AP Psychology - Unit #3: Development and Learning Vocabulary

A comprehensive set of vocabulary flashcards covering key terms from Development and Learning in AP Psychology.

Chronological Development

The sequence of events in order of time.

Lifespan Development

Study of how people develop and change throughout their entire lives.

Stability and Change

The interplay between traits that remain consistent and those that evolve over time.

Nature and Nurture

The debate between genetics (nature) and environment (nurture) in human development.

Continuous Development

Development that occurs gradually over time.

Discontinuous Development

Development that occurs in distinct stages or steps.

Teratogens

Agents that can cause malformation or harm during prenatal development.

Fine Motor Coordination

The coordination of small muscle movements, usually involving movements of the hands and fingers.

Gross Motor Coordination

The coordination of large muscle groups for major body movements.

Maturation

Biological growth processes that are relatively uninfluenced by experience.

Reflexes

Automatic responses to specific stimuli.

Rooting Reflex

An infant's instinctual response to turn towards a touch on the cheek.

Visual Cliff

A laboratory device for testing depth perception in infants.

Critical Periods

Specific time windows during development when certain events must occur for normal development.

Sensitive Periods

Optimal times for certain abilities to emerge due to environmental influences.

Imprinting

A rapid form of learning that occurs during a brief receptive period, typically seen in some animals.

Growth Spurt

A period of rapid physical growth typically occurring during adolescence.

Puberty

The developmental stage during which an individual becomes sexually mature.

Primary Sex Characteristics

The body structures directly involved in reproduction.

Secondary Sex Characteristics

Non-reproductive sexual traits that develop during puberty.

Menarche

The first occurrence of menstruation in females.

Spermarche

The first occurrence of ejaculation in males.

Menopause

The cessation of menstruation, typically occurring in middle age.

Schemas

Cognitive frameworks that help organize and interpret information.

Assimilation

The process of integrating new information into existing schemas.

Accommodation

The process of altering an existing schema to fit new information.

Sensorimotor Stage

The first stage of cognitive development, characterized by sensory and motor exploration.

Object Permanence

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

Preoperational Stage

The second stage of cognitive development, where children begin to use language and think symbolically.

Mental Symbols

Internal representations of objects and experiences.

Pretend Play

Child's play that involves imaginary scenarios.

Conservation

The understanding that quantity remains the same despite changes in shape or appearance.

Reversibility

The ability to recognize that numbers or objects can be changed and then returned to their original state.

Animism

The belief that inanimate objects have lifelike qualities.

Egocentrism

The inability to differentiate between self and other viewpoints.

Theory of Mind

The ability to understand that others have thoughts and feelings different from one's own.

Concrete Operational Stage

The third stage of cognitive development, characterized by logical thinking about concrete events.

Systematic Thinking

Logical reasoning where conclusions are drawn in a consistent manner.

Formal Operational Stage

The fourth stage of cognitive development, characterized by abstract reasoning.

Abstract Thinking

The ability to think about concepts and ideas that are not physically present.

Hypothetical Thinking

The ability to think about possibilities, scenarios, and situations that have not yet occurred.

Scaffolding

Support provided by a more knowledgeable person that enables a learner to achieve a task.

Zone of Proximal Development

The difference between what a learner can do without help and what they can achieve with guidance.

Crystallized Intelligence

The ability to use learned knowledge and experience.

Fluid Intelligence

The capacity to think logically and solve problems in novel situations.

Dementia

A decline in cognitive function severe enough to interfere with daily life.

Phonemes

The smallest units of sound in a language.

Morphemes

The smallest meaningful units of language.

Ecological Systems Theory

A theory that emphasizes the different systems that influence human development.

Microsystem

The immediate environment in which a person functions.

Mesosystem

The connections between different microsystems.

Exosystem

The external environment that indirectly influences development.

Macrosystem

The broader societal and cultural systems that affect individuals.

Chronosystem

The patterning of environmental events and transitions over the life course.

Authoritarian Parenting

A style of parenting characterized by high demands and low responsiveness.

Authoritative Parenting

A parenting style that is demanding yet responsive.

Permissive Parenting

A parenting style characterized by low demands and high responsiveness.

Attachment Styles

The different ways individuals form emotional bonds and connections.

Secure Attachment

A stable and positive emotional bond with caregivers.

Insecure Attachment

An unstable emotional bond often resulting from inconsistent caregiving.

Avoidant Attachment

A form of insecure attachment where individuals avoid closeness.

Anxious Attachment

A form of insecure attachment characterized by anxiety about being abandoned.

Disorganized Attachment

A type of attachment that is confused and inconsistent.

Temperament

A person's characteristic emotional reactivity and intensity.

Separation Anxiety

Distress experienced by children when separated from their primary caregiver.

Parallel Play

Play where children play alongside each other without interacting.

Pretend Play

Play in which children use their imagination to create scenarios.

Imaginary Audience

The belief that others are as focused on oneself as oneself is.

Personal Fable

The belief that one's experiences and emotions are unique.

Social Clock

The societal expectations for the timing of life events.

Emerging Adulthood

A distinct period of life from late teens to mid-twenties.

Stage Theory of Psychosocial Development

Erik Erikson's theory outlining eight stages of personal development.

Trust vs. Mistrust

The first stage of Erikson's theory where infants learn to trust caregivers.

Autonomy vs. Shame and Doubt

The second stage where toddlers gain independence.

Initiative vs. Guilt

The third stage where preschoolers start asserting control and power.

Industry vs. Inferiority

The fourth stage where children develop a sense of pride in their accomplishments.

Identity vs. Role Confusion

The fifth stage where adolescents explore personal values and beliefs.

Intimacy vs. Isolation

The sixth stage focusing on forming intimate relationships.

Generativity vs. Stagnation

The seventh stage where adults seek to create or nurture things that will outlast them.

Integrity vs. Despair

The final stage where older adults look back on life and evaluate their experiences.

Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs)

Traumatic events that occur before the age of 18.

Identity Achievement

When individuals have explored options and made commitments to an identity.

Identity Diffusion

When individuals do not explore options or make commitments.

Identity Foreclosure

When individuals make commitments without exploring options.

Identity Moratorium

When individuals are exploring options without making commitments.

Racial/Ethnic Identity

The extent to which one identifies with a particular racial or ethnic group.

Sexual Orientation

A person's emotional, romantic, or sexual attraction to others.

Religious Identity

The degree to which one identifies with a specific religion.

Occupational Identity

The sense of self related to one's career and work.

Familial Identity

The sense of self as defined by family relationships.

Possible Selves

Concepts of who one might become in the future.

Behavioral Perspective

An approach in psychology emphasizing observable behavior.

Classical Conditioning

A learning process that creates associations between a natural stimulus and a conditioned stimulus.

Unconditioned Stimulus (UCS)

A stimulus that unconditionally triggers a response.

Unconditioned Response (UCR)

An unlearned response to an unconditioned stimulus.

Conditioned Stimulus (CS)

An originally neutral stimulus that, after association with an unconditioned stimulus, comes to trigger a conditioned response.

Conditioned Response (CR)

The learned response to a previously neutral stimulus.

Association

Linking one stimulus to another.

Acquisition

The initial stage of learning when a response is established.

Extinction

The diminishing of a conditioned response when the unconditioned stimulus no longer follows the conditioned stimulus.