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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.
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