Psychology - Unit 3: Developmental Psychology (Infant & Child)

cross sectional

Participants of different ages studied at the same time.

longitudinal

One group of people studied over a period of time.

cross sectional

Participants of different ages studied at the same time.

longitudinal

One group of people studied over a period of time.

stability vs. change

Which of our traits persist through life? How do we change as we age?

nature vs. nurture

How does our genetic inheritance (our nature) interact with our experiences (our nurture) to influence our development?

continuous vs. discontinuous

What parts of development are gradual and continuous, like riding an escalator? What parts change abruptly in separate stages, like climbing rungs on a ladder?

maturation

phsyical growth, regardless of the environment

although the timing of our growth may be different, the sequence is almost always the same

fine motor skills

scribbles for 2-3 y/o

drawings that mean something for 4 y/o+

gross motor skills

physical abilities involving large body movements, such as walking and jumping

imprinting

A primitive form of learning in which some young animals follow and form an attachment to the first moving object they see and hear.

teratogens

chemical agents that can harm the prenatal environment such as drugs, alcohol, and STDs

rooting reflex

a baby's inborn reflex to open the mouth and search for the nipple when touched on the cheek

visual cliff

a laboratory device for testing depth perception in infants and young animals

critical (sensitive) period

the optimal period shortly after birth when an organism's exposure to certain stimuli or experience produces proper development

Piaget's stages of cognitive development

sensorimotor, preoperational, concrete operational, formal operational

sensorimotor

in Piaget's theory, the stage (from birth to about 2 years of age) during which infants know the world mostly in terms of their sensory impressions and motor activities

preoperational

in Piaget's theory, the stage (from about 2 to 7 years of age) during which a child learns to use language but does not yet comprehend the mental operations of concrete logic

concrete operational

in Piaget's theory, the stage of cognitive development (from 7 to 11 years of age) during which children gain the mental operations that enable them to think logically about concrete events

formal operational

in Piaget's theory, the stage of cognitive development (normally beginning about age 12) during which people begin to think logically about abstract concepts

schemas

ways we interpret the world around us

what you picture in your head when you think of anything

assimilation

when we incorporate new experiences into existing schemas

accommodation

changing an existing schema to adopt to new information

object permanence

the knowledge that an object exists even when it is not in sight

exists from preoperational stage

egocentrism

in Piaget's theory, the preoperational child's difficulty taking another's point of view

reversibility

the capacity to think through a series of steps and then mentally reverse direction, returning to the starting point

irreversibility exists in preoperational stage

hypothetical & abstract thinking

exists from formal operation stage

theory of mind

people's ideas about their own and others' mental states—about their feelings, perceptions, and thoughts, and the behaviors these might predict

Vygotsky's sociocultural theory

the approach that emphasizes how cognitive development proceeds as a result of social interactions between members of a culture

mental symbols

A stage when a child is able to mentally represent an object that is not present, and a dependence on perception in problem solving.

scaffolding

a framework that offers children temporary support as they develop higher levels of thinking

Ecological system theory

view that people encounter different environments throughout their lives that can impact their behavior

microsystems

elements of the person's immediate surroundings, such as family and peer group

mesosystem

connections between microsystems

exosystem

social settings that a person may not experience firsthand but that still influence development

macrosystem

attitudes and ideologies of the culture

chronosystem

historical changes that influence the other systems

Ainsworth strange situation experiment

illustrated the strength of attachment between a child and their mother

identified secure attachment and insecure attachment (avoidant, ambivalent, and disorganized)

secure attachment

demonstrated by infants who comfortably explore environments in the presence of their caregiver, show only temporary distress when the caregiver leaves, and find comfort in the caregiver's return

insecure attachment

demonstrated by avoiding contact with the caregiver, or by alternating between approach and avoidance behaviors

temperament

individual differences in attention, arousal, and reactivity to new situations

separation anxiety

emotional distress seen in many infants when they are separated from people with whom they have formed an attachment

Harlow's attachment monkey studies

monkeys needed touch to form attachment, showing that motion, touch, and play are imperitive to healthy development

those who are deprived of touch have trouble forming attachment when they are older

parallel play

activity in which children play side by side without interacting

2-3 y/o

pretend play

make-believe play in which common objects are often used to symbolize other objects

3-11 y/o