Unit 7 - Development

Abstract Thinking

the ability to visualize things in one’s head; don’t need to see them to be able to discuss them

Accommodation

when an individual change their existing schema in light of new info; develops a new schema

Achievement

committing to an identity after exploration; looking for what fits and choosing one

Adolescence

the transitional period between childhood and adulthood, characterized by significant physical growth, cognitive development, and social changes, marked by the onset of puberty as its starting point

Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE’s)

traumatic events experienced in childhood that can negatively impact long-term mental and physical health

Animism

believing objects have “life”

Anxious Attachment

seeks excessive closeness and fears abandonment; results from inconsistent contact from caregiver; type of insecure attachment

Assimilation

when a child fits new information into existing ways of knowing

Attachment Styles

the emotional bond and pattern of behavior that develops between an infant and their primary caregiver, typically the mother

Authoritarian Parenting

a strict, high-demand parenting style with low responsiveness; set high behavior standards, involve strict punishments, and have little to no communications

Authoritative Parenting

balanced parenting style combing high demands with high responsiveness; parents have limits, but allow room for communication and are more flexible

Autonomy

independence - caregivers encourage independence and self-sufficiency, allowing for a positive sense of self; occurs from 18 months to 3 years of age; second stage of Erikson’s stages of social development

Avoidant Attachment

avoids closeness and dependency; results from too much contact from caregiver; type of insecure attachment

Chronological Development

the study of how individuals change and grow throughout their lifespan, focusing on the sequence and timing of developmental milestones as they age

Chronosystem

changes over time that influence development; system of ecological systems theory

Concrete Operational Stage

children have expanded schemas that classify into larger classes based on a number of characteristics; can focus on more than one feature of the problem; understand conservation and mathematical transformations; occurs from 6 to 12 years of age

Conservation

and understanding described by number, mass length, area, volume, etc

Continuous Development

the development of a schema that develops gradually as a cumulative process

Critical Periods

periods of time when skills and behaviors, such as visual perception language acquisition, and intelligence can be acquired most efficiently

Cross-Sectional Study

a research design where data is collected from different groups of people at a single point in time, allowing researchers to compare different variables across various demographics

Crystallized Intelligence

accumulated store of knowledge and verbal skills; increases with age

Dementia

a generalized decline in cognitive abilities, including memory, reasoning, and language, severe enough to interfere with daily functioning, caused by various neurological conditions

Despair

regret - dissatisfaction, disappointment about life, feelings of futility; occurs during late adulthood/old age; eighth stage of Erikson’s stages of social development

Diffusion

lack of commitment or exploration; not looking for what fits

Discontinuous Development

the development of a schema that emerges at specific times in distinct stages with differences

Dishabituation

new stimulus increases strength of habituated response

Disorganized Attachment

displays inconsistent and contradictory behaviors; results from inconsistent caregiving and never knowing what to expect from the caregiver

Ecological Systems Theory

explains how an individual’s development in influences by different environmental systems, from immediate surroundings to broader cultural contexts; extend outward like a rippling effect

Egocentrism

period of childhood when a child can’t see from another person’s perspective; occurs during the beginning of the pre-operational stage

Emerging Adulthood

a phase of the life span between adolescence and full-fledged adulthood, usually ranging from about 18 to 29 years old

Erik Erikson

asserted that development is profoundly influenced by experiences with others throughout 8 stages of life; Neo-Freudian

Exosystem

indirect environments that affect the individual; can affect microsystems

Familial Identity

the part of a person’s identity that is shaped by their relationships with their family members, including their values, beliefs, and experiences within the family unit

Fine Motor Coordination

small, detailed movements that develop proximodistal after gross motor skills

Fluid Intelligence

ability to reason speedily and abstractly; decreases during late adulthood

Foreclosure

committing to an identity without exploration; just choosing one without looking for what fits

Formal Operational Stage

don’t need concrete objects to think abstractly; have deductive logic and a potential for mature reasoning; develop metacognition; occurs from 12 years of age to the rest of life

Gender Roles/Identity

one’s personal sense of gender

Generativity

care - unselfish concern for welfare of others and future generation; occurs during middle adulthood; seventh stage of Erikson’s stages of social development

Gross Motor Coordination

large, obvious movements that develop cephalocaudal before fine motor skills

Growth Spurt

cause many aspects of a child’s mind and body to suddenly grow, typically during the ages of 10 to 16 years; brain development, mood swings, behavior changes, etc

Guilt

guilt - parental over-control stifles spontaneity and sense of purpose; fear of punishment; occurs from 3 to 6 years of age; third stage of Erikson’s stages of social development

Habituation

response decreases with repeated stimulation; the more a stimulus is presented, the weaker the response becomes

Harry Harlow

experiment with monkeys to prove the importance of an emotional bond between newborns and their caregivers; infants prefer comfort over nourishment when frightened or stressed and deprivation of attachment has long-term negative effects on behavior

Hypothetical Thinking

the ability to think about a possibility, alternative, etc; what-ifs; develops during the formal operational stage of Piaget’s theory of cognitive development

Identity and Role Confusion

sense of self is fragmented and the individual is confused about their role in society; occurs during adolescence; fifth stage of Erikson’s stages of social development

Imaginary Audience

belief that others are constantly watching and judging; normal sign of development; figuring out social dynamics and awareness; putting yourself in others’ shoes

Imprinting

when a child develops strong attachment early on in life; occurs during the critical period of development

Industry (Competency)

competence - adequacy in basic social and intellecutual skills; acceptance by peers; pride; occurs from 6 years of age to puberty; fourth stage of Erikson’s stages of social development

Inferiority

inadequacy - lack of self-confidence; feelings of failure and inadequacy; occurs from 6 years of age to puberty; fourth stage of Erikson’s stages of social development

Initiative

purpose - initiate activities and develops a sense of social responsibility; promotes self-confidence and creativity; occurs from 3 to 6 years of age; third stage of Erikson’s stages of social development

Insecure Attachment

emotional bonds between caregivers and child characterized by anxiety or avoidance

Integrity

wisdom - sense of wholeness; satisfaction with life and accomplishments, wisdom, and insight; occurs during late adulthood/old age; eighth stage of Erikson’s stages of social development

Intimacy

love - establishing lasting and meaningful relationships, connectedness, commitment, and closeness to others; balance work and relationships; occurs during early adulthood; sixth stage of Erikoson’s stages of social development

Isolation

isolated - fear of rejection or excessive self-preoccupation; unable to form close, meaningful relationships; denial of intimacy needs; occurs during early adulthood; sixth stage of Erikoson’s stages of social development

Jean Piaget

considered the father of modern developmental psychology; unfolded cognitive development into a series of four stages as the brain develops

Lev Vygotsky

emphasized that learning and knowledge is co-constructed and occurs through interactions with others; social learning is essential for development of children

Lifespan Development

follows an individual over time to determine change and growth or stability in behavior from conception to death

Longitudinal Study

a research design where the same group of participants are studied repeatedly over a long period of time

Macrosystem

the broader cultural and societal influences that affect an individual’s behavior

Mary Ainsworth

studied infants’ reactions when placed in strange situations; attachment theory

Maturation

occurs as a result of biological growth process and their orderly changes in behavior

Menarche

when females have their first period and begin their first menstruation cycle

Menopause

cessation of menstruation; women begin to stop having their periods

Mental Symbols

internal cognitive symbols that represent reality to help a child process and understand the world around them

Mesosystem

the connections between microsystems

Microsystem

the immediate environment in which an individual interacts (family, school, peers)

Mistrust

insecurity - anxiety, fear; can carry this throughout life; first stage of Erikson’s stages of social development

Moratorium

actively exploring identities without commitment; still trying to look for what fits

Nature

the biological and genetic factors that influence a person's traits and behaviors

Nurture

the environmental factors that influence a person's development and personality

Object Permanence

understand that objects/people still exist even when they are hidden from sight; develops during the sensorimotor stage between 6-8 months of age

Occupational Identity

an individual’s sense of self and identity based on their chosen occupation or profession

Parallel Play

playing next to each other, but not interacting or playing with each other; practice independence; overtime, evolves into more interactive and cooperative play; occurs during the pre-operational stage

Permissive Parenting

a lenient parenting style and low demand with high nurturance and communication; little discipline, guidance, or control

Personal Fable

belief in one’s uniqueness and invulnerability; main character dynamic

Possible Selves

an individual’s envision future selves, including aspirations and fears

Pre-Operational Stage

children have a better understanding of symbols and language; think objects have life (animism); have schemas classified based on one trait; occurs from 3 to 6 years of age

Pretend Play

when children use objects, actions, etc to represent something else; nurture creativity and social understanding; occurs during the pre-operational stage

Primary Sex Characteristics

ovaries and testes; develop during puberty

Puberty

when children develop their primary sex characteristics, females have their first cycle of menstruation (menarche), and males begin to produce sperm (spermarche)

Racial/Ethnic Identity

how individuals perceive and related to their racial and ethnic background

Reflexes

babies are born with these, but lose them later in life; include rooting, sucking, grasping, moro, and Babinski

Religious Identity

connection to religious beliefs and practices

Reversibility

the idea the something can be reversed into its original state; develops during the concrete operational stage

Rooting

turning away when cheek is stroked

Scaffolding

support provided by more knowledgeable individuals (parents or peers) to help achieve tasks they cannot complete alone; collaborative dialogues

Schemas

systems that an individual develops for understanding a situation; a way of knowing

Secondary Sex Characteristics

deepening of voice, increase in body hair, and development of breasts; develop during pubescence

Secure Attachment

a strong, emotional bond where the individual feels confident and supported by their caregiver

Sensitive Periods

period of time when skills and behaviors, such as motor skills, some aspects of personality (temperament), and a second language, can be acquired most efficiently

Sensorimotor Stage

when children develop coordination of sensory input; occurs between birth and 2 years of age

Separation Anxiety

distress experienced when separated from a primary caregiver

Sexual Orientation

attraction to others based on gender

Shame

inadequacy - overly restrictive caregiving leads to feeling inadequate and a lack of control; occurs 18 months to 3 years of age (toddlerhood); second stage of Erikson’s stages of social development

Social Clock

societal expectations for achieving life milestones; a timetable

Spermarche

when males begin to produce sperm

Stability

the concept that certain personality traits or characteristics of an individual tend to remain relatively consistent and unchanging over a significant period of time

Stage Theory of Psychosocial Development (Erikson)

states that development is profoundly influenced by experiences with others and that each stage of development has an adequate and inadequate resolution for moving forward

Systematic Thinking

allows an individual to think without the need for concrete objects and allows for abstract thinking as well; develops during the formal operational stage