ap psych unit 9

Developmental Psychology

a branch of psychology that studies physical, cognitive, and social change throughout the life span.

Zygote

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

Embryo

the developing human organism from about 2 weeks after fertilization through the second month.

Fetus

the developing human organism from 9 weeks after conception to birth.

Teratogens

agents, such as chemicals and viruses, that can reach the embryo or fetus during prenatal development and cause harm.

Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS)

physical and cognitive abnormalities in children caused by a pregnant woman’s heavy drinking. In severe cases, signs include a small, out-of-proportion head and abnormal facial features

Habituation

decreasing responsiveness with repeated stimulation. As infants gain familiarity with repeated exposure to a visual stimulus, their interest wanes and they look away sooner.

Maturation

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

Cognition

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

Schema

a concept or framework that organizes and interprets information.

Assimilation

interpreting our new experiences in terms
of our existing schemas.

Accommodation

adapting our current understandings
(schemas) to incorporate new information

Sensorimotor Stage

in Piaget’s theory, the stage (from birth to
about 2 years of age) during which infants
know the world mostly in terms of their
sensory impressions and motor activities

Object Permanence

the awareness that things continue to exist
even when not perceived

Preoperational Stage

in Piaget’s theory, the stage (from 2 to about 6 or 7
years of age) during which a child learns to use
language but does not yet comprehend the mental
operations of concrete logic.

Conservation

the principle (which Piaget believed to be a part of
concrete operational reasoning) that properties such
as mass, volume, and number remain the same
despite changes in the forms of objects

Egocentrism

in Piaget’s theory, the preoperational child’s difficulty taking another’s point of view

Theory of Mind

people’s ideas about their own and other’s mental
states – about their feelings, perceptions, and
thoughts, and the behaviors these might predict

Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD)

a disorder that appears in childhood and is marked by significant deficiency in communications and social interaction, and by rigidly fixated interests and repetitive behaviors.

Concrete Operational Stage

in Piaget’s theory, the stage of cognitive development
(from about 6 or 7 to 11 years of age) during which
children gain the mental operations that enable them
to think logically about concrete events

Formal Operational Stage

in Piaget’s theory, the stage of cognitive development
(normally beginning about age 12) during which
people begin to think logically about abstract concepts.

Stranger Anxiety

the fear of strangers that infants commonly display, beginning by about 8 months of age.

Attachment

an emotional tie with another person; shown in young children by their seeking closeness to the caregiver and showing distress on separation

Critical Period

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

Imprinting

the process by which certain animals form
strong attachments during an early-life
critical period.

Temperament

a person’s characteristic emotional reactivity and
intensity.

Basic Trust

according to Erik Erikson, a sense that the world is
predictable and trustworthy; said to be formed during
infancy by appropriate experiences with responsive
caregivers.

Self-Concept

all our thoughts and feelings about ourselves, in
answer to the question, “Who Am I?”

Gender

the socially constructed roles and characteristics by
which a culture defines male and female

Aggression

physical or verbal behavior intended to \n hurt or destroy.

Gender Role

a set of unexpected behaviors for males or for females.

Role

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

Gender Identity

our sense of being male or female.

Social Learning Theory

the theory that we learn social behavior by observing
and imitating and by being rewarded or punished.

Gender Typing

the acquisition of a traditional masculine or feminine
role.

Transgender

an umbrella term describing people whose gender differs from that associated with their birth sex.

Adolescence

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

Identity

our sense of self; according to Erikson, the
adolescent’s task is to solidify a sense of self by
testing and integrating various roles.

Social Identify

the “we” aspect of our self-concept; the part of our
answer to “Who am I?” that comes from our group
memberships.

Intimacy

in Erikson’s theory, the ability to form close, loving
relationships; a primary developmental task in late
adolescence and early adulthood.

Emerging Adulthood

for some people in modern cultures, a period from the
late teens to mid-twenties, bridging the gap between
adolescent dependence and full independence and
responsible adulthood.

X Chromosome

\
the sex chromosome found in both men and women.
Females have two X chromosomes; males have one.An X chromosome from each parent produces a
female child.

Y Chromosome

the sex chromosome found only in males. When
paired with an X chromosome from the mother, it
produces a male child

Testosterone

the most important of the male sex hormones. Both
males and females have it, but the additional
testosterone in males stimulates the growth of the
male sex organs in the fetus and the development of
the male sex characteristics during puberty.

Puberty

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

Primary Sexual Characteristics

the body structures (ovaries, testes, and external
genitalia) that makes sexual reproduction possible.

Secondary Sex Characteristics

nonreproductive sexual characteristics, such as female breasts and hips, male voice quality, and body hair.

Menarche

the first menstrual period.

AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome)

a life threatening, sexually transmitted infection caused by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). AIDS depletes the immune system, leaving the person vulnerable to infections.

Sexual Orientation

an enduring sexual attraction toward members of either one’s own sex (homosexual orientation), the other sex (heterosexual orientation), or both sexes (bisexual orientation).

Menopause

the time of natural cessation of menstruation; also
refers to the biological changes a woman experiences
as her ability to reproduce declines.

Cross-Sectional Study

a study in which people of different
ages are compared with one another.

Longitudinal Study

research in which the same people are
restudied and retested over a long period.

Social Clock

the culturally preferred timing of social
events such as marriage, parenthood, and
retirement.