Development And Learning - Unit 3

AP Psychology

Developmental Psychology

A branch of psychology that studies physical, cognitive, and social-emotional development throughout the lifespan.

Stability

The enduring consistency of personality traits and behaviors over a person's lifetime,

Change

Shifts in behavior, thoughts, or emotions.

Nature vs. Nurture

The debate over whether human traits and behaviors are shaped more by inherited genetics (nature) or by environmental influences like experiences, upbringing, and culture (nurture).

Continuous Stages of Development

A gradual, cumulative process where skills build incrementally (like vocabulary).

Discontinuous Stages of Development

The theory that development occurs in distinct, qualitative stages, like climbing steps, where each stage involves new abilities and ways of thinking, rather than gradual changes.

Teratogens

Environmental agents (like drugs, alcohol, chemicals, viruses, or radiation) that a pregnant person is exposed to, which can cross the placenta and cause harm, birth defects, or developmental abnormalities in the developing embryo or fetus, impacting physical, cognitive, or emotional growth.

Prenatal development

The process of growth from conception to birth, divided into three stages (Germinal, Embryonic, Fetal) where a single cell transforms into a complex human, involving rapid cell division, organ formation, and physical maturation, all influenced by genetics and the prenatal environment (teratogens).

Fine motor skills

The coordinated, precise movements using small muscles, especially in the hands and fingers, crucial for tasks like writing, buttoning, or using utensils, linking brain development (cerebellum) with dexterity for independence and complex interaction.

Gross motor skills

The large, whole-body movements using major muscles for activities like walking, running, jumping, and balancing, forming the foundation for physical coordination and exploration, contrasting with fine motor skills that use small muscles (e.g., writing).

Reflexes (Rooting reflex)

A newborn's automatic, innate response to turn their head and open their mouth when their cheek or mouth is touched, helping them find and latch onto a nipple (breast or bottle) to feed, and typically disappears around 4 months as voluntary control develops.

Visual Cliff

An apparatus testing depth perception, especially in infants and animals, that creates the illusion of a drop-off using a glass surface over a patterned floor, with most infants/animals avoiding the "deep" side, demonstrating they perceive depth, which suggests it's partly innate or develops early with crawling.

Sensitive Period

A specific, limited timeframe in development when a child's brain is optimally ready and highly receptive to certain environmental stimuli, making it the easiest time to learn specific skills like language or forming attachments, though learning can still occur later, just with more effort

Critical Period

A specific, limited window during development when the brain is highly sensitive to certain experiences, making it the ideal time to learn crucial skills like language or vision; missing this "window of opportunity" can lead to significant, lasting difficulties in developing those abilities later on, highlighting neural plasticity.

Object Permanence

Understanding that objects still exist when they can’t be seen.

Preoperational Stage

Piaget’s stage (2-7) marked by symbolic thinking and egcentrism.

Conservation

Understanding that quanity stays the same despite changes in appearance.

Reversibility

Understanding that actions can be undone mentally.

Egocentrism

Difficulty seeing things from another person’s perspective.

Concrete Operational Stage

Piaget’s stage (7-11) where logical thinking develops for concrete events.

Formal Operation Stage

Piaget’s stage (12+) where abstract and hypothetical thinking develops.

Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD)

Tasks a child can do with help but not alone.

Scaffolding

Temporary support give to help a learner master a task.

Crystallized Intelligence

Knowledge and skills gained from experience and education.

Dementia

A decline in cognitive abilities such as memory and reasoning.

Language

A system of symbols used to communicate meaning.

Phonemes

The smallest units of sound in a language.

Morphemes

The smallest units of meaning in language.

Semantics

The meaning of words and sentences.

Grammar

Rules for combining words into sentences.

Syntax

Rules for word order in sentences.

Cooing

Early vowel sounds made by infants.

Babbling

Repetitive constonant— vowel sounds made by infants.

One-Word Stage

Stage when toddlers speak mostly in single words.

Telegraphic Speech

Short sentences using mainly nouns and verbs.

Overgeneralization

Applying grammar rules too broadly (e.g. “goed”).

Microsystem

Immediate environments (peers, family, school).

Mesosystem

Interactions between parts of the microsystem (parents to teachers, parents to friends).

Exosystem

Indirect influences (parent’s workplace, community services).

Macrosystem

Cultural values, laws, and customs.

Chronosystem

Life events and changes over time (Marriage, College, Graduating).

Authoritarian Parenting

Strict rules, high control, low warmth.

Authoritative Parenting

Firm rules with warmth and support (most effective and ideal).

Permissive Parenting

Few rules, high warmth.

Attachment Styles

Patterns of emotional bonds between infants and caregivers.

Secure Attachment

Comfort with closeness and trust in caregivers.

Insecure Attachment

Anxiety or avoidance in relationships.

Seperation Anxiety

Distress when seperated from a caregiver.

Temperament

A child’s natural emotional and behavioral tendencies.

Parallel Play

Children play near each other but not together.

Pretend Play

Play involving imagination and role-playing.

Imaginary Audience

Belief that others are constantly watching you.

Personal Fable

Belief that one’s experiences are unique and special.

Emerging Adulthood

Transition period from late teens to mid-20s.

Social Clock

Cultural expectations for life events.

Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs)

Tramatic events in childhood that affect later development.

Identity Achievement

Committing to an identity after exploration.

Identity Diffusion

Lack of identity exploration or commitment.

Foreclosure

Committing to an identity without exploration.

Moratorium

Active identity exploration without commitment.