Unit 3 Part 1 Vocab Terms

Gender Typing

Process, which, individuals acquire behaviors/preferences/roles usually associated with their gender. Mostly through socialization and reinforcement.

People take behaviors/preferences/roles associated with own gender, through socialization/reinforcement.

Insecure attachment

Pattern attachment behavior, characterized by anxiety, avoidance, or ambivalence in infant-caregiver relationship.

Secure attachment

Healthy positive emotional bond, in infant-caregiver relationship, characterized by trust, comfort, and sense of security.

Maturation

Biological programmed process growth and development, unfolds over time, leads to changes physical, cognitive, and social functioning.

Morpheme

Smallest unit of language that carries meaning, such as words, prefixes, suffixes, or grammatical markers.

Authoritative parenting

Democratic parenting style, sets rules and expectations but allows for flexibility as necessary.

Imprinting

Form rapid/irreversible learning, occurs during critical period, usually in young animals, in which they form strong attachments to specific individual or object.

Permissive parenting

Parenting style, whether intentionally/unintentionally, children have excess freedom to learn from their mistakes with little parental guidance. Parents listen to kids fully.

Phoneme

Smallest distinctive sound unit in language, which can differentiate words and change their meanings.

Sensorimotor stage

First stage cognitive development in Piaget's theory, birth-2 yrs. old. Characterized by infant's exploration of world through sensory experiences/motor actions.

Authoritarian parenting

Parenting style, excessively strict and inflexible, demand obedience.

Primary sexual characteristics

Reproductive organs and genitalia/organs involved in reproduction.

Rooting reflex

Newborn reflex to turn toward the source of food and suck. Example, nursing a baby/baby looks around for bottle.

Fetal alcohol syndrome

Group of physical/mental birth defects that occur in children whose mothers drink alcohol during pregnancy.

Secondary sex characteristics

Not directly involve in reproduction, physical features that develop during puberty, such as body hair, breast development, and voice changes.

Estrogen

Hormone, associated with development of female secondary sexual characteristics and regulation of menstrual cycle.

Puberty

Period of physical/sexual maturation during adolescence, marked by development secondary sex characteristics and reproductive capability.

Adolescence

Transitional stage of physical/psychological development, occurs during teenage years, marked by puberty, identity exploration, and increased autonomy.

Preoperational stage

Second stage of theory of cognitive development of Piaget, occurs 2-7 years old, characterized by symbolic thought, egocentrism, and use language and imagination.

Prosocial behavior

Actions that benefit others or society as whole, such as helping, sharing, and cooperation.

Gender role

Set of societal expectations, norms/behaviors usually associated with being male or female in particular culture/society.

Object permanence

Understanding that objects continue to exist even when not in someone's direct line of sight.

“Out of sight still in mind.”

Attachment

Emotional bond between infant and caregiver, characterized by proximity seeking, distress upon separation, and sense of security.

Linguistic relativism

Idea that differences language structure/vocabulary lead to differences in thought/perception across cultures.

Zone of proximal development

Area difficulty where child can complete task with help from adult, allows it to not be too difficult or too easy.

Social clock

Culturally prescribed timeline for major life events such as marriage, parenthood, and retirement. Influences individuals' expectations/judgments about timing of these events.

Teratogens

Substances/environmental factors that cause birth defects or developmental abnormalities in the embryo or fetus, such as drugs/alcohol/certain medications

Intimacy vs. Isolation

Close, interpersonal connection characterized by emotional closeness, trust, and vulnerability. Age 20s-Early 40s.

Basic trust vs. Mistrust

Erik Erikson's psychosocial theory, sense of security and confidence in world, develops 0-1 years infancy through consistent and nurturing caregiving

X Chromosome

One of two sex chromosomes, usually found in pairs in females and single in males, carries genes determining various traits/characteristics.

Developmental psychology

Branch psychology, studies physical, cognitive, and social changes occuring throughout the lifespan, from infancy-old age.

Cross-sectional study

Research method, compares individuals different ages or developmental stages at a single point/same time, to examine age-related differences

Research method, different ages same time find age-related differences.

Testosterone

Hormone associated male development/reproductive functions, such as development secondary sex characteristics/sperm production.

Concrete operational stage

Third stage theory of cognitive development of Piaget, 7-11 yrs. old, characterized by ability think logically about concrete events/grasp concrete analogies.

Longitudinal study

Research method, follows same group people over extended period of time, to examine developmental changes and continuity across the lifespan.

Research method, look at same people over time to look developmental changes/continuity over lifespan

Y Chromosome

One of two sex chromosomes, found singly in males and absent in females, carries genes related male development/sex determination.

Conservation

Understanding certain properties of objects, such as quantity/volume/number, stay constant despite changes in physical appearance.

Certain properties of objects (quantity/volume/number) stay same/constant despite changes physical appearance.

Egocentrism

Inability take another person's perspective or understand others may have different thoughts, feelings, or beliefs.

Inability understand other perspectives/understand others have different thoughts/feelings/beliefs.

Temperament

Individual's characteristic patterns of mood/activity level/emotional reactivity/attention span, which are relatively stable over time and across situations.

Individual’s characteristic patterns mood, activity level, emotional reactivity, attention span. Patterns relatively stable over time and across situations.

Social script

Set of expected behaviors, actions, and responses that guide interactions in specific social situations, such as greetings, conversations, or dating rituals.

Set of expected behaviors/actions/responses, guides interactions in specific social situations.

Emerging adulthood

Developmental stage proposed by Jeffrey Arnett, characterized by identity exploration, instability, self-focus, and possibilities, usually occurring in late teens and early twenties.

Developmental stage by Jeffrey Arnett, characterized by identity exploration/instability/self-focus/possibilites, occurring in late teens and early twenties.

Theory of mind

Ability understand/attribute mental states, such as beliefs/desires/intentions, to oneself and others, which crucial for social cognition and perspective-taking.

Ability understand/attribute mental states (beliefs/desires/intentions) to self and others, crucial for social cognition and perspective-understanding.

Identity vs. Role confusion

Distinct characteristics, beliefs, values, and experiences defining individual's sense of self and contribute to understanding of who they are.

Distinct characteristics/beliefs/values/experiences defining sense of self and contribute to self understanding.

Strange situation

Laboratory procedure developed by Mary Ainsworth to assess quality of attachment between infant and caregiver,

based on the infant's reactions to separations/reunions with caregiver in a novel environment.

Menopause

Natural cessation of menstruation and reproductive function in females, usually occurring around middle age. (50s)