AP Psychology - Unit 3: Developmental Psychology

Conception

The action of conceiving a child

Zygote

Fertilized egg

embryonic stage

Developing human organisms 2 weeks to 2nd month

Tetratogens

agents, such as chemicals and viruses, that can reach the embryo or fetus during prenatal development and cause harm

Ex) radiation, toxic, alcohol

Fetal Alcohol Syndrome

a medical condition in which body deformation or facial development or mental ability of a fetus is impaired because the mother drank alcohol while pregnant

Reflexes

Responses ideally suited for our survival

Rooting Reflex

Baby's basic survival instinct - helps baby find + latch onto bottle or nipple

Habituation in infants

As infants gain familiarity with repeated exposure to a visual stimulus, their interest wanes and they look away sooner.

Visual cliff

A research method used to study depth perception in infants + animals

motor development

The growth in the ability of children to use their bodies and physical skills

Fine motor

small muscle movements Ex) holding a pencil and writing

Gross motor

Use of larger muscles

Ex) waving your arm

cephalocaudal trend

the head-to-foot direction of motor development

Proximodistal Trend

Gross motor to fine motor development

infantile amnesia

the inability to remember events from early childhood

Cognition

All the mental activities associated with thinking, knowing, remembering and communicating

Jean Piaget

Known for his theory of cognitive development in children

4 stages of development

Schema

How we see the world

Assimilation

interpreting our new experiences in terms of our existing schemas

Accommodation

adapting one's current understandings (schemas) to incorporate new information

Sensorimotor stage

The stage where infants know the world mostly in terms of their sensory impressions + motor activities

object permanence

the awareness that things continue to exist even when not perceived

Preoperational stage

The stage during which a child learns to use language but does not yet comprehend the mental operations of concrete logic

Conservation

properties such as mass, volume, and number remain the same despite changes in the forms of objects

Pretend play & imaginary audience

A type of play where children use their imagination to create scenarios and act out different roles and events

mental symbols

Internal cognitive symbols/structures that stand for objects, events or concepts in the mind

Animism

Belief that objects that are non living have feelings/thoughts

Egocentrism

the inability to see the world through anyone else's eyes

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.

Empathy

the ability to understand and share the feelings of another

concrete operational stage

Stage where children gain the mental operations that enable them to think logically about concrete events

Formal operational stage

Stage where children begin to think logically about abstract concepts

Critical thinking

Thinking that examines assumptions, evidence, assesses conclusion

Ex) decision making

abstract thinking

ability to think beyond concrete literal ideas Ex) imagination

Hypothetical thinking

Being able to consider possibilities, probabilities and alternatives

Lev Vygotsky

Studied how children think and learn

child's mind grows thru interaction w/ the social environment

Zone of proximal development

the difference between what children can do with assistance and what they can do alone

MKO

more knowledgeable other - anyone who has a better understanding or higher ability level than the learner

Parenting styles

The overall approach or strategy that parents use to raise and interact with their children

Authoritarian Parenting

When parents impose rules and restrictions while expecting obedience (controlling)

Authoritative parenting

Parents are nurturing, responsive, and supportive, yet set firm boundaries

Permissive parenting

Parents view themselves as more of a friend than a parent and don't set strict rules

Separation Anxiety

the distress displayed by infants when a customary care provider departs

Attachment

an emotional tie with another person

Harry Harlow's Experiment on Attachment

Examined the importance of contact comfort in monkeys - concluded that infants feel an attachment toward their caregiver

Contact comfort

The physical + emotional comfort that an infant receives from being in physical contact with its mother/primary caregiver

Critical period for attachment

an optimal period early in the life of an organism when exposure to certain stimuli or experiences produces normal development

Secure attachment

Infants feel distress when caregiver leaves and finds comfort in the caregiver's return

Insecure attachment

Infants feel distress when caregiver leaves and does not feel comfort in the caregiver's return

Avoidant attachment

infants who seem unresponsive to the parent when they are present, are usually not distressed when she leaves, and avoid the parent when they return

anxious attachment

demonstrated by babies who seem constantly afraid of potential separation from the caregiver

Disorganized attachment

a type of attachment that is marked by an infant's inconsistent reactions to the caregiver's departure and return

Adverse childhood experiences

Potentially traumatic events that occur in childhood (physical abuse, neglect)

Konrad Lorenz

Some infant animals become attached on individuals or even objects they see

Imprinting

the process by which certain animals form attachments during a critical period very early in life

Child temperament

A child's characteristic emotional reactivity and intensity

self-concept

All our thoughts and feelings about ourselves in answer to the question "who am I"

Possible selves

A potential self derived from self knowledge, past experiences, social interactions and cultural context

Enriched environment

an environment that offers a person many chances to learn

Impoverished environment

An environment that fails to provide opportunities for a lot of growth and development

Peer influence

The impact that peers have on an individual's thoughts, attitudes and behaviors

Puberty

The period of sexual maturation, during which a person becomes capable of reproducing

Primary sex characteristics

the body structures (ovaries, testes, and external genitalia) that make sexual reproduction possible

secondary sex characteristics

nonreproductive sexual characteristics, such as female breasts

Menarche

the first menstrual period

Spermarche

first ejaculation

Social identity

The idea that individuals derive a sense of self and their identity from the groups they belong to

James Marcia's 4 stages of identity development

Identity diffusion

identity foreclosure

identity moratorium

identity achievement

Identity diffusion

A state where you lack a clear sense of self and have not made commitments to any particular identity

Identity foreclosure

commitment in the absence of exploration

Identity moratorium

exploration without having reached commitment

ex) gap year

identity achievement

commitment to values, beliefs, and goals following a period of exploration

Occupational identity

Describes an individual's sense of self and identity based on their chosen occupation or profession

Familial identity

the sense of self as always connected to family and others

Sexual orientation

a person's romantic and emotional attraction to another person

Fluid intelligence

Ability to learn, assess and navigate new situations

crystallized intelligence

Accumulated knowledge you can recall as needed

Generativity

Desire to nurture and guide the next generation

Stagnation

Individuals becomes self-absorbed and lacks sense of contribution to world

Social clock

the culturally preferred timing of social events such as marriage, parenthood, and retirement

Mid life crisis

a dramatic period of self-doubt caused by the passing of youth and the move into later adulthood.

Ego integrity

Sense of acceptance and satisfaction with one's life

Ego despair

The feeling of regret, failure

Empty nest syndrome

alleged period of depression in mothers following the departure of their grown children from the home

Elizabeth Kubler-Ross 5 stages of grief

1. Denial

2. Anger

3. Bargaining

4. Depression

5. Acceptance

Language

A complex system of communication that involves the use of words, symbols, or signs to express ideas

Phonemes

in language, the smallest distinctive sound unit

Morphemes

The smallest units of meaning in a language.

Semantics

Meaning of words and sentences

Syntax

The ordering of words when making a sentence

telegraphic speech

early speech stage in which a child speaks like a telegram—"go car"—using mostly nouns and verbs.

Cooing stage

at about 2 months the infant begins to make vowel-like sounds

babbling stage

The uttering articulate sounds but can't pronounce words

Linguistic determinism

language determines the way we think

Linguistic relativity

the hypothesis that one's language determines the nature of one's thought