psych unit 6 vocab (copy)

developmental psychology

developmental psychology

branch of psychology that studies the changes from cradle to grave

zygote

a fertilized cell

embryo

14 day-old zygote

fetus

9-week old embryo

teratogens

chemicals or viruses that can enter the placenta and harm a developing fetus

fetal alcohol syndrome

a group of adverse fetal symptoms caused by heavy alcohol use during pregnancy

rooting reflex

reflex that helps baby locate food

habituation

understanding new things as new things/telling the difference between things

maturation

the basic course/sequence of development

schema

mental molds that depict our experiences

assimilation

incorporating new experiences into our current understanding

accommodation

the process of adjusting a schema

cognition

all forms of knowing and awareness

sensorimotor stage

piaget’s first stage; experiencing the world by looking, hearing, touching, mouthing, and grasping; birth → 2 yrs

object permanence

concept that objects that are out of sight are not out of mind

preoperational stage

piaget’s second stage; 2 yrs → 6-7 yrs; representing things with words and images

conservation

awareness that physical quantities do not change in amount when they are altered in appearance

egocentrism

inability to perceive things from another’s point of view

theory of mind

the ability to understand other’s mental state

autism

a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by impaired social interactions, verbal and nonverbal communication, and repetitive behavior

concrete operational stage

piaget’s third stage; 7 yrs → 11 yrs; basic math, concrete analogies, and logical thinking skills

formal operational stage

piaget’s fourth stage; 12 yrs onward; mature, moral, and/or abstract reasoning

stranger anxiety

the fear of strangers; develops around 8 months

attachment

emotional bond between an infant and its caregiver

critical period

early stage in life when an organism is especially open to specific experiences that occur only then for normal development

imprinting

form of attachment only occurring in non-human animals

basic trust

child's expectation that their needs will be met by caregivers

self-concept

the sense of one’s identity and personal worth

adolescence

the time between childhood and adulthood

puberty

sexual maturation occurring (typically) in the early teens

primary sex characteristics

internal, reproductive traits (organs & genitalia)

secondary sex characteristics

external, non-reproductive traits (deepening voice, widening hips, etc.)

menarche

a woman’s first period

identity

an individual’s sense of self

intimacy

an interpersonal relationship with extreme emotional closeness

menopause

biological phase for women in their 50’s when their period stops

alzheimer’s disease

neurodegenerative disease that affects mind/memory, as well as the body

cross-sectional study

studies that involve groups of people who do not share one variable but do share another

longitudinal study

studies regarding intelligence relative to aging

crystallized intelligence

accumulated knowledge and skills; does not decline with age

fluid intelligence

the ability to reason in a short amount of time; declines with age

social clock

set of norms governing the ages at which particular life events are expected to happen