Psych 105 Chapter 11 part 1

Developmental Psychology

The study of continuity and change across the lifespan.

Prenatality

The period of development from conception to birth.

Germinal Stage

A 2-week period that begins at conception; the brief lifetime of a zygote.

Zygote

A fertilized egg that contains chromosomes from both a sperm and an egg.

Embryonic Stage

The period that lasts from the 2nd week until about the 8th week of prenatal development.

Fetal Stage

The period that lasts from the 9th week until birth, characterized by rapid brain growth.

Myelination

The formation of a fatty sheath around the axons of a neuron.

Teratogens

Agents, such as drugs and viruses, that can pass from mother to fetus and impair development.

Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS)

A condition resulting from alcohol consumption during pregnancy, leading to physical, cognitive, and behavioral issues.

Intrauterine Growth Restriction (IUGR)

A condition where a fetus does not grow to normal weight during pregnancy due to insufficient nutrition.

Cognitive Development

The emergence of the ability to think and understand.

Schemas

Theories about or models of the way the world works.

Assimilation

The process by which children apply their schemas in novel situations.

Accommodation

The process by which children revise their schemas in light of new information.

Object Permanence

The understanding that objects continue to exist even when they are not visible.

Egocentrism

The failure to understand that the world appears different to different observers; observed during the preoperational stage.

Theory of Mind

The understanding that the mind produces representations of the world and that these representations guide behavior.

Zone of Proximal Development

A concept emphasizing the range of tasks that a child can perform with guidance and encouragement from a knowledgeable partner.

Cultural Tools

The tools and symbols of a culture that assist in development and learning.

Joint Attention

The ability to focus on what another person is focused on.

Social Referencing

The ability to use another person’s reactions as information about how to think about the world.

Imitation

The ability to do what another person does.

Sensorimotor Stage

The first stage of Piaget's theory, lasting from birth to about 2 years, characterized by the understanding of the world through sensory experiences and physical interactions.

Preoperational Stage

The second stage, from approximately 2 to 7 years old, where children begin to use language and think symbolically, but their thinking is intuitive and egocentric.

Concrete Operational Stage

The third stage, occurring from about 7 to 11 years, where children start to think logically about concrete events and understand the concept of conservation.

Formal Operational Stage

The fourth stage, beginning around age 12, where individuals develop the ability to think abstractly, logically, and systematically.