AP Psych unit 3

Developmental psychology

studies physical, cognitive, and social change throughout your life span

Three issues that have engaged developmental psychologists

nature vs nurture, continuity and stages, stability and change

When does life begin?

at conception and continues through several states in the womb.

Three stages of development

zygote, embryo, fetus 

Zygote

lasts 10-14 days, cells duplicate until there’s enough cells to specify jobs.

Embryo

6 weeks, organs form and start functioning 

Fetus

9 weeks, where most development happens

Teratogen

something external that can reach the fetus and cause harm

Examples of teratogen 

alcohal, tobacco, drug use, viruses contracted, and certain medicines 

Fetal alcohal syndrome

baby born addicted to alcohal

Infant reflexes

rooting reflex, sucking reflex, grasping reflex, startle reflex, and babinski reflex

Rooting reflex 

when touched on the side of the mouth, they turn to that side and open their mouth 

Sucking reflex

when the roof of the baby’s mouth is touched, they start to suck.

Grasping reflex

if you rub a baby’s palm, they will hold on

Startle reflex 

a baby will tend to push out and curl in as they cry 

Babinski reflex

if you stoke a baby’s foot, their toes will spread out toward their leg

Habituation

decreasing responsiveness with repeated stimulation

Maturation

biological growth process that are uninfluenced by experience

Jean Piaget

studied the development of children’s cognition

Assimilate

adding to our sachems

Accommodate

changing or adding new things to a schema

Four stages of cognitive development

sensorimotor stage, preoperational stage, concerte operational stage, formal operational stage

Sensorimotor stage

where infants know the world based on their sensory impressions and motor impressions, age 0-2.

Object permanence

awareness that objects continue to exist even when not perceived, babies don’t have this

Preoperational stage

age 2 thru 6/7, language development stage

Conservation

the idea that children don’t understand numbers are equal

Egocentrism

idea that children don’t understand there is a different perspective

Theory of mind

understand both your own emotions and other emotions, even predicting them.

Concrete operational stage

age 7 to 11, the ability to think logically about abstract concepts

Scaffolding

helps support learning

Zone of proximal development

zone of “it’s difficult, but with scaffolding it’s possible.” basically not to hard but not too easy

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD)

deficiencies in communication, social interaction, and rigidly fixated interests/repetitive behavior

Attachment

emotional tie with another person or object

Stranger anxiety

fear of strangers

Separation anxiety

peaks around 13 months

Harry and Margaret Harlow findings?

attachment is more based on comfort than nourishment

Critical period

optimal period when certain events must take place to have proper development

Imprinting

concept developed by Konrad Lorenz and it’s the idea that animals (birds) imprint on the first thing they see when they’re born

Mary Ainsworth

designed the strange situation experiment that observed what happens when a mom drops a child off in a place they’ve never been and leaves

Secure attachment

child who has initial discomfort when their mom leaves but quickly settles in to play/interact, and is excited when she gets back

Types of insecure attachment

anxious and avoidant attachment

Anxious attachment

constantly craving acceptance but remaining vigilant to signs of possible rejection, babies who cry the whole time the mom is gone and need to be held.

Avoidant attachment

people who get uncomfortable when they get too close to others, or a baby who doesn’t want to be held or talked too while their mom is gone

Temperament

inborn characteristic emotional reactivity and intensity

Self concept

understanding who you are

Authoritarian parenting style

parents who impose rules and demand obedience

Permissive parenting style

set few limits or demands, little punishment

Authoritative parenting style

set rules but are open to discussion and exceptions

Negligent parenting style

careless and inattentive

Outcome of authoritarian parents

children with less social skill and self esteem, high stress/anxiety

Outcome of permissive parents

children who are more aggressive and immature

Outcome of negligent parents

children with poor academic and social outcomes

Outcome of authoritative parents

children with the highest self esteem, self reliance, self regulation, and social competence

What happens when we impoverish/don’t stimulate the brain?

brain cells will literally die and our brain will lose neurons

What can stimulation by touch do for the brain?

help the brain develop quicker

Credit and blame

parents don't deserve credit or blame for how their children turn out, because the children have the ability to resist their parents and ultimately make their own choices

Freud’s theory of social development

Oral, anal, phallic, latency, genital

Freud’s theory of social development oral stage

infancy

Freud’s theory of social development anal stage

age 1.5-3yrs old, potty training age, where children realize they have control/pleasure of their bodies

Freud’s theory of social development phallic stage

age 3-6 yrs old, where children realize they can get pleasure from their bodies, odeipus/Electra complex is where a girl/boy says “I’m going to grow up and marry my mom/dad”

Freud’s theory of social development latency stage

age 7-11, push down libido in order to learn

Freud’s theory of social development genital stage

by age 12, obsessed with sexual thoughts

As a child’s brain develops…

neural connections grow more numerous and complex

Adolescence

the transition period from childhood to adulthood

Puberty

period of sexual maturation

Impact of early maturation on boys

stronger, more athletic, more popular

Impact of early maturation on girls?

greater harassment and ostracizing in society

How do adolescents think?

the younger they are, they more self-centered they will think

Lawrence Kohlberg

moral development

Preconventional morality

before age 9, obeying rules to avoid punishment or gain reward

Conventional morality

early adolescence, upholding laws/rules to gain social approval

Post conventional morality

actions reflect belief in basic rights and ethical beliefs

Carol Giligen’s criticism

argued that Kohlberg isn’t fully accurate because he only asked Western men, not women or people of different cultures

Moral intuition

gut feeling of right/wrong

Erik Erikson’s 8 stages of psych social development

trust vs mistrust, autonomy vs shame and doubt, initiative vs guilt, competence vs inferiority, identity vs role confusion, intimacy vs isolation, generativity vs stagnation, integrity vs despair

Trust vs mistrust stage

infancy to 1yr, if needs are dependably met, infants develop a sense of basic trust

Autonomy vs shame stage

age 1-3, toddlers learn to do things by themselves

Initiative vs guilt stage

preschool age, children begin to carry out basic tasks

Competence vs inferiority stage

elementary age, when grades start to matter and children start to feel the pressure of applying themselves to a task

Identity vs role confusion stage

adolescence, finding your sense of self

Intimacy vs isolation stage

young adulthood, finding both a romantic and deep friendship relationship

Generativity vs stagnation stage

middle adulthood, midlife crisis stage

Integrity vs despair stage

late adulthood, asking if you can look back on your life with fulfillment or regret?

Identity

sense of self

Social identity

where you fit into the collective society

What diminishes as you age?

reaction time, sensory keenness, and muscular strength

What brings a decline in fertility?

aging

How do Telomeres impact aging?

they are trios of chromosomes that act as the natural aging process that helps the body reproduce the cells you need, which slows naturally

Death deferral phenomenon

people try not to die around important dates

Atrophy

the brain literally gets weaker

Recall

remembering without a cue (written answer)

Recognition

remembering with a cue (multiple choice)

Social clock

the defining “right time” to make big life decisions, like having kids

Neurocognitive disorders (NCDs)

acquired disorders marked by cognitive defects (Alzheimer's)

What aspects of our life dominates adulthood?

love and work

Do our emotions stabilize as we age?

yes, over time they tend to mellow out

Language

written, spoken, or signed words that communicate meaning

Phenome

smallest unit of sound

Morpheme

smallest unit of meaning

Grammar

rules of language