AP PSYCHOLOGY UNIT 6: Developmental Psychology Set II

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

A sense that the world is predictable and trustworthy.

Gender

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

Aggression

Any physical or verbal behavior intended to hurt or destroy.

Gender Role

A set of expected behaviors for males or for females.

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.

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.

Puberty

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

Primary Sexual Characteristics

The body structures that make sexual reproduction possible.

Secondary Sexual Characteristics

Non-reproductive sexual traits, such as female breasts and hips, male voice quality, and body hair.

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.