AP PSYCH UNIT 6 (1-20)

zygote

the fertilized egg; it enters a 2-week period of rapid cell division and develops into an embryo

embryo

the developing human organism from about 2 weeks after fertilization through the second month

fetus

the developing human organism from 9 weeks after conception to birth

teratogens

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

fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS)

physical and cognitive abnormalities in children caused by a pregnant woman’s heavy drinking

habituation

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

maturation

biological growth processes that enable orderly changes in behavior, relatively uninfluenced by experience

schema

a concept or framework that organizes and interprets information

assimilation

interpreting our new experiences in terms of our existing schemas

accommodation

adapting our current understanding (schemas) to incorporate new information

sensorimotor stage

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

object permanence

the awareness that things continue to exist even when not perceived

preoperational stage

in piagets theory, the stage (from 2-7 years) during which a child learns to use language but does not yet comprehend the mental operations o concrete logic

conservation

the principle (concrete operational) that properties such as mass, volume, and number remain the same despite changes in the forms of objects

egocentrism

in piagets theory, the preoperational child’s difficulty taking another’s point of view

theory of mind

peoples ideas about their own and others mental states - about their feelings, perceptions, and thoughts, and the behaviors these might predict

autism spectrum disorder (ASD)

a disorder that appears in childhood and is marked significant deficiencies in communication and social interaction, and by rigidly fixated interests and repetitive behaviors

concrete operational stage

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

formal operational stage

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

stranger anxiety

the fear of strangers that infants commonly display, beginning by about 8 months of age