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stability and change
which traits persist throughout our lives? which change as we age?
continuity and stages
some learning based researchers think development is continuous, while stage theorists say otherwise
cross-sectional research
compares people of different ages at the same point in time
longitudinal study
follows and retests the same people over time
teratogens
things that can damage a fetus, like drugs or viruses
habituation
decreasing responsiveness with a repeated stimulus (babies)
maturation
orderly sequence of biological growth
critical period
an optimal period early in the life of an organism when exposure to certain stimuli or experiences produces normal development
adolescence
transition between childhood and adulthood
puberty
sexual maturation
menarche
a female’s first period
menopause
when menstrual cycles end
sex
the biologically influenced characteristics by which people define male, female, and intersex
gender
the attitudes, feelings, and behaviors that a given culture associates with a person’s biological sex
primary sex characteristics
genitalia
secondary sex characteristics
other things you’d expect for differing sexes
rooting
a sucking reflex for babies
visual cliff
an apparent, but not actual, drop from one surface to another. was used to test babies’ depth perception. found that depth perception develops around when an infant learns to crawl
imprinting
when animals latch onto the first animal they see after birth
spermarche
when sperm production begins (12-16)
Jean Piaget
studied child development; came up with 4 cognitive developmental stages
sensorimotor stage
(birth to age 2) — infants know the world through sensory impressions and motor activities
object permanence
things still exist when out of sight (babies don’t develop this until 6 mos.)
preoperational stage
(2 yrs to 6-7 yrs) kid knows how to use language but does not yet comprehend concrete logic
conservation
tall glass has same amount as short glass, preop kids don’t get this
reversibility
understanding that actions can be reversed and systems can be restored to their original state, preop kids don’t get this
egocentrism
preop kids believe everyone sees the world they do
concrete operational stage
(7 to 11 yrs) people can think logically about concrete (actual, physical) things
formal operational stage
(12+) people become capable of abstract thinking (symbolic meaning, and abstract concepts like beauty)
theory of mind
others’ feelings, beliefs, etc. may be different from our own — opposite of egocentrism (you can predict mental states) the development of this begins in preop
Lev Vygotsky
believed that learning was continuous (not stage-based) and develops based on the socio-cultural environment
scaffold
a foundation given to a child by parents, teachers, and other children from which they can step to higher levels of thinking
dementia
cognitive disorder that impairs memory
zone of proximal development
what the learner can currently do with help; lev theory
crystallized intelligence
acquired knowledge, inc. w/ age, reflected in vocabulary and general knowledge
phonemes
smallest distinctive sound units in a language (th-, a-, t-, etc)
morphemes
smallest language units that carry meaning (reader has read, er, and s)
semantics
a language’s rules for deriving meaning from sounds
grammar
consists of semantics and syntax; a system of rules that a language has
syntax
rules for combining words into grammatically sensible statements
cooing
oohs and aahs — 6 to 8 weeks.
babbling
baby samples all the sounds they can make — 4 mos.
one word stage
1st birthday — they know sounds carry meaning and use syllables like ma or da to communicate
telegraphic speech
(1.5-2 yrs) — speech consists of mainly nouns and verbs
overgeneralization
taking grammar rules too far (e.g. tooths instead of teeth)
