about 2 years old - infants learn to experince and think about the world through their senses and motor skills

preoperational development

2 to 6/7 years old - a child learns to use language but does not yet comprehend the mental operations of concrete logic 

concrete operational development

7 to 11 years old - conservation and mathematical development. Thinking logically but not abstractly

formal development

12+ years old - abstract and moral thinking, logical thought, deductive reasonin, systematic planning

germinal pregnancy stage

the fertilized egg (zygote) undergoes rapid cell division and implantation in the uterine lining

embryonic pregancy stage

the fertilized egg (zygote) undergoes rapid growth and differentiation, forming the basic structures of the body and major organs

fetal pregnancy stage

the face is broad, the eyes widely seperated, the eyelids fused, and the ears are set low on the side of the head. Buds for future teeth appear

longitudinal research design

a study in which data are collected that can be ordered in time; also defined as research in which data are collected at two or more points in time

cross sectional research design

a study in which data are collected at only one point in time

cross sequential research design

studies several groups of people of different ages and then follows those groups longitudinally

scaffolding

adjusting the support offered during a teaching session to fit the child’s current level of performance

schema

a concept or framework that organizes and interprets information

sensory system development

touch, taste, and smell well developmed at birth; hearing is functional at birth but n ot fully developed; vision is least developed at birth, rods are functional, cones take about 6 months to fully develop

temperament

a person’s characterstic emotional reactivity and intensity

teratogen

any factor that can cause a birth defect