Unit 6 - Developmental Psychology

Key Vocab

Accommodation

Development - adapting our current understandings (schemas) to incorporate new information (change/create)

Adolescence

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

Adolescences (Erikson stage)

Identify vs. role confusion; Who am I?

Alzheimer's Disease

Caused by an irreversible, fatal disease that affects the brain. It slowly destroys memory and thinking skills; loss and deterioration of neurons that produce ACh

Assimilation

interpreting our new experience in terms of our existing schemas. (join/add)

Attachment

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

Authoritarian Parenting

Parents impose rules and expect obedience.

Authoritative Parenting

Parents are demanding but responsive to their children.

Autism

A disorder that appears in childhood and is marked by deficient communication, social interaction, and understanding of others' states of mind.

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.

Cognition

All the mental activities associated with thinking, knowing, remembering, and communicating.

Conception

A single sperm cell (male) penetrates the outer coating of the egg (female) and fuses to form one fertilized cell.

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.

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.

Critical Period

An optimal period shortly after birth when an organism's exposure to certain stimuli or experiences produces proper development. (2nd trimester, 4-6 months; this is where Neurons are migrating)

Cross-Sectional Study

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

Developmental Norms

Median age at which individuals display various behaviors and abilities

Developmental Psychology

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

Down syndrome

Having an extra 21st chromosome and therefore, having physical and cognitive impairments.

Egocentrism

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

Elementary School (Erikson stage)

Industry/Competence vs. inferiority; Reading out loud…pride!

Embryo

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

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.

Erik Erikson

German-born American developmental psychologist Developed 8 psychosocial stages in which humans develop throughout their entire life span.

Familiarity

One factor that causes attachment. For children, mere exposure fosters fondness, content.

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.

Fetus

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

Fluid Intelligence

Our ability to reason speedily and abstractly; tends to decrease during late adulthood.

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.

Fraternal Twins

When two eggs are released and fertilized; can be brother/sister, two sisters, two brothers; no more genetically alike than any other two children of the same parents

Gender Identity

Our sense of being male or female.

Gender Role

A set of expected behaviors for males or for females.

Gender Typing

The acquisition of a traditional masculine or feminine role.

Gender

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

Germinal Stages

First 2 weeks after conception; zygote

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.

Harry Harlow

1971 experiment on rheus monkeys, showing the importance of bodily contact; "contact comfort"

Hierarchal classifications

Children in the Concrete Operational stage are able to understand the organization of items and think logically

Identical Twins

A single egg cell splits into two parts after fertilization; Share 100% of their genetic make up

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.

Imprinting

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

Infancy (Erikson stage)

Trust vs. mistrust; Can I trust the world?

Infantile Amnesia

Inability to consciously recall memories before the age of 3.5 years

Insecure Attachment

Child has poor social relationships & difficulty handling stress

Intimacy

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

Irreversibility

Shown in the preoperational stage, unable to perform mental operations in both directions.

Jean Piaget

Swiss Psychologist who dominated the field of psychology in regards to cognitive psychology is shaped by the errors we make.

Konrad Lorenz

Found the critical period for attachment was just after birth. Observed that goslings would imprint to obejcts/animals outside of their species.

Lack of conservation skills

Not understanding quantity remains the same even with changing shape.

Late Adulthood (Erikson stage)

Integrity vs. despair; Will anyone remember me?

Lawrence Kohlberg

American psychologist that sought to describe the development of moral reasoning.

Lev Vygotsky

Russian Developmental Psychologist that was a main critic of Piaget. He emphasized that early development occurs through parental instruction and interaction with social environments.

Longitudinal Study

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

Mary Ainsworth

1979 study on differences in attachments for infants; famous study "Strange Situation Experiment."

Maturation

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

Menarche

The first menstrual period.

Menopause

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

Middle Adulthood (Erikson stage)

Generativity vs. stagnation; Did I accomplish anything?

Object Permanence

The awareness that things continue to exist even when not perceived.

Parallel Play

Form of play in which children play adjacent to each other, but do not try to influence one another's behavior

Permissive Parenting

Parents submit to children's demands.

PKU (Phenylketonuria)

Baby born with deficiency of an enzyme needed to break down foods. Protein and some sweeteners act like poison…excess chemicals from food build up in blood, damaging brain development. If untreated can lead to intellectual disability, seizures & serious medical illnesses.

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.

Postconventional Morality

Right vs. wrong and self-defined ethical principles

Preconvetional

Morality Before age 9; Self-interest; obey rules to avoid punishment or gain rewards

Conventional Morality

Early teen; Caring for others; upholding laws and social rules

Preschool (Erikson stage)

Initiative vs. guilt; Show independence…line leader!

Primary Sex Characteristics

The body structures (ovaries, testes, and external genitalia) that make sexual reproduction possible; develop rapidly.

Proximodistal trend

CENTER-OUTWARD; Children tend to gain control over their torsos before their extremities

Puberty

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

Role

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

Rosenzweig Study

1984 research study showing that rats raised in enriched environments developed thicker cortices than those in impoverished environment.

Scaffolding

Parents can mentor (build) higher thinking levels (by providing new words, ideas, etc., to describe situations.)

Schema

A concept or framework that organizes and interprets information.

Secondary Sex Characteristics

Non-reproductive sexual characteristics, (i.e., breasts/hips in girls; facial hair and deepening of voice in boys; body hair, etc.)

Secure Attachment

Child is more trusting, enjoys relationships, deals better with stress and anxiety

Self-Concept

All our thoughts and feelings about ourselves, in answer to the question, "Who am I?"-Developsaround18months

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.

Separation Anxiety

Infants showing distress when parents leave

Social Clock

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

Social Identity

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

Social Learning Theory

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

Solitary (independent) play

Child is alone and maintains focus on its activity.

Stranger Anxiety

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

Tay-Sachs Disease

Genetic disorder in which a baby cannot break down fats; brain & nerve cells are destroyed as substances build up; Symptoms usually develop at 4-6 months; children usually die by age 5.

Temperament

A person's characteristic emotional reactivity and intensity.

Teratogens

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

Testosterone

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

Thalidomide

In 1957, drug designed to prevent morning sickness; babies were born with malformation of the limbs.

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.

Toddlerhood (Erikson stage)

Autonomy vs. shame and doubt; All by myself!

Young Adulthood (Erikson stage)

Intimacy vs. isolation; Who am I with?

Zone of Proximal Development

With assistance of a more capable person, a child is able to learn skills that go beyond the child's actual developmental or maturational level. (i.e., 5th grader doing 7th grade math)

Carol Gilligan

Critic of Kohlberg and his male moral development, Criticized his theory, arguing that it was biased in favor of men. In her own research, she found that women placed a stronger emphasis on caring in moral decision making.

Heinz Dilemma

Man needs drug to save wife's life. Drug is too expensive so man steals it.

Spermarche

For boys, around the age of 14, first ejaculation

Imaginary Audience Phenomenon

A false belief others are always paying attention to the adolescent, especially his flaws.

Nobody Understands Me Phenomenon

The belief that no one else has experienced life exactly as the adolescent has, and therefore cannot understand the adolescent.

Elizabeth Kubler-Ross's Stages of Grief

Swiss-American psychologist discussed her stages of grief.

Stages of Grief

DABDA = Denial, Anger, Bargaining, Depression, Acceptance