Psych Lifespan Development & Prenatal/Infancy (Vocabulary)

A collection of vocabulary flashcards covering key terms from the lecture notes on lifespan development, prenatal and infancy development, and foundational theories.

Lifespan development

Field of study that examines patterns of growth, change, and stability across the entire life span.

Physical development

Study of the body's physical makeup (brain, nervous system, muscles, senses, sleep, hunger) and how it determines behavior.

Cognitive development

Understanding how growth and change in learning, memory, problem solving, and intelligence influence behavior.

Personality development

Study of how characteristics differentiating people change or stay stable over the lifespan.

Social development

Study of how interactions and relationships with others grow, change, or remain stable over the lifespan.

History-graded influences

Biological/environmental influences tied to a historical moment; related to cohort effects.

Age-graded influences

Biological/environmental influences similar for individuals within a particular age group.

Sociocultural-graded influences

Social and cultural factors present at a time for a particular individual (ethnicity, class, subculture).

Non-normative life events

Atypical events that occur at unusual times in a person’s life.

Continuous change

Gradual development where skills build on each other.

Discontinuous change

Development occurs in distinct steps or stages.

Critical period

Specific time when learning a skill is essential for normal development.

Sensitive period

Time when individuals are particularly susceptible to environmental stimuli or learning certain skills.

Nature

Genetic inheritance; biological factors shaping development.

Nurture

Environmental influences shaping behavior.

Psychodynamic perspective

Developmental view that behavior is motivated by inner forces and conflicts outside awareness.

Behavioral perspective

Focus on observable behavior and environmental stimuli; learning from the environment.

Cognitive perspective

Focus on mental processes—how people think, process information, and remember.

Humanistic perspective

Emphasizes free will and the drive to reach one’s full potential.

Contextual perspective

Development viewed within the relationship between a person and their social worlds; multi-layered context.

Evolutionary perspective

Looks at how inherited biological factors shape development over generations.

Id

Primitive, biological drives present at birth (hunger, sex, impulses) in Freud’s theory.

Ego

Rational, conscious mediator between the id and superego; emerges in infancy.

Superego

Moral conscience developed through early interactions with parents and culture.

Psychosexual stages

Freud’s stages of development where gratification centers on different body parts.

Oral stage

Birth to 1 year; erogenous zone is the mouth.

Anal stage

1-3 years; erogenous zone is bowel/bladder control.

Phallic stage

3-6 years; erogenous zone is the genitals.

Latent stage

6 years to puberty; libido is inactive.

Genital stage

Puberty onward; maturing sexual interests.

Erikson’s psychosocial theory

Stage theory of social and emotional development across the lifespan.

Trust vs. mistrust

Birth to 18 months; forming trust when needs are met.

Autonomy vs. shame and doubt

18 months to 3 years; developing independence or doubt.

Initiative vs. guilt

3-6 years; initiating actions and interests vs. guilt.

Industry vs. inferiority

5-6 years to adolescence; developing competence or feelings of inferiority.

Identity vs. role diffusion

Adolescence; forming a stable sense of self.

Intimacy vs. isolation

Early adulthood; forming close, committed relationships.

Generativity vs. stagnation

Middle adulthood; contributing to society vs. feeling unproductive.

Ego integrity vs. despair

Late adulthood; reflecting on life with a sense of fulfillment or regret.

Psychodynamic contributions

Emphasized early experiences, attachment, morality; limitations include vagueness and limited generalizability.

Classical conditioning

Learning to associate an involuntary response with a previously neutral stimulus.

Operant conditioning

Learning where a voluntary response is strengthened or weakened by consequences.

Reinforcement

Stimulus that increases the probability of a behavior occurring again.

Positive reinforcement

Adding a desirable stimulus to increase a behavior.

Negative reinforcement

Removing an undesirable stimulus to increase a behavior.

Punishment

Stimulus that decreases the likelihood of a behavior.

Positive punishment

Adding an undesirable stimulus to decrease a behavior.

Negative punishment

Removing a desirable stimulus to decrease a behavior.

Social-Cognitive Learning Theory

Learning via observing and modeling others; includes imitation and the Bobo doll paradigm.

Bobo doll experiment

Classic study showing observational learning and modeling behavior.

Piaget’s cognitive development theory

Children move through universal stages with schemas; learning via assimilation and accommodation.

Schema

Mental structure that organizes knowledge.

Assimilation

Incorporating new experiences into existing schemas.

Accommodation

Changing schemas to fit new information.

Sensorimotor stage

Piaget’s first stage (0-2 years); knowledge through senses and actions.

Object permanence

Understanding that objects exist even when not seen.

Information processing approach

Examines how encoding, storage, and retrieval of information change with development.

Encoding

Initial recording of information; selecting what to pay attention to.

Storage

Maintaining information in memory for later use.

Retrieval

Accessing stored information for use.

Automatic processes

Mental processes that require little conscious attention.

Infantile amnesia

Few explicit memories of early life; memories may be present but not accessible.

Implicit memory

Unconscious memories affecting behavior (e.g., skills).

Explicit memory

Conscious, intentional memories (facts, events).

Fusiform gyrus

Brain region involved in facial recognition.

Brain plasticity

Brain’s ability to change with experience; highest early in life.

Synaptic pruning

Elimination of unnecessary neural connections to improve efficiency.

Neurons

Nerve cells that transmit information.

Dendrites

Receive messages from other neurons.

Axons

Carry messages away from neurons.

Neurotransmitters

Chemical messengers between neurons.

Senses

Visual, auditory, taste, smell, touch.

Depth perception

Ability to judge distance; develops with experience.

Visual cliff

Experiment showing depth perception in infants.

Infant-directed speech

Speech to babies: higher pitch, simple syntax, slower rate; facilitates language learning.

Holophrase

One-word utterance that conveys a whole phrase.

Telegraphic speech

Speech that omits nonessential words (e.g., Want cookie).

Attachment

Emotional bond between a child and caregiver that influences later relationships.

Secure attachment

Child uses caregiver as a secure base; shows comfort upon caregiver’s return.

Avoidant attachment

Child shows indifference to caregiver; does not seek comfort.

Ambivalent attachment

Child is highly distressed when separated and not easily soothed upon return.

Disorganized-disoriented attachment

Inconsistent, contradictory behaviors toward caregiver.

Reciprocal socialization

Infants’ and caregivers’ behaviors elicit responses from each other, shaping development.

Temperament

Consistent patterns of arousal and emotion present from birth.

Easy temperament

Generally positive, adaptable, and regular.

Difficult temperament

Highly reactive, fussy, hard to soothe.

Goodness-of-fit

Development depends on compatibility between temperament and environment.

Gender differences

Biological and environmental factors contribute to small early differences that emerge over time.

Prenatal development stages

Germinal (fertilization-2 weeks), Embryonic (2-8 weeks), Fetal (8 weeks-birth).

Teratogen

An environmental factor that can negatively affect prenatal development.

Low birthweight

Birthweight less than 2,500 grams (5.5 pounds); risk for complications.

Very low birthweight

Birthweight less than 1,250 grams (2.75 pounds) or gestation under 30 weeks.

Apgar scale

Quick assessment of a newborn’s health at birth.

Labor stages

Active labor; delivery of the neonate; delivery of the placenta.

C-section

Cesarean delivery: surgical birth via uterus; used when distress or position issues occur.

Postpartum depression

Depression following birth affecting about 10% of new mothers.

Breastfeeding advantages

Breastmilk provides optimal nutrients, immunity, and bonding; formula is an alternative.

Infant reflexes

Involuntary, automatic responses present at birth that aid survival (sucking, rooting, grasping, stepping).