AP psych unit 3 pt1

ggs its so cooked

Developmental psychology

the study of physical cognitive and social-emotional development across the lifespan

Nature and nurture

how genetic inheritance (nature) interacts with experience (nurture) to influence development

Continuity and stages

which aspects of development are gradual and continuous vs change abruptly in stages

Stability and change

which traits persist and which change as we age

Zygote

fertilized egg that divides and duplicates

Embryo

developing organism in which cells form placenta and basic body structures

Fetus

developing organism that has taken human form and grows organs

Teratogens

agents such as drugs or viruses that can cross the placenta and harm the embryo or fetus

Fetal alcohol syndrome

lifelong physical and mental abnormalities in a child caused by a pregnant woman’s heavy drinking

Rooting reflex

infant tendency to turn toward a touch on the cheek and open the mouth in search of food

Startle reflex

newborn reflex in which infants fling limbs outward then retract them and cry in response to a sudden stimulus

Grasping reflex

infant reflex in which they close their hand around an object placed in their palm helping them stay close to caregivers

Habituation

a decrease in responding with repeated exposure to a stimulus used to study newborns’ memory and learning

Maturation

biological growth processes that enable orderly changes in behavior relatively uninfluenced by experience

Synaptic pruning

process in which the brain eliminates unused neural connections to increase efficiency

Critical period

optimal early life period when exposure to certain stimuli or experiences is necessary for normal development

Adolescence (period)

transition period from childhood to adulthood from puberty to independence

Puberty

period of sexual maturation during which a person becomes capable of reproduction

Adolescent brain changes

adolescence involves synaptic pruning slow prefrontal cortex development and fast limbic system development leading to risk-taking and intense emotions

Middle adulthood physical changes

gradual acceleration of physical decline reduced fertility menopause/andropause appearance changes and slight decrease in sex drive

Late adulthood physical changes

greater physical decline slower reaction and mental processing and weaker sensory abilities

Sex

biological characteristics that define male female and intersex individuals

Gender

culturally defined attitudes feelings and behaviors associated with a person’s biological sex

Gender differences in aggression

males are more physically violent and commit most violent acts while females are more relationally aggressive

Gender differences in social power

men are generally perceived to have more social power more often lead negotiate and may be more associated with “mansplaining”

Gender differences in social connectedness

men are more individualistic and problem-focused whereas women express emotion more freely value connection are more interdependent and show higher rates of depression and anxiety

Biological influences on sexual development

genetic sex chromosomes and differing concentrations of sex hormones shape sexual development

Secondary sex characteristics in males

deepened voice and increased body hair including underarm facial and pubic hair

Secondary sex characteristics in females

breast development wider hips and increased body hair without facial hair

Primary sex characteristics

development of reproductive organs and external genitalia in both sexes

Gender roles

culturally expected behaviors attitudes and traits for men and women

Gender identity

personal sense of being male female neither or some combination

Social learning theory

view that gender is learned through reinforcement punishment and observing/imitating others

Gender typing

acquisition of a traditionally masculine or feminine gender role

Effects of sexually explicit material

may accelerate sexual activity increase acceptance of sexual aggression reduce relationship satisfaction and desensitize people to sexual acts

Factors influencing teen sexual behavior

sexual taboos misinformation passion overriding critical thinking alcohol-impaired consent and media influences

Sexual orientation

pattern of sexual and emotional attraction and related behavior or social affiliation

Biological correlates of sexual orientation

differences in brain structures family patterns and epigenetic influences as well as prenatal hormone exposure relate to orientation

Developmental psychology unit test format

unit test will be multiple-choice covering units 0–3 while first test for unit 3 will be FRQs only

Cognitive development

study of how thinking memory and problem solving change over time

Schema

a mental framework or concept used to organize and interpret information

Assimilation

interpreting new experiences in terms of existing schemas

Accommodation

adapting existing schemas to incorporate new information

Sensorimotor stage

Piaget’s stage from birth to about 2 years when infants know the world mostly in terms of sensory impressions and motor activities

Object permanence

awareness that objects continue to exist even when not perceived

Pretend play

acting out stories using symbols multiple perspectives and emotional themes developing between sensorimotor and preoperational stages

Preoperational stage

Piaget’s stage from about 2 to 7 years with symbolic thinking but lacking logical operations

Animism

preoperational belief that inanimate objects are alive and have feelings or intentions

Egocentrism

preoperational difficulty in taking another person’s point of view

Theory of mind

ability to infer others’ mental states such as beliefs desires and intentions to explain and predict behavior

Autism spectrum disorder

developmental disorder often involving social communication difficulties and impaired theory of mind

Concrete operational stage

Piaget’s stage from about 7 to 12 years when children gain mental operations to think logically about concrete events

Conservation

understanding that properties such as mass volume and number remain the same despite changes in form

Reversibility

ability to mentally reverse a sequence of events or restore a changed object to its original state

Formal operational stage

Piaget’s stage beginning around age 12 when people can think abstractly and use hypothetical-deductive reasoning

Abstract thinking

ability to think about concepts and ideas that are not physically present

Hypothetical reasoning

reasoning about possibilities and “what if” situations

Deductive logic

reasoning from general principles to specific conclusions

Vygotsky’s view of development

emphasizes children as apprentices whose cognitive development is shaped by social interaction

Scaffolding

temporary support provided by a more knowledgeable other to help a child reach higher levels of thinking

Zone of proximal development

range between what a child can do alone and what they can do with help

Adolescent egocentrism

adolescents’ tendency to focus on themselves and believe their experiences are unique and not understood by others

Moral reasoning

conscious deliberate thinking about right and wrong

Moral intuition

quick automatic gut feeling about moral issues

Aging brain changes

with age brain regions important for memory atrophy and the blood–brain barrier weakens especially near the hippocampus

Reminiscence bump

tendency for older adults to have increased recall for events from late adolescence and early adulthood

Flashbulb memories

clear vivid memories of emotionally significant events

Neurocognitive disorders

acquired disorders marked by cognitive decline often due to Alzheimer’s disease brain injury disease or substance abuse

Language

spoken written or signed words and the ways they are combined to communicate meaning

Phoneme

smallest distinctive sound unit in a language

Morpheme

smallest unit of language that carries meaning

Free morpheme

a morpheme that can stand alone as a word

Grammar

system of rules that enables us to communicate and understand language

Semantics

aspect of grammar that concerns meaning and word choice

Syntax

rules for combining words into grammatically correct sentences

Universal grammar

Chomsky’s idea that humans are born with an innate predisposition to acquire grammar

Babbling stage

beginning around 4 months when infants spontaneously utter various sounds unrelated to household language

One-word stage

from about age 1 to 2 when a child speaks mostly in single words

Two-word stage

beginning around age 2 when a child speaks in mostly two-word statements

Telegraphic speech

early speech stage using mostly nouns and verbs in short phrases that resemble telegrams

Critical period for language

optimal early period in childhood when exposure to language is necessary for full mastery

Aphasia

language impairment usually caused by damage to Broca’s or Wernicke’s area

Broca’s aphasia

impairment in producing speech despite understanding language

Wernicke’s aphasia

fluent but meaningless speech and difficulty understanding language

Linguistic determinism

the hypothesis that language determines the way we think

Linguistic relativism

idea that language influences but does not fully determine thought

Nondeclarative thinking

thinking that occurs without conscious awareness often in skills and habits sometimes using mental imagery

Aphantasia

inability to form voluntary mental images

Social-emotional development

changes in how people understand themselves relate to others and experience and regulate emotions

Ecological systems theory

view that multiple environmental systems interact to influence social development

Microsystem

immediate environments such as home school and peers

Mesosystem

connections and interactions among elements of the microsystem

Exosystem

settings that indirectly affect a person by influencing their microsystems

Macrosystem

cultural values laws and customs affecting development

Chronosystem

patterning of environmental events and transitions over the life course and sociohistorical circumstances

Stranger anxiety

fear of strangers that infants commonly display beginning around 8 months

Separation anxiety

distress in young children when separated from primary caregivers peaking around 13 months

Attachment

emotional tie with another person especially between infant and caregiver

Secure base

caregiver used by infants as a base from which to explore and to which they return for comfort

Imprinting

rigid attachment process during a critical period in some animals