AP Psych Unit 3

Developmental Psychology

scientific study of development across a lifespan

Stability

the consistency of psychological traits, behaviors, or emotions over time.

Change

the variations in an individual's psychological traits, behaviors, or emotions over time due to factors like experiences, environments, or development.

Nature vs. Nurture

the debate concerning the relative influence of genetic inheritance and environmental factors on human development and behavior

Heritability

the proportion of variation in a trait or behavior within a population that can be attributed to genetic factors.

Continuous Development

view that development is a cumulative process: gradually improving on existing skills

Discontenous Development

view that development takes place in unique stages, which happen at specific times or ages

Cross-Sectional Research

A study in which people of different ages are compared at a single point in time.

Flynn Effect

The phenomenon of a steady increase in average IQ scores over generations.

Longitudinal Research

A study in which the same group of people is observed over an extended period of time.

Attachment

An emotional bond between an infant and their primary caregiver.

Cohort Effect

Differences between age groups that result from the unique experiences of each group, not from developmental processes.

Teratogens

biological, chemical, or physical environmental agent that causes damage to the developing embryo or fetus

Fetal Alcohol Syndrome

A condition in a child resulting from alcohol exposure during the mother's pregnancy, causing physical abnormalities and cognitive impairments.

Genetic Mutations

Changes in DNA sequences that can lead to variations in traits or the development of genetic disorders.

Maternal Illnesses

Diseases or health conditions in a pregnant mother that can impact fetal development, such as rubella or diabetes.

Hormonal Influences

The effects of hormones on physical and psychological development, including growth, mood, and behavior.

Environmental Influences

External factors like nutrition, toxins, and social interactions that shape development and behavior.

Rooting

A newborn reflex where the baby turns its head and opens its mouth in response to a touch on the cheek, aiding in breastfeeding.

Visual Cliff

An experimental apparatus used to test depth perception in infants, typically involving a glass-covered platform creating the illusion of a drop-off.

Critical Period

time during fetal growth when specific parts or organs develop

Sensitive Period

A specific time during development when an organism is particularly sensitive to environmental stimuli, making it crucial for certain skills or traits to develop.

Reflex

An automatic, involuntary response to a specific stimulus.

Grasping Reflex

A newborn reflex where an infant closes their fingers tightly around an object placed in their palm.

Sucking Reflex

A reflex in which a newborn automatically begins sucking when something touches the roof of their mouth.

Muro Reflex

An automatic response in infants where they spread their arms and legs and then pull them back in when they feel like they are falling or hear a loud noise.

Stopping Reflex

A reflex where an infant steps or makes walking-like motions when their feet touch a flat surface.

Babinski Reflex

A reflex in which the toes fan out and the foot twists inward when the sole of the foot is stroked.

Startle Response

An involuntary reaction where an infant flinches, throws their arms out, and pulls them back in response to a sudden stimulus.

Imprinting

A form of rapid and strong attachment that occurs in some animals during a critical period shortly after birth.

Habituation

A decrease in response to a repeated stimulus, indicating learning and familiarity.

Maturation

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

Gross Motor Coordination

The development of large muscle movements, like crawling, walking, and jumping.

Fine Motor Skills

use of muscles in fingers, toes, and eyes to coordinate small actions

Perceptual Skills

The ability to interpret and make sense of sensory information from the environment.

Adolescence

The period of life between childhood and adulthood, characterized by significant physical, emotional, and cognitive changes.

Puberty

The stage of development during which an individual becomes capable of sexual reproduction, marked by physical changes like growth spurts and the development of primary and secondary sex characteristics.

Primary Sex Charictaristics

organs specifically needed for reproduction

Secondary Sex Charictaristics

physical signs of sexual maturation that do not directly involve sex organs

Menarche

beginning of menstrual period; around 12-13 years old

Spermache

first male ejaculation

Menopause

The natural biological process marking the end of a woman's menstrual cycles, typically occurring in their late 40s to early 50s.

Mobility

The ability to move the body or parts of the body.

Flexibility

The range of motion of joints and muscles in the body.

Reaction Time

The amount of time it takes to respond to a stimulus.

Sensory Activity

The ability to detect and interpret sensory stimuli from the environment.

Visual Sensory Acuity

The clarity and sharpness of vision.

Auditory Sensory Acuity

The ability to detect and interpret sound, including pitch, volume, and frequency.

Sex

The biological characteristics that define males and females.

Gender

The social and cultural roles, behaviors, and identities that are associated with being male, female, or other gender identities.

Sexual Orientation

A person's emotional, romantic, or sexual attraction to individuals of a specific gender or sex.

Entersex

A condition in which a person's biological sex characteristics do not fit typical definitions of male or female.

Heterosexual

Attraction to individuals of the opposite sex.

Homosexual

A sexual orientation characterized by attraction to individuals of the same sex.

Androgyny

A gender identity or expression that includes both masculine and feminine traits.

Social Learning Theory

The theory that behavior is learned through observation, imitation, and modeling.

Gender Role

The societal expectations for behaviors, attitudes, and activities considered appropriate for men and women.

Gender Identity

An individual's personal sense of their own gender, which may or may not align with their assigned sex at birth.

Gender Typing

The process by which children learn and internalize societal gender roles.

Gender Dysphoria

Psychological distress resulting from a discrepancy between one's gender identity and assigned sex at birth.

Gender Schema Theory

A theory that suggests children develop frameworks of knowledge about gender roles based on their cultural experiences.

Cognition

The mental processes involved in acquiring knowledge, including thinking, problem-solving, and decision-making.

Jean Piaget

A Swiss psychologist known for his theory of cognitive development in children.

Schema

A cognitive framework or concept that helps organize and interpret information.

Assimilation

adjustment of a schema by adding information similar to what is already known

Accomodation

adjustment of a schema by changing a scheme to accommodate new information different from what was already known

Sensorimotor Stage

first stage in Piaget's theory of cognitive development; from birth through age 2, a child learns about the world through senses and motor behavior

Object Permanence

idea that even if something is out of sight, it still exists

Preoperational Stage

second stage in Piaget's theory of cognitive development; from ages 2 to 7, children learn to use symbols and language but do not understand mental operations and often think illogically

Conservation

idea that even if you change the appearance of something, it is still equal in size, volume, or number as long as nothing is added or removed

Reversibility

principle that objects can be changed, but then returned back to their original form or condition

Abstract Concepts

Ideas that do not have a physical presence and are understood through mental representation.

Animism

The belief, common in young children, that inanimate objects have thoughts, feelings, and intentions.

Discontenous Perspective

The idea that development occurs in distinct stages rather than a gradual, continuous process.

Seperation Anxiety

The distress experienced by infants and young children when separated from their primary caregiver.

Stranger Anxiety

The fear of unfamiliar people, typically emerging in infants around 8 months of age.

Egocentrism

In Piaget's theory, the inability of a young child to see a situation from another person's point of view.

Theory of Mind

The ability to understand that others have thoughts, feelings, and perspectives different from one's own.

Concrete Operational Stage

third stage in Piaget's theory of cognitive development; from about 7 to 11 years old, children can think logically about real (concrete) events

Formal Operational Stage

final stage in Piaget's theory of cognitive development; from age 11 and up, children are able to deal with abstract ideas and hypothetical situations

Lev Vygotsky

A Russian psychologist known for his sociocultural theory of cognitive development.

Scaffold

A support mechanism that helps a learner perform a task just beyond their current ability.

Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD)

The range of tasks a child can perform with guidance but not yet independently.

Crystallized Intelligence

Knowledge and verbal skills accumulated over time, which tend to remain stable or improve with age.

Fluid Intelligence

The ability to think quickly and solve new problems, which declines with age.

Cognitive Disorders

Mental disorders that affect cognitive function, including memory, problem-solving, and perception.

Dementia

A decline in cognitive function severe enough to interfere with daily life.

Alzheimer's

A progressive neurodegenerative disease characterized by memory loss, confusion, and cognitive decline.

Language

system of communication that uses symbols—such as words, gestures, or signs—organized according to grammatical rules to convey meaning, thoughts, and emotions.

Nonverbal Manual Gestures

Movements of the hands and body used to communicate without spoken language.

Phonemes

is a basic sound unit of a given language, and different languages have different sets

Morphemes

which are the smallest units of language that convey some type of meaning (e.g., "I" is both a phoneme and a morpheme)

Semantics

refers to the study of meaning in language, focusing on how words and sentences convey meaning.

Grammar

set of rules that govern the structure of sentences in a language, including syntax (how words are arranged to form sentences) and morphology (the formation and composition of words).

Syntax

The set of rules that govern the structure and order of words in a language.

Universal Grammar (UG)

Noam Chomsky's theory that the ability to learn grammar is innate and shared by all human languages.

Cooing

The early stage of speech development where infants produce repetitive vowel sounds like "oooh" and "ahhh."

Babbling

The stage in language development where infants produce repeated consonant-vowel sounds, such as "ba-ba" or "da-da."

One-Word Stage

A stage in language development where toddlers speak in single words to represent entire thoughts (e.g., "milk" to mean "I want milk").

Two-Word Stafe

A stage in language development where children use two-word phrases, often in a grammatically simplified form (e.g., "want cookie").