AP Psychology Chapter 5 Unit Test

Nature vs Nurture

Nature vs Nurture

How do genetics and environment influence development?

Continuity and stages

What parts of development are continuous and what parts of development happen in stages?

Stability and change

Which of our traits stay the same and which change?

developmental psychology

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

zygote

fertilized egg

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, symptoms include noticeable facial misproportions

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

Jean Piaget

Studied children’s cognitive development; a child’s mind develops through a series of stages so he created his Stages of Development; Core idea: our intellectual progression reflects an unceasing struggle to make sense of our surroundings

cognition

all the 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

Piaget’s Stages of Development

Sensorimotor stage, preoperational stage, concrete operational stage, and formal operational stage

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 about 2 to 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

curse of knowledge

people overestimating the extent to which other people share our ideas

theory of mind

people's ideas about their own and others' mental states—about their feelings, perceptions, and thoughts, and the behaviors these might predict.

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

Lev Vygotsky

Child minds grows through interactions with the social environment

autism spectrum disorder (ASD)

a disorder that appears in childhood and is marked by significant deficiencies in communication and social interaction, and by rigidly fixated interests and repetitive behaviors

asperger syndrome

former name of autism

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 shortly after birth when an organism's exposure to certain stimuli or experiences produces proper development

imprinting

the process by which certain animals form attachments during a critical period very early in life

Mary Ainsworth

Created the strange situation experiment to study attachment styles

Harry Harlow

In his experiments, monkeys raised

with inanimate surrogate mothers were

overwhelmed when placed in strange

situations without that source of emo-

tional security. (Today there is greater

oversight and concern for animal

welfare, which would regulate this type

of study.)

temperament

person’s characteristic emotional reactivity and intensity (temper)

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

resilience

withstand trauma and become normal adults

self-concept

all our thoughts and feelings about ourselves, in answer to the question, "Who am I?"

authoratarian parenting

A parenting style that imposes rules and expects obedience: "Don't interrupt." "Keep your room clean." "Don't stay out late or you'll be grounded." "Why? Because I said so."

permissive parenting

A parenting style characterized by the placement of few limits on the child's behavior. They may be indifferent, unresponsive, or unwilling to set limits.

authorative parenting

A parenting style that encourages the child to be independent but that still places limits and controls on behavior.

secure attachment

a relationship in which an infant obtains both comfort and confidence from the presence of his or her caregiver

insecure attachment

the attachment style for a minority of infants; the infant may exhibit this through various behaviors, such as avoiding contact with the caregiver, or by alternating between approach and avoidance behaviors

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

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 identity

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

menarche

the first menstrual period

moral reasoning

the thinking that occurs as we consider right and wrong

moral intuitions

gut feelings that can drive decisions

Kohlberg’s Moral Ladder

Preconventional morality, conventional morality, and postconventional morality

preconventional morality

first level of Kohlberg's stages of moral development in which the child's behavior is governed by the consequences of the behavior

conventional morality

second level of Kohlberg's stages of moral development in which the child's behavior is governed by conforming to the society's norms of behavior

postconventional morality

third level of Kohlberg's stages of moral development in which the person's behavior is governed by moral principles that have been decided on by the individual and that may be in disagreement with accepted social norms

delayed gratification

Voluntarily postponing an immediate reward in order to complete a task before enjoying a reward.

Erik Erikson’s Stages of Psychosocial Development

1. Trust vs mistrust

2. Autonomy vs shame/doubt

3. Initiative vs guilt

4. Competence vs inferiority

5. Identity vs role confusion

6. Intimacy vs isolation

7. Generativity vs stagnation

8. Integrity vs despair

Trust vs mistrust

Infancy to 1 year. If needs are met, infants develop a sense of basic trust

Autonomy vs shame/doubt

Toddlerhood (1 - 3 years). Toddlers learn to exercise their will or doubt their abilities

Initiative vs guilt

Preschool (3 - 6 years). Preschoolers learn to initiate tasks and carry out plans or feel guilty about their efforts to become independent

Competence vs inferiority

Elementary School (6 - puberty). Children learn the pleasure of applying themselves to tasks or feel inferior

Identity vs role confusion

Adolescence (teen years - 20s). Teenagers work on refining a sense of self by testing roles and then integrating them to form a single identity or they become confused about who they are

Intimacy vs isolation

Young Adulthood (20s - 40s). Young adults struggle to form close relationships to gain the capacity for intimate love, or they feel socially isolated

Generativity vs stagnation

Middle adulthood (40s -60s). Sense of contributing to the world (usually through family or work), or feel a lack of purpose

Integrity vs despair

Late Adulthood (60s+). Sense of satisfaction or failure

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

neurocognitive disorders (NCDs)

acquired (not lifelong) disorders marked by cognitive deficits; often related to Alzheimer's disease, brain injury or disease, or substance abuse. In older adults neurocognitive disorders were formerly called dementia

Alzheimer's disease

a progressive and irreversible brain disorder characterized by gradual deterioration of memory, reasoning, language, and, finally, physical functioning

social clock

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

telomeres

DNA at the tips of chromosomes

death-deferral phenomenon

People tend to put off dying when there is an event to look forward to, such as holidays

spirit affects life expectancy; depression causes poor health and early death; ex: more people die 2 days after Christmas than before

prospective memory

remembering to do things in the future

terminal decline

acceleration in deterioration of cognitive functioning prior to death

midlife transition

a period in middle adulthood when a person's perspective on his or her life may change significantly

chance events

small populations are especially prone to loss of alleles through chance

generativity

the desire, in middle age, to use one's accumulated wisdom to guide future generations

Successful Aging

Biological influences: No genetic predisposition to early cognitive/physical decline; Appropriate nutrition

Psychological influences: Optimistic outlook; Physically/mentally active lifestyle

Social-cultural influences: Support from friends/family; Cultural respect for aging; Safe-living conditions