Psyc 101 UNC-CH Loeb Exam 3

egg and sperm

23 chromosomes each

conception

when the sperm and egg combine.

-the egg is then fertilized

can confirm conception...

in 6-8 days when enough human chorionic gonadotropin (HGC) has built up.

germinal stage

0-2 weeks after conception

zygote

the fusion of the sperm and the egg

eggs become fertilized within the...

fallopian tubes

placenta

allow materials to be exchanged between the mother and the developing zygote/embryo/fetus

embryonic stage

3-8 weeks and then there is an embryo

embryo

more or less humanoid shaped

two major principles or rules of development from the embryonic period onward...

cephalocaudal and proximodistal

cephalocaudal

development goes from head to the tail end.

-head region develops before the lower regions

proximodistal

regions more towards the middle will start to develop before more outer regions

basic groundwork for ___ is laid out during embryonic stage

vital organs

miscarriage is most likely in...

embryonic stage

fetus

beginning around 9th week after conception

at 12 weeks or so (end of the 1st trimester)...

-miscarriages less likely

-blood materials exchanged freely

sometime during 2nd trimester (20ish weeks)

mother may detect first fetal movements (quickening)

age of viability

22-36 weeks

-For the rest of fetal development, the body systems--as well as more distal structures--will continue to develop, and during the last month of gestation, layers of fat will develop in order to prepare for birth.

teratogens

environmental factors that claus birth defects

ex. maternal malnutrition, exposure to drugs, disease, radiation exposure

fetal alcohol syndrom

physical and neurological anomalies

Two principles to keep in mind when considering the relationship between maternal illness and fetal development are...

1) severity of illness in the mother does not reflect how much the disease would impact the fetus

2) gestational age can influence how much an illness will impact the fetus

fetus susceptibility to maternal disease...

In general, maternal disease tends to increase risk of birth defects during the 1st trimester

-not be too much of a problem during the 2nd trimester

-likely increase chances that the baby will also develop the disease when it occurs during the 3rd trimester

postnatal development

is quite uneven

at 2 years of age the toddler is __% greater in length

75

lift its head

3 months

roll over

2.75 months

sit without support

5.5 months

motor development is highly...

varied

adolescence

rapid period of growth, intermingled with sexual development

secondary sexual characterisitics

sexual characteristics which are NOT vital for reproduction

at around 12.5 yrs, puberty begins

primary sexual characteristics develop

during later adulthood

-graying hair

-thinning, balding

-decline in sensory/perceptual acuity

-menopause

-increase in fat proportion

expressions of pleasure (smiling, laughter)

4-6 weeks

(females smile more than males)

fear of strangers

at around 6 months of age

-may cry at strangers

-emotional attachment develops with caregivers

-biologically driven

emotional attachements

secure attachment style, insecure attachment style

-to determine the quality of emotional attachment, use Ainsworth Strange Situation

strange situation procedure

infants are exposed to a series of 8 separations and reunion episodes to assess the quality of their attachment

avoidant attachment style

suppression of attachment need

insecure attachment style

(30% of kids) less likely to explore, cling to mother when she leaves, cries loudly, angry when she returns (stressful environments and inattentive parents)

language development

thought to be heavily driven by biology

reflexive communication and cooing

1-5 months

babbling

6-18 months

first words

10-13 months

1 word sentences

12-18 months

receptive vs productive vocabulary

infants understand (receptive) language before they can actually produce language (productive)

overextension

when a toddler uses a specific word for more cases than it should be used

telegraphic speech

2 yrs of age-ish

uses only vital words (nouns and verbs) to get across a message

biological perspective on personality

personality arises from genes which are passed from parent to offspring

psychoanalytic perspective

personality arises as we resolve unconscious, psychosexual conflicts

Eric Erikson

believed that personality depended on the resolution of psychosocial conflict and that development occurred over a lifetime, unlike Freud who believed personality was more or let fixed during childhood

Jean Piaget

most influential researcher in cognitive development

Piaget's Stage Theory

sensorimotor period: developing the ability to coordinate their sensory input with their motor actions

preoperational period (2-7 yrs): children gradually improve their use of mental images

concrete operational period (7-11 yrs): children can perform operations on images of tangible objects only. Decline in egocentrism and gradual mastery of conservation

Formal operational period (11 yrs onward): begin to apply their mental operations to abstract concepts in addition to concrete objects. Youngsters enjoy thinking about abstract concepts

object permanence

develops when a child recognizes that objects continue to exist even when they are no longer visible

conservation

Piaget's term for the awareness that physical quantities remain constant in spite of changes in their shape and appearance

centration

tendency to focus on just one feature of a problem, neglecting other important aspects

irreversibility

the inability to envision reversing an action

egocentrism

thinking is characterized by a limited ability to share another person's viewpoint

Stage Theory

Piaget believes that biology drives cognitive development

-entails quantitative development over time

-abilities are built on previous abilities

weaknesses of Piaget's theory

1) overestimated the ages at which cognitive abilities develop; that is, later research has discovered that some cognitive abilities appear earlier than Piaget thought they did

2) Piaget's theory doesn't account for variability amongst individuals, for example, due to cultural variations.

Vygotksy's sociocultural theory

emphasizes how environmental factors, such as social interactions, can influence development of cognitive abilities

differences from Piaget's theory

-stresses that social interaction is critical for cognitive development

-social interaction can influence which cognitive abilities will be developed

-language also critical for cognitive development (private speech, talking to yourself through a problem) So, language drives cognitive abilities.

cognition is fairly ___ throughout adulthood

stable

In later adulthood...

some deficits in episodic and working memory

Dementia

decreased cognitive ability

"all-or-none"

-exercise reduces risk

Alzheimer's disease (form of dementia)

an irreversible, progressive brain disorder, characterized by the deterioration of memory, language, and eventually, physical functioning

Kohlberg, moral development

stage theory

Stages 1 and 2

pre-conventional level: think in terms of external authority

Stages 2 and 4

conventional level: see rules as necessary for maintaining social order

-internalize rules to be virtuous and earn other's approval

post-conventional level

working out a personal code of ethics

-moral thinking shows some flexibility

Stage 5

follows society's rules but accepts their fallibility

strengths of the theory

1) research shows that children in the US do appear to be progressing through these stages and in the order outlined by Kohlberg

2) ages at which the stages occur also seem to be supported by research

3) it is a useful theory in that understanding someone's stage of moral reasoning is a fairly good predictor of what the person will actually do when there is a moral dilemma

weaknesses of the theory

1) as with other stage theories, a "mixing of stages" is sometimes seen, suggesting that factors other than biological maturation may be involved with development of moral reasoning

2) the theory does not seem applicable to other cultures (e.g. collectivist societies)

3) the theory does not seem as applicable to females.

socialization

the acquisition of the norms and behaviors expected of people in a particular society

identity diffusion

characterized by an absence of a struggle for identity

identity foreclosure

when one has committed to an identity which is given by someone else, such as parent

identity moratorium

when one is looking for an identity but has not yet committed to one

identity achievement

when one has, after a search, found and committed to an identity

-better psychological well-being

Marcia's theory of identity statuses

above

postpartum depression

when a woman (usually, but can sometimes affect a man) experiences depressive symptoms sometime after giving birth. However, it should be noted that most women do not experience postpartum depression and it still unclear what exactly is causing this type of depression.

empty nest syndrome

research suggests that this is a myth. The vast majority of empty-nesters are happy (unless the child comes back home!). On the other hand, those who have built their lives around raising their children have a much more difficult time adjusting to this period.

Personality

either a collection of traits (internal) or habits (behavioral tendencies)

Walter Mishcel

personality is invalid

-environmental factors more important

David Buss

personality is critical

-attracting mates

Freud's psychoanalytic

id, ego, superego

-usually in conflict with one another

-varying levels of awareness

id

the basic reservoir of raw, psychic energy

-mostly sexual in nature

-primary processing

-only thinks to satisfy its desires

ego

decision making component

-reality principle; understands rules

-thinking with logic and reason (secondary sense)

superego

moral component

-internalizes cultural values

Freud believed in the unconscious for 2 reasons

parapraxes (Freudian slips) and dreams

Parapraxes

saying something you didn't mean to say

-the unintentional thing was somewhere back in your mind

dreams

when we sleep we are more aware of the id

-reflective of id desires

Freud proposed a stage theory of personality development

our personalities develop as we resolve psychosexual conflicts

ex. the anal stage

erotic focus from 3-5 yrs is the anus

-id finds it pleasurable to excrete things, superego may want to excrete properly according to society's rules

anal-explusive

lack of discipline, messiness, and/or destructive behaviors

anal-retentive

following the rules perhaps too rigidly and extreme tidiness

phallic stage

males may sexually desire their mothers but are in "competition" with their fathers.

-healthy resolution occurs when males identify with their fathers

Freud believed that personality was pretty much developed by...

4-5 yrs of age

defense mechanisms

mechanism used bu the ego in order to protect the person from feeling distress

ex. repression, regression, projection, displacement, sublimation

repression

when your ego (without your awareness) surprises a memory or thought which causes you distress

regression

when we revert back to more primitive behaviors when we are distressed

projection

when you have a negative reaction to something about someone because really you have that same something and are distressed by it

displacement

when you replace the distress's proper target with someone else