Lecture 8 – Developmental Psychology

72 vocabulary flashcards summarizing key terms and definitions from Lecture 8 on developmental psychology, covering lifespan stages, classic theories, research methods, parenting, attachment, adolescence, and aging.

Developmental Psychology

The branch of psychology that studies how behavior, cognition, and emotion change across the lifespan.

Developmental Trajectory

A predictable pattern of change that a trait follows over time within a species.

Childhood

The developmental stage from roughly ages 1–10, between infancy and puberty.

Adolescence

The developmental stage (≈11–17 years) beginning with puberty and ending before legal adulthood.

Adulthood

The period from age 18 onward, often divided into early (18–40), middle (40–65), and late (65+) substages.

Cross-sectional Design

A research method that compares people of different ages at one point in time.

Cohort Effect

Differences caused by generational influences rather than age itself in cross-sectional studies.

Longitudinal Design

A research method that tracks the same individuals over multiple time points or ages.

Attrition

Participant loss over time in longitudinal studies, threatening validity.

Practice Effects

Performance changes that occur from repeated testing rather than true development.

Post-hoc Fallacy

Mistakenly assuming that because one event follows another, the first caused the second.

Self-concept

An individual’s knowledge of personal traits, abilities, values, goals, and roles.

Childhood Amnesia

The common inability to recall memories from before about 3–5 years of age.

Object Permanence

Understanding that objects continue to exist even when they cannot be seen; mastered in Piaget’s sensorimotor stage.

Theory of Mind (ToM)

The ability to attribute mental states to oneself and others and to understand differing perspectives.

Sally-Anne Test

A classic experiment used to assess theory of mind by testing children’s understanding of false beliefs.

Piaget’s Sensorimotor Stage

Birth–2 yrs; cognition limited to the here-and-now with no mental representations of absent objects.

Piaget’s Preoperational Stage

Ages 2–6; mental representation present but logical operations missing; egocentrism and conservation failures evident.

Piaget’s Concrete Operational Stage

Ages 6–12; logical reasoning about concrete objects, mastery of conservation, but difficulty with abstractions.

Piaget’s Formal Operational Stage

12 yrs+; abstract reasoning, hypothetical thinking, and systematic problem solving emerge.

Conservation (Piaget)

Recognition that quantity remains the same despite changes in shape or container.

Critiques of Piaget

Development is more continuous, domain-specific, culturally variable, and children can be more competent than described.

Erikson’s Psychosocial Theory

Eight life-span stages, each with a social challenge whose resolution shapes identity and relationships.

Trust vs Mistrust

Erikson’s first stage (birth–18 mo); infants develop trust when caregivers are responsive.

Autonomy vs Shame/Doubt

Erikson’s second stage (18 mo–3 yrs); toddlers seek independence and self-control.

Initiative vs Guilt

Erikson’s third stage (3–6 yrs); children assert power through play and exploration.

Industry vs Inferiority

Erikson’s fourth stage (6–12 yrs); success in school and social comparison foster competence.

Identity vs Role Confusion

Erikson’s fifth stage (12–18 yrs); adolescents explore roles to form a coherent self.

Intimacy vs Isolation

Erikson’s sixth stage (19–40 yrs); young adults seek deep, committed relationships.

Generativity vs Stagnation

Erikson’s seventh stage (40–65 yrs); concern with guiding the next generation.

Ego Integrity vs Despair

Erikson’s final stage (65+); reflection on life leads to wisdom or regret.

Social Comparison

Evaluating oneself relative to others, increasing around age 6 and modulated across life.

Upward Social Comparison

Comparing oneself to perceived superior others; linked to lower self-esteem and heavy social-media use.

Kohlberg’s Preconventional Morality

Moral reasoning focused on self-interest, avoiding punishment, and seeking rewards.

Kohlberg’s Conventional Morality

Moral reasoning based on social approval, laws, and maintaining relationships.

Kohlberg’s Postconventional Morality

Moral reasoning guided by abstract principles like justice, dignity, and equality.

Delayed Gratification

The ability to forgo an immediate reward for a larger future one; measured by the Marshmallow Test.

Attachment Theory

The idea that emotional bonds with caregivers shape later social and emotional outcomes.

Secure Attachment

Attachment style where infants use the caregiver as a safe base and are comforted at reunion.

Insecure-Avoidant Attachment

Style where infants show little distress at separation and avoid the caregiver upon return.

Insecure-Resistant Attachment

Style where infants are highly distressed by separation and resist comfort upon reunion.

Disorganized Attachment

A less common style characterized by confused or contradictory behaviors toward the caregiver.

Strange Situation

Ainsworth’s lab procedure that assesses infant attachment by observing responses to separations and reunions.

Harlow’s Monkey Experiments

Studies showing infant monkeys prefer soft contact over food, highlighting importance of comfort.

Authoritative Parenting

High responsiveness and high demandingness; linked to positive academic and behavioral outcomes.

Authoritarian Parenting

Low responsiveness and high demandingness; strict, obedience-focused style.

Permissive Parenting

High responsiveness and low demandingness; indulgent with few rules or controls.

Uninvolved Parenting

Low responsiveness and low demandingness; lack of involvement and supervision, poorest outcomes.

Environmental Enrichment

An above-average environment (e.g., more stimulation, better nutrition) linked to cognitive and brain benefits.

Critical Period

A narrow developmental window when specific experiences are essential for normal development.

Sensitive Period

A time when experiences have a particularly strong but not exclusive impact on development.

Feral Child (Genie)

A case of extreme isolation illustrating missed language development during sensitive periods.

Synaptic Pruning

Adolescent process where unused neural connections are eliminated to improve brain efficiency.

Adolescent Risk-taking

Increased engagement in risky behaviors despite awareness of dangers, linked to ongoing brain maturation.

Neurodevelopmental Disorders

Conditions involving atypical brain development (e.g., autism, ADHD) that emerge early in life.

Fluid Intelligence

Ability to reason quickly and solve novel problems; declines with age.

Crystallized Intelligence

Accumulated knowledge and vocabulary; remains stable or improves with age.

Free Recall

Memory retrieval without cues; tends to decline noticeably in older adults.

Cued Recall

Memory retrieval aided by hints; relatively preserved with aging.

Recognition Memory

Identifying previously encountered information (e.g., multiple-choice); stays strong with age.

Positivity Bias (Aging)

Older adults’ tendency to remember past events and envision future ones more positively.

Socioemotional Selectivity Theory

Proposal that older adults prioritize emotionally meaningful relationships over information-seeking ones.

U-shaped Job Satisfaction

Pattern where satisfaction is high when entering and exiting a career but dips mid-career.

Flynn Effect

Generational rise in average IQ scores, partly attributed to environmental enrichment.

Maternal Immune Activation

Prenatal exposure to maternal illness linked to higher risk of disorders like schizophrenia and autism.

Teratogen

Any environmental agent (e.g., alcohol) that can cause harm to the developing fetus.

Valproic Acid Exposure

Prenatal antiepileptic drug exposure associated with increased autism risk.

Maternal Cortisol Impact

Elevated prenatal stress hormones linked to altered offspring brain structure and emotion.

Environmental Deprivation

Severely limited stimulation or caregiving that can lead to cognitive, social, and brain deficits.

Mischel Marshmallow Test

Classic experiment measuring delayed gratification by offering children one treat now or two later.

Power-assertive Discipline

Parental control strategy using force or authority to enforce rules.

Inductive Discipline

Parental strategy explaining consequences of actions to foster internalized moral reasoning.