physical cognitive development language quiz

developmental psychology

study of how people grow and change physically and cognitively across a lifespan

developmental psychologist

studies human growth and change from birth to death

chronological order

organizing events by the time they happened

thematic issues

big questions in development

stability

traits that stay consistent over time

change

traits that shift or develop over time

nature

influence of genetics and biology on development

nurture

influence of environment such as family, culture, experience

continuous

develelopment occurring in slow, steady, gradual change

discontinuous

developent happens in distinct stages

longitudinal study

studying the same group of people over a long period

cross-sectional study

comparing different age groups at one point in time

teratogens

harmful substances that damage the developing fetus

rooting reflex

when a newborn turn their heads and opens mouth when their cheek or mouth is touched

infancy

birth to age 1

toddlerhood

ages 1-3

prenatal development

development occurring before birth

childhood

ages 3-12

motor development

growth of movement skills through maturation and experience

grass motor skills

large movements using big muscles such as running and jumping

fine motor skills

small precise movements using fingers and hands such as grasping and drawing

depth perception

ability to see distance and 3d space

visual cliff experiment

study showing how infants can perceive depth with a glass covered table with an illusion

Richard Walk & Eleanor Gibson

researchers who created the visual cliff experiment

critical period

strict, biologically limited window when certain skills must form

sensitive period

best window for learning skills such as language

language acquisition

process of learning language

imprinting

rapid and irreversible attachment formed by some animals during a critical period to the first moving object they see, like their parent

adolescence

transition period from childhood to adulthood

growth spurt

rapid increase in height and weight during puberty

puberty

biological changes leading to sexual maturity

menarche

first menstrual period

spermarche

first ejaculation

primary sex characteristics

reproductive organs and structures involved in sex and reproduction

secondary sex characteristics

visible physical changes not involved in reproduction (voice change, body hair)

adulthood

stage after adolescence

James-Lange theory

theory stating that we feel emotion because we notice our bodily reactions

Cannon-Bard theory

theory stating that body response and emotion happen at the same time

two-factor theory

theory stating emotions arise from a combination of physiological arousal (like a racing heart) and a cognitive label (interpreting that arousal based on the situation)

Jean Piaget

proposed the stage theory of cognitive development

sensorimotor

0-2 years, stage of learning through senses and actions (biting a toy, playing with food)

object permanence

term for knowing objects still exist even when out of sight

preoperational

2-7 years, stage of using mental symbols, imagination, and language

mental symbols

internal images or words that represent objects

pretend play

using imagination to represent objects or roles

conservation

understanding that quantity of something can stay the same even if appearance changes

reversibility

ability to understand that actions can be undone (1 + 1 = 2 , 2-1=1)

animism

belief that objects possess feelings or lifelike qualities

egocentrism

difficulty seeing the world from another perspective, common in kids

theory of mind

understanding that others have thoughts, beliefs, and perspectives different from your own

concrete operational

7-11 years, logical thinking about real-world events, mastering conservation and reversability, struggles with abstract thinking

formal operational

12+ years, stage for abstract thinking, hypothetical reasoning, solving complex problems and considering higher-level possibilities

abstract thinking

thinking about things not physically present (justice, freedom)

hypothetical reasoning

thinking about “what if” situations

Lev Vygotsky’s Zone of Proximal Development

gap between what a child an do alone and what they can do with help

scaffolding

support from a more knowledgeable person that helps a child learn within the Zone of Proximal Development

crystallized intelligence

knowledge and skills that are gained over time, increasing ith age

fluid intelligence

ability to think quickly and solve new problems, declines with age

dementia

cognitive decline of memory and thinking that interferes with daily life

stranger anxiety

distress children show towards unfamiliar people at around 8 months

logical thinking

systematic process of using reasoning and facts to identify and analyze info