Unit 9 Developmental Psychology

Developmental Psychology

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

Zygote

a fertilized egg

Fetus

the developing human organism from 9 weeks after conception to birth

Embryo

stage in prenatal development from 2 to 8 weeks

teratogens

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

Attachment

The strong bond (social-emotional) a child forms with his or her primary caregiver.

Maturation

the internally programmed growth of a child

Assimilation

the process of assimilating new ideas into an existing cognitive structure

Accommodation

in the theories of Jean Piaget: the modification of internal representations in order to accommodate a changing knowledge of reality

Sensorimotor Stage

the first stage in Piaget's theory, during which the child relies heavily on innate motor responses to stimuli

Object Permanence

the awareness that things continue to exist even when not perceived

Preoperational Stage

the second stage in Piaget's theory, marked by well-developed mental representation and the use of language

Egocentrism

In Piaget's theory, the preoperational child's difficulty taking another's point of view.

Concrete Operational Stage

the third of Piaget's stages, when a child understands conversation but still is incapable of abstract thought

Conservation

the principle that properties such as mass, volume, and number remain the same despite changes in the forms of objects

Theory of Mind

an awareness that other people's behavior may be influenced by beliefs, desires, and emotions that differ from one's own

Temperament

individuals characteritc manner of behavior or reaction assumed to have a strong genetic basis

Adolescence

the time period between the beginning of puberty and adulthood

Puberty

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

Primary Sex Characteristics

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

Secondary Sex Characteristics

Physical features that are associated with gender but that are not directly involved in reproduction.

Formal Operational Stage

In Piaget's theory, the fourth stage of cognitive development during which people begin to think logically about abstract concepts

Mary Ainsworth

developmental psychology; compared effects of maternal separation, devised patterns of attachment; "The Strange Situation": observation of parent/child attachment

Erik Erikson

neo-Freudian, humanistic; 8 psychosocial stages of development: theory shows how people evolve through the life span. Each stage is marked by a psychological crisis that involves confronting "Who am I?"

Carol Gilligan

Moral development studies to follow up Kohlberg. She studied girls and women and found that they scored different on Kohlberg's scale because they focused more on relationships rather than laws and principles.

Jonathan Haidt

Theorist who proposed that moral thoughts were not necessarily logical, because they are prompted by moral feelings, which are the equivalent of gut feelings.

Harry Harlow

development, contact/creature comfort, attachment; experimented with baby rhesus monkeys and presented them with cloth or wire "mothers;" showed that the monkeys became attached to the cloth mothers because of contact comfort

Lawrence Kohlberg

moral development; presented boys moral dilemmas and studied their responses and reasoning processes in making moral decisions. Most famous moral dilemma is "Heinz" who has an ill wife and cannot afford the medication. Should he steal the medication and why?

Konrad Lorenz

researcher who focused on critical attachment periods in baby birds, a concept he called imprinting; Lorenz' Geese

Jean Piaget

Four stage theory of cognitive development: 1. sensorimotor, 2. preoperational, 3. concrete operational, and 4. formal operational. He said that the two basic processes work in tandem to achieve cognitive growth-assimilation and accomodation

Mark Rosenzweig

demonstrated the consequences for being raised in an impoverished to enriched, complex environment

Lev Vygotsky

child development; investigated how culture & interpersonal communication guide development; zone of proximal development; play research

Fetal alcohol syndrome

a medical condition in which body deformation or facial development or mental ability of a fetus is impaired because the mother drank alcohol while pregnant

Habituation

a general accommodation to unchanging environmental conditions (pic is Piaget)

Cognition

the psychological result of perception and learning and reasoning

Schema

In observational learning, a generalized idea that captures the important components, but not every exact detail. Pertaining to memory and person perception, a generalized idea about objects, people, and events that are encountered frequently.

Autism spectrum disorder

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

Stranger Anxiety

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

Critical Period

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

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

a sense of one's identity and personal worth

Gender Typing

The process of developing the behaviors, thoughts, and emotions associated with a particular gender.

Social Learning theory

Bandura's view of human development; emphasizes interaction

Gender

in psychology, the biologically and socially influenced characteristics by which people define male and female.

Testosterone

a potent androgenic hormone produced chiefly by the testes

Role

the actions and activities assigned to or required or expected of a person or group

Gender Identity

your identity as it is experienced with regard to your individuality as male or female

menarche

the first occurrence of menstruation in a woman

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

a usually secretive or illicit sexual relationship

emerging adulthood

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

menopause

the time in a woman's life in which the menstrual cycle ends

cross-sectional study

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

longitudal study

Research in which the same people are restudies and retested over a long period

crystallized intelligence

one's accumulated knowledge and verbal skills; tends to increase with age

fluid intelligence

one's ability to reason speedily and abstractly; tends to decrease during late adulthood

social clock

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

alzheimers disease

an irreversible, progressive brain disorder, characterized by the deterioration of memory, language, and eventually, physical functioning

aggression

violent action that is hostile and usually unprovoked

gender role

the overt expression of attitudes that indicate to others the degree of your maleness or femaleness

Piaget's stages of cognitive development

1. sensorimotor

2. preoperational

3. concrete operational

4. formal operational

attachment

the powerful survival impulse that leads infants to seek closeness to their caregivers is called

During a discussion in class regarding cheating in school, a student argues, "Cheating is wrong; it is important to follow rules." Lawrence Kohlberg would say this student is in what level of moral development?

conventional

As a preschooler, Emma has developed a number of cognitive and social skills that she will use to assume responsibility. According to Erik Erikson, what stage of psychosocial development is Emma in?

initiative vs. guilt

According to Eric Erickson, what is one major conflict teenagers deal with during the identity versus role confusion stage of psychosocial development?

finding a more purposeful life as an adult

According to Erikson, teachers, friends, and other people outside of the home first become important in shaping attitudes of a child during what psychosocial stage?

initiative vs. guilt

A failure to develop a consistent identity results in...

role confusion

According to Erickson, a child who is learning the importance of academic success in school based on receiving a report card is in what psychosocial stage?

industry vs. inferiority

I am in my early fifties. Having already established my career, I now focus on nurturing the young and making contributions to society. If I fail to do so, Erickson argues I will experience...

stagnation

According to Lawrence Kohlberg, behavior directed by self-accepted moral principles is an example of what stage of moral development?

postconventional

As children begin their elementary school years, they enter Erikson's stage of...

industry vs. inferiority

Which is the correct order of the five stages of dealing with death or loss?

denial, anger, bargaining, depression, acceptance

Which of the following psychologists formulated a stage theory addressing psychological processes surrounding for death (grief)?

Elisabeth Kubler-Ross

Which of the following did Erik Erikson say was the primary conflict through which a teenager needs to work??

Identity vs role confusion

This type of research examines various groups of people the same age at the same time...

cross-sectional

A time of special sensitivity to a specific type of learning is known as a(n)

critical period

When a group of the same-age people is studied over an extended period of time describes \_________ research

longitudinal

In what stage of Piaget's model does object permanence develop?

sensorimotor

In what stage of Piaget's model does does animistic thinking occur?

preoperational

According to Piaget, \______ refers to the inability to see things from to the inability to see things from someone else's perspective; it someone else's perspective; it occurs during the \_________ stage

egocentrism, preoperational

Abstract thought occurs during this stage...

formal operational

In this level of moral development, moral judgements are based on personal standards for right and wrong..]

postconventional

In this level of moral development, moral understanding is based on ] rewards, punishments, and the rewards, punishments, and the exchange of favors

preconventional

In this level of moral judgements are based on adhering to societal rules...

conventional

The ability to take the perspective of, or empathize with others and to distinguish between right and wrong is known as

morality

An individual's innate disposition and characteristic emotional response..

temperament

Erikson's model suggests that at each stage of personality at each stage of personality development, we must...

resolve a conflict

During this stage, we learn to assert our independence for the first time

autonomy vs shame

During this stage, middle aged adults focus on nurturing the young and and making contributions to society...

generativity vs stagnation

During this stage, elementary aged children receive grades for the first time and compare themselves to peers in order to measure their competence...

industry vs inferiority

This is a type of attachment in which infant animals physically follow the first moving object they follow the first moving object they see or hear...

imprinting

Harry Harlow's research demonstrated that \_____ plays a major role in forming attachments

touch

Research has shown that this type of parenting style tends to produce the most well-adjusted children...

authoritative

trust vs mistrust

(0-1) Infants learn a basic sense of trust dependent upon how their needs are met by their caregiver

autonomy vs shame

(1-3) Toddlers need to develop self-control and do things independently

initiative vs guilt

(3-5) preschool children must learn to make plans and carry out tasks through play

industry vs inferiority

elementary children must learn new skills in both the academic world and the social world. begin to compare themselves to others