Psychology: From Inquiry To Understanding Chapter 10

Developmental Psychology

Study of how behavior changes over the lifespan

Post Hoc Fallacy

False assumption that because one event occurred before another event, it must have caused that event.

Cross-sectional design

Research design that examines people of different ages at a single point in time.

Cohort Effect

Effect observed in a sample of participants that results from individuals in the sample growing up at the same time.

Longitudinal Design

Research design that examines development in the same group of people on multiple occasions over time.

Gene-environment Interaction

Situation in which the effects of genes depend on the environment in which they are expressed.

Nature via Nurture

Tendency of individuals with certain genetic predispositions to seek out and create environments that permit the expression of those predispositions.

Gene expression

Activation or deactivation of genes by environmental experiences throughout development.

Prenatal

Prior to birth

Zygote

Forms during the 1st stage, the Germinal stage (0-2 weeks); Fertilized Egg, it continuously divides to form a blastocyst

Blastocyst

Ball of identical cells early in pregnancy that haven't yet begun to take on any specific function in a body part.

Embryo

Forms during the 2nd stage, the embryonic state; Second to eighth week of prenatal development, during which limbs, facial features, and major organs of the body take form

Fetus

Forms during the 3rd stage, the fetal stage; Period of prenatal development from ninth week until birth after all major organs are established and physical maturation is the primary change.

Teratogen

An environmental factor that can exert a negative impact on prenatal development

Fetal alcohol syndrome

Condition resulting from high levels of prenatal alcohol exposure, causing learning disabilities, physical growth retardation, facial malformations, and behavior disorders.

Motor Behavior

Bodily motion that occurs as result of self-initiated force that moves the body and muscles.

Adolescence

The transition between childhood and adulthood commonly associated with the teenage years.

Puberty

The achievement of sexual maturation resulting in the potential to reproduce; influenced by the pituitary gland

Primary Sex characteristic

A physical feature such as the reproductive organs and genitals that distinguish the sexes.

Secondary sex characteristic

A sex-differentiating characteristic that doesn't relate directly to reproduction, such as breast enlargement in women and deepening voices in men

Menarche

Start of menstration

Spermarche

Boy's first ejaculation.

Menopause

The termination of menstruation, marking the end of a woman's reproductive potential.

Cognitive Development

Study of how children acquire the ability to learn, think, reason, communicate and remember

Assimilation

Piagetian process of absorbing new experience into current knowledge structures

Accommodation

Piagetian process of altering a belief to make it more compatible with experience.

Sensorimotor Stage

Stage in Piaget's theory characterized by a focus on the here and now without the ability to represent experiences mentally.

Object permanence

The understanding that objects continue to exist even when out of view.

Preoperational Stage

Stage in Piaget's theory characterized by the ability to construct mental representations of experience but not yet perform operations on them.

Egocentrism

Inability to see the world from others' perspectives

Conservation

Piagetian task requiring children to understand that despite a transformation in the physical presentation of an amount, the amount remains the same.

Concrete Operation Stage

Stage in Piaget's theory characterized by the ability to perform mental operations on physical events only.

Formal operations Stage

Stage in Piaget's theory characterized by the ability to perform hypothetical reasoning beyond the here and now.

Scaffolding

Vygotskian learning mechanism in which parents provide initial assistance in children's learning but gradually remove structure as children become more competent.

Zone of proximal development

Phase of learning during which children can benefit from instruction

Theory of Mind

Ability to reason about what other people know or believe

Stranger Anxiety

A fear of strangers developing at 8 or 9 months of age.

Temperament

Basic emotional style that appears early in development and is largely genetic in origin

Attachment

The strong emotional connection we share with those whom we feel closest

Contact Comfort

Positive emotions afforded by touch.

Average expectable environment

Environment that provides children with basic needs for affection and discipline.

Self-Control

Ability to inhibit an impulse to act

Gender Role

A set of behaviors that tend to be associated with being male or female

Gender Identity

Individuals' sense of being male or female

Identity

Our sense of who we are, as well as our life goals and priorities.

Psychosocial crisis

Dilemma concerning an individuals' relations to other people

Emerging Adulthood

Period of life between the ages of 18 and 25 when many aspects of emotional development, identity, and personality become solidified.

Midlife Crisis

Supposed phase of adulthood characterized by emotional distress about the aging process and an attempt to regain youth

Empty-nest syndrome

Alleged period of depression in mothers following the departure of their grown children from the home.

Prematurity

Being born prior to 36 weeks. This can lead to numerous problems.

Permissive (Parenting Style)

Tend to be lenient, little discipline, very affectionate.

Authoritarian (Parenting Style)

Very strict, punishing, little affection.

Authoritative (Parenting Style)

Supportive but set clear and firm limits.

Uninvolved (Parenting Style)

Neglectful and ignoring.

Preconventional

Kohlberg's Moral Development, focus on punishment and rewards

Conventional

Kohlberg's Moral Development, focus on societal values

Postconventional

Kohlberg's Moral Development, focus on internal moral principles

Jean Piaget

Cognitive psychologist who created a 4-stage theory of cognitive development. He said that two basic processes, assimilation and accommodation, work in tandem to achieve cognitive growth. He was the first to develop a complete account of cognitive development. Best theory for kids.