unit 3

Object Permanence

Knowing things exist even when hidden.

Imprinting

Rigid, early attachment in some animals (e.g., ducklings).

Continuity vs. Discontinuity

Growth as a smooth, gradual ramp vs. distinct, sudden steps.

Conservation

Knowing volume stays the same even if the shape changes.

Egocentrism

Difficulty seeing things from another person’s perspective.

Visual Cliff

A tool used to test depth perception in infants.

Rooting Reflex

Baby turns head toward a cheek touch to find food.

Secure Attachment

Using a caregiver as a 'safe base' to explore.

Contact Comfort

Physical touch/warmth is more important than food for bonding.

Imaginary Audience

Teen belief that everyone is watching/judging them.

Authoritative Parenting

High warmth + clear rules (Demanding but responsive).

Permissive Parenting

High warmth + no rules (Low demands).

Industry vs. Inferiority

School-age pride in work vs. feeling 'less than.'

Generativity vs. Stagnation

Mid-life desire to give back vs. feeling stuck.

Classical Conditioning

Learning through association (Bell = Food).

Unconditioned Stimulus (US)

The natural trigger (Food).

Unconditioned Response (UR)

The natural reaction (Drooling).

Conditioned Stimulus (CS)

The learned trigger (The Bell).

Conditioned Response (CR)

The learned reaction (Drooling to the bell).

Stimulus Generalization

Fearing all dogs after one bite.

Extinction

When a learned behavior fades away.

Operant Conditioning

Learning through rewards and punishments.

Positive Reinforcement

Adding something good to increase a behavior.

Negative Reinforcement

Removing something bad to increase a behavior.

Shaping

Rewarding small steps toward a final goal.

Learned Helplessness

Giving up because you feel you have no control.

Latent Learning

Learning that happens but isn't shown until there’s a reward.

Social Learning Theory

Learning by observing and imitating others.

Crystallized Intelligence

Your 'library' of facts (increases with age).

Fluid Intelligence

Speed of logic and problem-solving (decreases with age).

Incubation Period

Taking a break from a problem to find the answer later.

Insight

The sudden 'Aha!' moment of solving a problem.

Overgeneralization

Grammar errors like 'I runned' (applying rules too broadly).

Operational Definition

Exactly how you measure a variable (e.g., 'Weight in lbs').

Correlational Study

Looking for a relationship (not cause/effect).

Scatterplot

A graph of dots used to show correlations.

Mean

The average.

Range

The distance between the highest and lowest scores.

Effect Size

The actual strength of a result.

IRB Board

Group that checks if a study is ethical.

Cross-Sectional

Testing different age groups at the same time.

Sex Determination

Determined by the father’s sperm (X or Y).

Biological Preparedness

We are genetically 'wired' to fear certain things (like snakes).