AP Psychology Vocabulary (Modules 45-54)

Developmental Psychology

The branch of psychology that studies physical, cognitive, and social change throughout the lifespan.

Zygotes

The fertilized egg, which undergoes rapid cell division and develops into an embryo.

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

Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS)

A group of physical and cognitive abnormalities in children caused by a pregnant woman's heavy drinking.

Rooting Reflex

A newborn's tendency to turn its head toward touch and open its mouth in search of food.

Maturation

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

Schemas

Concepts or mental frameworks that organize and interpret information.

Assimilate

Incorporating new information into existing schemas.

Accommodate

Adjusting existing schemas to fit new information.

Jean Piaget

A Swiss psychologist known for his theory of cognitive development in children.

Sensorimotor Stage

Piaget's first stage of cognitive development (birth to 2 years), where infants know the world mostly in terms of their sensory impressions and motor activities.

Object Permanence

The awareness that objects continue to exist even when not seen.

Preoperational Stage

Piaget's second stage (ages 2 to 7), where children begin to represent things with words and images but lack logical reasoning.

Conservation

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

Egocentric

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

Theory of Mind

People's ideas about their own and others' mental states—about their feelings, perceptions, and thoughts.

Concrete Operational Stage

Piaget's third stage (ages 7 to 11), where children gain the mental operations that enable them to think logically about concrete events.

Formal Operational Stage

Piaget's fourth stage (beginning at age 12), where people begin to think logically about abstract concepts.

Scaffolding

A process in which a more knowledgeable other provides support to help a learner achieve a goal, often used in learning contexts.

ASD

Autism Spectrum Disorder, a developmental disorder affecting communication, behavior, and social interaction.

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 seeking closeness to the caregiver and showing distress on separation.

Critical Period

An optimal period early in life 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.

Basic Trust

According to Erik Erikson, a sense that the world is predictable and trustworthy; formed during infancy by appropriate experiences with caregivers.

Self Concept

A sense of one's identity and personal worth; developed in childhood.

Authoritarian

A parenting style in which parents impose rules and expect obedience.

Permissive

A parenting style in which parents submit to their children's desires, making few demands and using little punishment.

Authoritative

A parenting style in which parents are both demanding and responsive, enforcing rules but also explaining them.

Aggression

Any physical or verbal behavior intended to hurt or destroy.

Relational Aggression

Harmful behavior aimed at damaging relationships, such as gossiping or exclusion.

Gender Roles

Socially constructed roles and behaviors that a society typically associates with males and females.

Social Learning Theory

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

Androgyny

Displaying both traditional masculine and feminine psychological characteristics.

Transgender

Describing individuals whose gender identity differs from their assigned sex at birth.

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.

Primary Sex Characteristics

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

Secondary Sex Characteristics

Nonreproductive sexual traits, such as female breasts and hips, male voice quality, and body hair.

Menarche

The first menstrual period.

Kohlberg

Psychologist known for his theory of moral development.

Preconventional Morality

Kohlberg's first level of moral development, where behavior is driven by rewards and punishments.

Conventional Morality

Kohlberg's second level of moral development, where behavior is driven by social rules and laws.

Postconventional Morality

Kohlberg's third level of moral development, where behavior is driven by self-chosen ethical principles.

Erik Erikson

Psychologist known for his theory on psychosocial development and the concept of identity crisis.

Identity

One's sense of self; according to Erikson, the adolescent's task is to solidify a sense of self by testing and integrating various roles.

Intimacy

In Erikson's theory, the ability to form close, loving relationships; a primary developmental task in young adulthood.

Menopause

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

Alzheimer’s Disease

A progressive neurodegenerative disorder that leads to memory loss and cognitive decline.

Cross Sectional Studies

Research that compares people of different ages at the same point in time.

Longitudinal Studies

Research that follows and retests the same people over time.

Crystallized Intelligence

Accumulated knowledge and verbal skills; tends to increase with age.

Fluid Intelligence

The 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.