AP Psychology Myers' Unit IX (6) Vocab Quiz

embryo

the developing human organism from about 2 weeks after fertilization through the second month

fetus

the developing human organism from 9 weeks after conception to birth

teratogens

(literally, "monster maker") agents, such as chemicals and viruses, that can reach the embryo or fetus during prenatal development and cause harm

habituation

decreasing responsiveness with repeated stimulation. As infants gain familiarity with repeated exposure to a visual stimulus, their interest wanes and they look away sooner.

assimilation

interpreting our new experiences in terms of our existing schemas

accomodation

adapting our current understandings (schemas) to incorporate new information

object permanence

the awareness that things continue to exist even when not perceived

egocentrism

in Piaget's theory, the preoperational child's difficulty taking another's point of view

conservation

the principle (which Piaget believed to be a part of concrete operational reasoning) that properties such as mass, volume, and number remain the same despite changes in the forms of objects

theory of mind

people's ideas about their own and others' mental states—about their feelings, perceptions, and thoughts, and the behaviors these might predict.

attachment

an emotional tie with another person; shown in young children by their seeking closeness to the caregiver and showing distress on separation

social learning theory

the theory that we learn social behavior by observing and imitating and by being rewarded or punished

Jean Piaget

Known for his theory of cognitive development in children

Lev Vygotsky

child development; investigated how culture & interpersonal communication guide development; zone of proximal development; play research

Konrad Lorenz

researcher who focused on critical attachment periods in baby birds, a concept he called imprinting

Harry Harlow

Field: development; Contributions: realized that touch is preferred in development; Studies: Rhesus monkeys, studied attachment of infant monkeys (wire mothers v. cloth mothers)

Mary Ainsworth

developmental psychology; compared effects of maternal separation, devised patterns of attachment; "The Strange Situation": observation of parent/child attachment

Diana Baumrind

her theory of parenting styles had three main types (permissive, authoratative, & authoritarian)

Lawrence Kohlberg

moral development; presented boys moral dilemmas and studied their responses and reasoning processes in making moral decisions. Most famous moral dilemma is "Heinz" who has an ill wife and cannot afford the medication. Should he steal the medication and why?

Erik Erikson

neo-Freudian, humanistic; 8 psychosocial stages of development: theory shows how people evolve through the life span. Each stage is marked by a psychological crisis that involves confronting "Who am I?"