AP Psych- Development

developmental psychology

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

cross-sectional study

research that compares people of different ages at the same point in time

longitudinal study

research that follows and retests the same people over time

stage

an area or piece of time where a lot of shifts happen

continuity

more gradual and continuous measure

temperament

stable and innate behavior styles that influence how a child reacts to their environment and regulate emotions

social attitudes

changes and impression during late teen years

stability

this relates to identity

change

relates to adapting/growth

zygote

the fertilized egg-enters a 2 week period of rapid cell division and develops into an embryo

placenta

exchanges material between the mother and the baby

amnion

a sack of surrounding water

yolk sac

produces blood for the baby

embryo

the developing individual from the 14th day after fertilization to the end of the second month after conception

teratogens

external substances that invade the womb and cause birth defects; things that stunt development

fetus

the developing idividual from the thrid month after conception until birth

proximodistal

near to far, the innermost parts developing before the outer parts

cephalocaudally

head to tail, fetus head is disproportionately large compared to the lower parts

habituation

decreased responsiveness with repeated stimulation

reflexes

automatic responses

rooting reflex

baby’s response for seeking nutrients; mouth to bottle

startle reflex(moro reflex)

an involuntary response to sudden stimuli

sucking reflex

an innate, involuntary behavior where a newborn automatically sucks on anything placed in their mouth

grasping reflex

anything placed in baby’s hand, they will squeeze

maturation

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

association areas

lobes of the cortex are working together

synaptic pruning

the use-or-lose-it process occurs to solidify pathways most needed and used

critical period

an optimal period early in the life of an organism when exposure to certain stimuli or experiences produce normal development

infantile amnesia

not able to remember early episodic memories due to the non-fully developed hippocampus

adolescence

the transition period from childhood to adulthood, extending from puberty to independence

puberty

the period of sexual maturation, during which a person becomes capable of reproducing

primary sex characteristics

the body structures that make sexual reproduction possible; ability to reproduce

secondary sex characteristics

non-reproductive traits; bodily changes

menarche

a woman’s first menstruation

menopause

women no longer have the ability to reproduce

death deferral phenomenon

wanting to live to a milestone than dying soon after

sex

in psychology, the biologically influenced characteristics by which people define male, female, and intersex; biological attributes

gender

in psychology, the attitudes, feelings, and behaviors that a given culture associates with a person’s biological sex; socially constructed

intersex

possessing male and female biological sexual characteristics at birth

aggression

any physical or verbal behavior intended to harm someone physically or emotionally

relational aggression

an act of aggression (physical or verbal) intended to harm a person’s relationship or social standing

x chromosomes

the sex chromosome found in females and males

y chromosomes

the sex chromosome typically found only in males

testosterone

the most important male sex hormone

estrogens

sex hormones, such as estradiol, that contribute to female sex characteristics and are secreted in greater amounts by females than by males

spermarche

man’s first ejaculation

gender role

a set of expected behaviors, attitudes, and traits for men and for women

sexual aggression

any physical or verbal behavior of a sexual nature that is unwanted or intended to someone physically or emotionally, can be expressed as either sexual harassment or sexual assault

gener identity

our personal sense of being male, female, neither, or a combination os both regardless of whether this identity matches our sex assigned at birth, and the social affiliation that may result from this identity; how you think

social learning theory

a set of expectations about social position, defining how those in the position ought to behave

gender typing

the acquisition of a traditional masculine or feminine role

androgyny

blending traditionally masculine and feminine psychological characteristics

transgender

an umbrella term describing people whose gender identity or expression differs from that associated with their birth-assigned sex

gender schemas

your folder about what a gender does

sexuality

our thoughts, feelings, and actions related to our physical attraction to another

asexual

having no sexual attraction towards others

alfred kinsey

pioneer in the study of human sexuality

social script

a culturally modeled guide for how to act in various situations

evolutionary theory of mate selection

men tend to pick youthful, healthy looking partners and women tend to pick partners who offer stability and protection

sexual orientation

a person’s sexual and emotional attraction to another person and the behavior and/or social affiliation that may result from this attraction

attraction to opposite sex

heterosexuality

attraction to same sex

homesexuality

attraction to both sexes

bisexuality

drive of sexuality

sexuality is biologically driven

hypothalamus

part of the brain that controls our drives, desires, hunger, thirst, and aggression

cognition

all the mental activities associated with thinking, knowing, remembering, and communicating

schema

a concept or framework that organizes and interprets information

assimilation

interpreting new experiences in terms of our existing schemas; fitting information into already existing schema/folder

accomodation

adapting our current schemas to understand new information; creating a new schema/folder

the sensorimotor stage

Piaget’s first stage from birth to around 2 yrs old, schemas are developed through sensory impressions and motor activities

object permanence

an infant’s understanding that objects or people continue to exist even when they cannot be seen, heard, or touch directly; if its out of sight, they think it disappeared

preoperational stage

Piaget’s second stage from 3 yrs old to 7 yrs old, employs significant language and symbolic thinking, children lacks reversibility and conservation

egocentric

only takes one perspective, your own perspective

animistic

giving life like qualities to inanimate objects

stage where schemas get built

preoperational stage

concrete operational stage

Piaget’s third stage from ages 7 to 11, can perform mental operations on concrete objects, understanding reversibility and conservation, abstract thinking is not yet present

conservation

recognizing that certain physical attributes remain unchanging when when their outward appearance changes

formal operational stage

Piaget’s fourth stage from ages 11 and beyond, abstract and hypothetical thinking is developed, individuals are able to plan and think about the future

lev vygotsky’s theory of cognitive development

argues that social interaction is the catalyst to cognitive growth

scaffold

a framework that offer children temporary support as they develop higher levels of thinking

zone of proximal development

developed by Lev Vygotsky, area where things the learner can do with help

theory of mind

people’s ideas about their own and others’ mental states, the ability to take another’s perspective develope gradually over time

imaginary audience phenomenon

occurs during adolescent where teens worry about what others think of them

formal operational thought

the ability to think deeply about abstract concept and hypothetical situations

Piaget

believes that complex moral reasoning blossomed in adolescence and that moral thought led to moral action

Jonathan Haidt

believes moral intuition or quick gut feelings influence actions

Walter Mischel

conducted the marshmallow experiment showing that children who could delay gratification tended to be more successful, delayed gratification fosters flourishing

morality

the ability to distinguish between right wrong, the ability to take another person’s perspective and empathize with that person; impacted by nature and nurture

Lawrence Kohlberg

most influential researchers in moral development, focused on the reasons people gave for their response

Preconventional Level (Includes Stages 1 and 2)

Self-Centered, Gain rewards and avoid punishment, Quid Pro Quo - Bargaining

Level 2: Conventional Level (Includes Stages 3 and 4)

Other-Centered, Seek the approval of others, Rules and Laws must be followed

Level 3: Postconventional Level (Includes Stages 5 and 6)

World-Centered, Laws are social contracts that sometimes need to be broken, Using universal ethical principles of equality, justice compassion

prospective memory

our memory for future behaviors

Carol Gilligan

believes that compassion and care makes a difference instead of justice makes a difference

language

our agreed-upon system of spoken, written, or signed words, and the ways we combine them to communicate meaning

phoneme

the smallest distinctive unit of sound

morpheme

the smallest unit that carries meaning

grammar

a system of rules that enables us to communicate with and understand others; rules and regulations

semantics

language’s set of rules for deriving meaning from sounds; meaning with context

syntax

a set of rules for combining words into grammatically sensible sentences; order of words