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development psychology
a branch of psychology that studies physical, cognitive, and social changes through someone’s life span
longitudinal study
research in which the same people are restudied and retested over time
cross-sectional study
a study in which people of different ages are compared with one another
maturation
development that reflects the gradual unfolding of one’s genetic blue print
germinal
conception - 2 weeks
embryonic
3 - 8 weeks
fetal
9 weeks birth
teratogens
any external agent that can harm the embryo or fetus
fetal alcohol syndrome
physical and cognitive abnormalities in children caused by pregnant persons heavy drinking
habitations
decreasing responsiveness with repeated stimulation
reflexes
automatic behaviors, not learned, necessary for survival
routing reflex
necessary for feeding - touch a baby’s cheek and they are turn their head in that direction
grasping reflex
babies will hold onto things - if a baby grabs your hair it’s hard to get the baby to let go
gross motor skills
involving large muscles of whole body movement
fine motor skills
movements involving small muscles
sit, crawl, walk, run
the sequence of these motor development milestones is the same around the world, though babies reach them at varying ages
critical periods
an optimal period early in their life of a child when exposure to certain stimuli or experiences produces normal development
imprinting
infant animals follow whatever is first seen at birth → might imprint on wrong animal
adverse childhood experiences
potentially traumatic events that occur in a childhood (up to 18)
jean piaget
development psychologist who believed children learn from interacting with the environment, intelligence is not fixed
assimilation
interpreting / improving existing information thanks to new but similar information
schemas
concept of framework that organizes and interprets information
accommodation
adopting our current schemas based on new information that contradicts old information
piaget’s stages of cognitive development
four qualitative stages, each with distinctive characteristics that allow certain types of thinking
sensorimotor
birth - 2 years : experiencing the world through sensations / actions
egocentric
only can see things from their perspective
object permanace
kids view the world from their own reference point
separation anxiety
a baby is afraid when mom or dad leaves
preoperational
2 - 7 years : still egocentric
animism
believing nature, objects are alive / have feelings
pretended play
the stage of play engaged in by children who are capable of assigning action to symbolic objects
reversibility
a relationship that goes on one direction can also go on opposite directions
conservation
some of an objects characteristics can change while other remain the same
Note 
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