Developmental Psychology Vocabulary

Continuous development

View that development is a gradual, cumulative process.

Discontinuous development

View that development occurs in distinct stages or steps.

Nature and nurture

The interplay between genetic inheritance (nature) and environmental influences (nurture) in shaping development.

Stability and change

The degree to which early traits and behaviors persist through life (stability) or are altered over time (change).

Developmental psychology

The scientific study of how and why humans change over the course of their life.

Longitudinal design

A research method that follows the same subjects over a long period of time to track changes.

Cross

sectional design - A research method that compares subjects of different ages at a single point in time.

Enduring themes

Fundamental, recurring issues in developmental psychology (e.g., continuity vs. discontinuity, nature vs. nurture, stability vs. change).

Teratogen

An agent or factor that can cause malformation of an embryo.

Maternal stress

Stress experienced by the mother during pregnancy, which can pose risks to prenatal development.

Maternal illness

Illness in the mother that can negatively affect prenatal development.

Critical period

A specific time during development when an organism is especially sensitive to environmental influences.

Sensitive period

A time when development is most easily shaped by experience (less rigid than a critical period).

Grasping reflex

When palms are touched, infant grasps tightly. Disappears at 3-4 months.

Rooting reflex

When cheek is stroked or side of mouth touched, infant turns toward source, opens mouth, and sucks. Disappears at 5-6 months.

Sucking reflex

When mouth is touched by an object, infant sucks the object. Permanent but changes through learning.

Moro reflex

In response to sudden movement or loud noise, infant startles, thrusts arms out, then pulls them back. Disappears at 3-4 months.

Stepping reflex

When held upright with feet touching ground, infant moves feet in walking motion. Fades after about 2 months.

Babinski reflex

When sole of foot is stroked, infant splays toes and twists foot in. Disappears at 9-12 months.

Gross motor skills

Large movements involving limbs and torso (e.g., lifting head, sitting, crawling, walking).

Fine motor skills

Small, precise movements (e.g., grasping, transferring objects, pincer grasp, scribbling).

Pincer grasp

Ability to pick up small objects using thumb and forefinger (develops around 7-9 months).

Puberty

The period during which adolescents reach sexual maturity and become capable of reproduction; triggered by hormonal changes.

Endocrine system

The system of glands that produce hormones regulating growth, metabolism, and sexual development.

Sex hormones

Hormones (e.g., estrogen, testosterone) that trigger development of secondary sexual characteristics.

Growth spurt

A rapid increase in height and weight during puberty; adolescents can grow 4-8 inches in height and gain up to 20 pounds over 1-2 years.

Peak height velocity

The maximum rate of growth during the growth spurt. Girls average around age 12, boys around age 14.

Menarche

The first occurrence of menstruation in girls.

Spermarche

The first ejaculation of sperm in boys.

Early maturation

When physical development occurs earlier than average; can be challenging socially and emotionally.

Late maturation

When physical development occurs later than average.

Body proportions

Changes in the relative sizes of body parts during the growth spurt (legs and feet grow first, then arms and hands, then trunk).

Muscle mass

Increase in muscle tissue during puberty, more pronounced in boys.

Fat distribution

Changes in where fat is stored (e.g., girls gain more fat around hips and breasts).

Auditory sensory acuity

Sharpness or clarity of hearing.

Visual sensory acuity

Sharpness or clarity of vision.

Sensory acuity

The sharpness of sensory systems (hearing, vision, etc.).

Reaction time

The time between a stimulus and a response.

Flexibility

The range of motion in joints.

Mobility

The ability to move freely and easily.

Gross motor coordination

Coordination of large muscle movements.

Genetic mutation

A change in DNA sequence that may affect development.

Cross

Possibly refers to cross-sectional analysis or crossing of developmental domains.

Menopause

The cessation of menstruation in women, marking the end of reproductive capacity.

Sex

Biological classification as male or female based on anatomy and chromosomes.

Gender

Social, cultural, and psychological traits linked to being male, female, or another identity.

Gender identity

One's personal sense of their own gender, which may or may not correspond with sex assigned at birth.

Gender roles

Societal expectations for behaviors, attitudes, and activities deemed appropriate for each sex. These are evolving as society recognizes that interests and strengths may not align with traditional gender associations.

Gender stereotypes

Oversimplified beliefs about characteristics of males and females (e.g., girls described as "delicate").

Heterosexual

Sexually attracted to those of the opposite sex or one's own birth sex.

Homosexual

Sexually attracted to those of the same sex.

Bisexual

Sexually attracted to both males and females.

Asexual

Not physically attracted to either sex.

Sexual orientation

The pattern of one's emotional, romantic, and/or sexual attraction.

Socialization

The process by which individuals learn and internalize the norms, values, and behaviors appropriate to their society.

Social norms

Unwritten rules about how to behave in a particular social group or culture.

Social stigma

Negative stereotypes and discrimination faced by individuals who deviate from social norms (e.g., critiques about gender choices).

Sensorimotor stage

Birth to 2 years; infants explore through sensory and motor contact; develop object permanence and experience separation anxiety.

Preoperational stage

2 to 6 or 7 years; symbolic and egocentric thinking; ability to pretend; child does not think logically.

Concrete operational stage

7 to 11 or 12 years; can think logically about concrete objects and do simple math; conservation develops.

Formal operational stage

12 years to adult; abstract and hypothetical thinking emerges; strategy and planning become possible.

Object permanence

Understanding that objects continue to exist even when not seen.

Conservation

Understanding that quantity remains the same despite changes in shape or arrangement.

Egocentrism

Inability to see situations from another's perspective (common in preoperational stage).

Animism

Attributing lifelike qualities to inanimate objects.

Symbolic thinking

Ability to use symbols (words, images) to represent objects or ideas.

Logical thinking

Ability to reason systematically about concrete or abstract concepts.

Abstract thinking

Ability to think about concepts, ideas, and possibilities beyond immediate experience.

Hypothetical thinking

Ability to consider "what if" scenarios and reason about possibilities.

Reversibility

Ability to mentally reverse actions or operations.

Theory of mind

Understanding that others have thoughts, beliefs, and perspectives different from one's own.

Schema

A mental framework for organizing and interpreting information.

Assimilation

Fitting new information into existing schemas.

Accommodation

Adjusting schemas to incorporate new information.

Cognitive development

The construction of thought processes, including remembering, problem-solving, and decision-making.

Cognitive disorder

Impairment in cognitive functioning.

Dementia

A group of symptoms affecting memory, thinking, and social abilities severely enough to interfere with daily functioning.

Crystallized intelligence

Accumulated knowledge and verbal skills.

Fluid intelligence

Ability to solve new problems, use logic, and identify patterns.

Pretend play

Make-believe play that involves symbolic thinking.

Stage theory

The idea that development progresses through a fixed sequence of distinct stages.

Competence vs. performance

The distinction between underlying ability (competence) and observable behavior (performance); Piaget did not clearly distinguish these.

Sociocultural perspective

Emphasizes the role of culture and social interaction in cognitive development.

Scaffolding

Support provided by a more skilled person to help a learner accomplish a task.

Zone of proximal development

The difference between what a learner can do independently and what they can do with guidance.

Language

A system of communication using sounds, symbols, and rules agreed upon by a language community.

Language community

A group of people who share a common language and understanding of its rules.

Convention

Agreed-upon rules and practices within a language community.

Vocabulary

The set of words known and used by a person or group.

Grammar

Rules for combining words into meaningful phrases and sentences.

Syntax

Rules governing sentence structure and word order.

Semantics

The meaning of words and sentences.

Phoneme

The smallest unit of sound in a language.

Morpheme

The smallest unit of meaning in a language.

Cooing

Early vowel-like sounds made by infants.

Babbling stage

Stage when infants produce repetitive consonant-vowel combinations.

One

word stage - Stage when children use single words to convey ideas.

Telegraphic speech

Early speech stage using short, meaningful phrases without function words (e.g., "Mommy go").

Overgeneralization

Applying grammatical rules too broadly (e.g., "goed" instead of "went").

Generative language

Ability to produce an infinite number of sentences from a finite set of rules.