Development Psychology

Zygote

the fertilized egg; it enters a 2-week period of rapid cell division and develops into an embryo

Embryonic Period (Embryo)

Development from 2-8 weeks after conception, when the brain, spine, major organs, and bodily structures form

Fetal Period (Fetus)

From eight weeks to birth

Increased growth and "fine detailing"

Teratogens

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

fetal alcohol syndrome

physical and cognitive abnormalities in children caused by a pregnant woman's heavy drinking - birth defects

critical period

an optimal period shortly after birth when an organism's exposure to certain stimuli or experiences produces proper development ex: best to learn a language as a baby

Placenta

An organ that allows an embryo to be nourished with the mother's blood supply

Maturation

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

Reflexes

unlearned, organized involuntary responses that occur automatically in the presence of certain stimuli

Babinski reflex

Reflex in which a newborn fans out the toes when the sole of the foot is touched

rooting reflex

a baby's tendency, when touched on the cheek, to turn toward the touch, open the mouth, and search for the nipple

developmental norms

The average age at which individuals should display various behaviors and abilities.

four motor milestones

sit, crawl, walk, run

visual cliff

a lab device for testing depth perception in infants

blooming

period of rapid neural growth

Jean Piaget

focused on the difference in children's minds from an adults

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

* Lack object permeance
* develop sense of self

object permanence

the knowledge that an object exists even when it is not in sight

Preoperational stage

in Piaget's theory, the stage (from about 2 to 6 years of age) during which a child learns to use language but does not yet comprehend the mental operations of concrete logic

* lack conservation and reversibility
* are egocentric

conservation

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

Reversibility

the capacity to think through a series of steps and then mentally reverse direction, returning to the starting point (2+4 then 4+2)

Ego centrism

in Piaget's theory, the pre-operational child's difficulty taking another's point of view

Centration

in Piaget's theory, the tendency of a young child to focus only on one feature of an object while ignoring other relevant features

Animism

belief that inanimate objects have thoughts, feelings, and mental characteristics as if it were living

concrete operational stage

in Piaget's theory, the stage of cognitive development (from about 7 to 11 years of age) during which children gain the mental operations that enable them to think logically about concrete events

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

Vytogsky's theory - Zone of proximal development

Gap between what a child can do on its own and what they support on

Scaffolding

Process in which a more skilled learner, gives help to a less skilled learner, reducing the amount of help as the less skilled learner becomes more capable

temperment

a person's characteristic emotional reactivity and intensity

Imprinting

Konrad Lorenz - Process where certain animals form attachments early in life

Harry Harlow experiment

Baby monkey's ran to the mother who brought comfort rather than the mother they nursed from when scared. Stresses the importance of caregiving and companionship.

Diana Baumrind

her theory of parenting styles had four main types (permissive, authoritative, & authoritarian)

authoritarian parenting

style of parenting in which parent is rigid and overly strict, showing little warmth to the child

Authoritative parenting

parenting style characterized by emotional warmth, high standards for behavior, explanation and consistent enforcement of rules, and inclusion of children in decision making

permissive parenting

A parenting style characterized by the placement of few limits on the child's behavior, parent is more a friend than a parent

Mary Ainsworth

studied how different attachment styles affected kids

secure attachment

Infants use the mother as a home base from which to explore when all is well, but seek physical comfort and consolation from her if frightened or threatened - sensitive loving mother

avoidant attachment

infants who seem unresponsive to the parent when they are present, are usually not distressed when she leaves, and avoid the parent when they return - insensitive unresponsive mother

ambivalent attachment

insecurely attached; upset when mother leaves and then angry with mother upon her return - mother attends to child once her needs are met

disorganized attachment

a type of attachment that is marked by an infant's inconsistent reactions to the caregiver's departure and return - mother has depression

Kohlberg's stages of moral development

preconventional, conventional, postconventional

preconventional morality

first stage of Kohlberg's stages of moral development in which one follow the rules to avoid punishment

conventional morality

second level of Kohlberg's stages of moral development in which behavior is governed by conforming to the society's norms of behavior and follow rules to keep order

postconventional morality

third level of Kohlberg's stages of moral development in which the person's behavior is governed by personal moral principles and ethics. Do not care what others think of them

Carol Gilligan

moral development studies to follow up Kohlberg. She studied girls and women and found that they focused more on caring for personal relationships.

adolescence

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

synaptic pruning

a process whereby the synaptic connections in the brain that are used are preserved, and those that are not used are lost

high intensity feelings

Adolescence like intensity, excitement, and arousal and see this out. This presents itself through, scary movies, sex, drugs, amusement parks, dare devils.

adolescent egocentrism

the heightened self-consciousness of adolescents

Imaginary audience

adolescents' belief that they are the focus of everyone else's attention and concern

Personal fable

young people believe themselves to be unique and protected from harm. ex: tide pod challenge

identity vs identity confusion

the period during which teenagers seek to determine who they are going to be

1. Identity Diffusion
2. Identity Foreclosure
3. Identity Moratorium
4. Identity Achievement

1. not experienced an identity crisis, has no commitments
2. made a commitment, have not experienced an identity crisis
3. in the midst of an identity crisis, not made a commitment to an identity
4. undergone an identity crisis, made a commitment to an identity

Social Clock

culturally preferred timing of social events

emerging adulthood

the transitional period from adolescence to adulthood, spanning approximately 18 to 25 years of age

Potential Lifespan

Life expectancy

* a human can live to 122
* average age to live to by country

Erik Erikson

Known for his 8-stage theory of Psychosocial Development

Trust vs. Mistrust

0- 18 months- developing trust between caregivers and infant.

Autonomy vs. Shame and Doubt

(1-3 years) Toddlers learn to exercise their will and do things for themselves, or they doubt their abilities

Initiative vs. Guilt

3-6 years, learn to initiate tasks and carry out plans through play

Industry vs. Inferiority

6-12 years: begin to compare oneself to peers, develop sense of pride and inadequacy

identity vs. role confusion

12-18 years: Teen develop a sense of personal and moral identity, while failure leads to role confusion and a weak sense of self.

Intimacy vs. Isolation

18-40 -begin to from intimate relationships with other people. comfortable in relationships with a sense of commitment and care or are unable to develop intimacy which can lead to isolation and feeling of exclusion.

Generativity vs. Stagnation

40-60 - in middle age, people discover a sense of contributing to the world, usually through family and work, or they may feel a lack of purpose

integrity vs despair

Erikson's final stage in which those near the end of life look back and evaluate their lives, feeling satisfaction or failure

John Bowlby

developed attachment theory

abuse-breeds-abuse phenomenon

the phenomenon where a person hurting another person causes them to hurt others

Gender

Being born either male or female

Gender Identity

the individual's sense of being male or female

Sexual Orientation

an enduring sexual attraction toward members of either one's own sex or the other sex

Gender roles

sets of behavioral norms assumed to accompany one's status as male or female

gender socialization

Process in which children learn these gender roles

Social Learning theory - Bandura

Emphasizes learning through observation and imitation of models, attributes gender role development

gender schema theory

the theory that children learn from their cultures a concept of what it means to be male and female and that they adjust their behavior accordingly