Psyc 101 Final

Nature and Nurture

The debate and relationship between genetics (nature) and environmental influences (nurture) on individual development.

Genotype

The genetic material an individual inherits from their parents.

Phenotype

The observable expression of an individual's genotype; includes traits such as appearance and behavior.

Environment

Every aspect of the individual and their surroundings that can influence development.

Behavior Genetics

The study of the relative contributions of genetic and environmental factors to behavior and development.

Genetic Nurture

How parental genotype contributes to the child's environment, influencing the child's phenotype.

Epigenetics

The study of how environmental factors can alter gene expression without changing the DNA sequence.

Dominant-Recessive Patterns

Patterns that describe how certain traits are passed based on the dominant or recessive genes.

Bioecological Model

A framework describing how different environmental systems interact to influence child development.

Chromosomes

Structures within cells that contain DNA and the genetic blueprint for an organism.

Genetic Diversity

Variations in gene frequencies that occur due to random assortment, crossing over, and mutations.

MAOA gene

A gene that regulates neurotransmitters and is associated with aggression, influenced by environmental factors.

Imprinting

A behavior seen in some animal species where newborns follow the first moving object they see, aiding survival.

Parental Investment Theory

An evolutionary theory that explains parental behaviors aimed at ensuring offspring survival.

Microsystem

The immediate environment that directly influences an individual, such as family, school, and peers.

Mesosystem

The connections among various microsystems that impact a child's development.

Exosystem

Environmental settings that indirectly affect an individual's development, such as community resources.

Macrosystem

The larger social and cultural context in which all other systems are embedded.

Chronosystem

The historical changes that influence other systems and aspects of development over time.

Socrates and the Slave Boy

This concept demonstrates that even an uneducated child possesses innate knowledge, reinforcing that babies know more than we might assume

Plato

Nature

Aristotle

Nurture

John Locke

Mind is a blank state, knowledge comes from experience (nurture)

Deferred Imitation

The ability of infants to imitate a behavior observed previously, even when the model is no longer present

Perceptual Narrowing

The process wherein infants become less sensitive to stimuli that are not commonly experienced, improving their ability to recognize familiar stimuli.

Species-Specific Recognition Hypothesis

The idea that infants develop the ability to distinguish human faces as they grow, particularly within the first 9 months.

Object Permanence

The understanding that objects continue to exist even when they cannot be observed

A-not-B Error

The tendency of infants to search for an object in a previously successful location rather than the most recent hiding place.

Violation of Expectation Method

A research technique used to determine what infants know about the world based on their reactions to unexpected outcomes.

Synaptogenesis

The process of forming new synapses in the brain, which occurs during both infancy and adolescence.

Teratogens

agents that can cause malformation or abnormal development of an embryo or fetus (alcohol)

Inhibition

Not acting on our impulsive thoughts or desires

Example of Discontinuous

Piaget Stages

Sticky mittens outcome

Kids realize that they have goals and that other people can have goals too

preferential looking

a method used to infer a baby’s preferences by observing their looking behavior towards different stimuli

macrosystem

broader society/laws

exosystem

influence of environments external to the child such as parent’s workplace

meosystem

interconnections among immediate systems (family/school)

microsystem

immediate environments impacting behavior (family, peers)

Assimilation

incorporating new information

Accomodating

Modifying existing schemas

How do kids learn best from drawings

Black and white sketches

Essentialism

The belief that things have inherent values that cannot be changed

Theory of mind

the ability to understand that others have thoughts, beliefs, and perspectives different from one's own.

Holophrastic Speech

a single word that expresses a complete thought, often used by young children in early language development. “Milk!”

Telegraphic Speech

Two-word utterances that convey meaning and follow basic grammatical rules (ex. "want cookie" or "go park.”)

1940s parenting style

Characterized by strict discipline and high expectations, often emphasizing obedience and conformity over emotional support. Behaviorist approach.

Harlow Monkey Experiment

Challenged behaviorist perspective by demonstrating the importance of emotional support over just basic needs in development.

Discrete Emotions Theory

All humans experience the same small number of emotions, emotions are innate, emotions in bins

Functionalist approach on emotions

Emotions are influenced by context shaped by the environment

Growth mindset pop science

The idea that growth mindsets might be having the opposite effect as it ignores societal factors and systemic issues affecting individual potential.

TOM pop science

Theory of Mind, which refers to the ability to understand that others have thoughts, beliefs, and perspectives different from one's own.

intermodal perception

The ability to integrate information from different sensory modalities, such as sight and sound, to form a coherent understanding of the environment.

People with autism tend to look at what?

Hands and mouth

superordinate

mammal or animal, general categories

subordinate

particular types of something, name of dog breeds

neurogenesis

generating neurons, happens in adolescence and adulthood

synaptogenesis

most of it happens during early childhood

synaptic pruning

the process of eliminating excess synapses in the brain to improve efficiency of neural connections, primarily occurring in childhood and adolescence. Starts from the back of the brain

Myelination

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