ap psych unit 3.1

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