ap psych unit six - development

study set over unit six of ap psychology, the developmental unit.

developmental psychology

a branch of psychology that studies physical, cognitive, and social change throughout the life span.

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

(literally, "monster maker") agents, such as chemicals and viruses, that can reach the embryo or fetus during prenatal development and cause harm.

fetal alcohol syndrome (ATS)

physical and cognitive abnormalities in children caused by heavy drinking of a pregnant woman.

maturation

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

schema

a concept or framework that organizes and interprets information.

ex) "use your schema."

assimilation

interpreting our new experiences in terms of our existing schemas.

sensorimotor stage

the first stage in piaget's theory.

- from birth to two years of age, during which the infant knows the world mostly in terms of sensory impressions.

piaget's theory

the theory stating that children actively construct their understanding of the world and go through four stages of cognitive development.

preoperational stage

the second stage in piaget's theory.

- from two years to either six or seven years of age, during which the child learns to use language.

concrete operational stage

the third stage in piaget's theory.

- from seven years to eleven years of age, during which the child begins to think logically, rationally, and organized.

formal operational stage

the fourth stage in piaget's theory.

- from twelve years to adulthood, during which the child begins to formulate hypothesis and test them to arrive at an answer.

object permeance

the awareness that things continue to exist even when not perceived.

\
ex) even if you can't see the sun at night, it still exists.

conservation

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

\
ex) how water goes from liquid to solid when frozen.

accomidation

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

egocentrism

in piaget's theory, the preoperational\* child's difficulty taking another's point of view.

\
\*preoperational = from two years to either six or seven years of age, during which the child learns to use language. (the second stage)

prenatal development

the baby's development during a pregnancy (from conception to birth; 10 months).

how long is a typical, full-term pregnancy?

40 weeks, or 10 months.

germinal stage

the first stage of prenatal development, the 2-week period that begins at conception.

embryotic stage

the second stage of prenatal development, the period from 2 to 8 weeks during which significant growth occurs in the major organs and body systems.

fetal stage

The third stage of prenatal development, lasting from two months (8 weeks) to birth.

placenta

a specialized organ that provides nourishment and oxygen from mother to developing embryo through the umbilical cord.

critical periods

times during which certain environmental influences can have an impact on the development of the infant.

\
ex) genie the wild child.

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.

scaffold

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

autism spectrum disorder (ASD)

a disorder that appears in childhood and is marked by significant deficiencies in communication and social interaction.

basic trust

according to erik erikson, a sense that the world is predictable and trustworthy."

- said to be formed during infancy by appropriate experiences with responsive caregivers.

self-concept

all our thoughts and feelings about ourselves, in answer to the question: "who am I?"

stranger anxiety

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

attatchment

an emotional tie with another person.

- shown in young children by their seeking closeness to the caregiver and showing distress on separation.

imprinting

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

\
ex) jacob and renesmee.

stranger situation

a procedure for studying child-caregiver attachment.

- a child is placed in an unfamiliar environment while their caregiver leaves, and then returns: the child's reactions are observed.

secure attatchment

demonstrated by infants who comfortably explore environments in the presence of their caregiver, showing only temporary distress when they leave, and find comfort when they return.

insecure attatchment

demonstrated by infants who display either a clinging, anxious attachment or an avoidant attachment that resists closeness.

temperament

a person's characteristic emotional reactivity and intensity.

role

a set of expectations (norms) about a social position, defining how those in the position ought to behave.

transgender

an umbrella term describing people whose gender identity or expression differs from that associated with their birth sex.

\
ex) born in the wrong body.

sex

the biologically influenced characteristics by which people define males and females.

gender

the socially influenced characteristics by which people define girl, boy, male and female.

aggression

any physical or verbal behavior intended to harm someone physically or emotionally.

relational aggression

an act of aggression (physical or verbal) intended to harm a person's relationship or social standing.

gender identity

our sense of being male or female, or some combination of the two.

\
ex) non-binary.

gender role

a set of expected behaviors for males or for females.

social learning theory

the theory that we learn social behavior by observing and imitating and by being rewarded or punished.

gender typing

the acquisition of a traditional masculine or feminine role.

androgyny

displaying both traditional masculine and feminine psychological characteristics.

adolescent egocentrism

teens believe that no one understands what they are going through.

personal fable

teens believe themselves to be special.

\
ex) texting and driving, "nothing bad would ever happen to me."

imaginary audience

teens believe that everyone is paying closer attention to them than they really are.

adolescense

the transition period from childhood to adulthood, extending from puberty to independence.

puberty

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

synaptic pruning

selective removal of unnecessary neurons and connections to improve brain efficiency.

\
ex) "what we don't use, we lose."

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 and hips, male voice quality, and body hair.

x chromosome

the sex chromosome found in both men and women.

- females have two X chromosomes; males have one.
- an X chromosome from each parent produces a female child.

y chromosome

the sex chromosome found only in males.

- when paired with an X chromosome from the mother, it produces a male child.

testosterone

the most important of the male sex hormones.

- both males and females have it, but the additional testosterone in males stimulates the growth of the male sex organs in the fetus and the development of the male sex characteristics during puberty.

estrogen

a sex hormone, secreted in greater amounts by females than by males. In nonhuman female mammals, estrogen levels peak during ovulation, promoting sexual receptivity.

spermarche

boys' first ejaculation.

menarche

the first menstrual period.

intersex

possessing biological sexual characteristics of both sexes.

\
ex) used to be called a hermaphrodite (outdated term).

menopause

the time of natural cessation of menstruation; also refers to the biological changes a woman experiences as her ability to reproduce declines.

neurocognitive disorders

acquired (not lifelong) disorders marked by cognitive deficits.

- often related to alzheimer's disease, brain injury or disease, or substance abuse.
- In older adults neurocognitive disorders were formerly called dementia.

alzheimer's disease

a progressive and irreversible brain disorder characterized by gradual deterioration of memory, reasoning, language, and, finally, physical functioning.

social clock

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

sigmund freud

dealt with the psychosexual stages and how it changes through your life, founded psychoanalysis.

jean piaget

studied the development of children's behvior in four stages: 1. sensorimotor, 2. preoperational, 3. concrete operational, and 4. formal operational.

lev vygotsky

studied how children's minds grow through interaction with the social environment; play research.

harry harlow

realized that touch is preferred in development, did a study with rhesus monkeys to observe infant attachments.

konrad lorenz

researcher who focused on critical attachment periods in baby birds, a concept he called imprinting, ex) jacob and renesmee.

mary ainsworth

studied infants and mothers during the first 6 months after birth, conducted the stranger situation experiment on parent/child attachment.

erik erikson

contended that each stage of life has its own psychological crisis that needs a resolution, ex) "Who am I?"

diana baumrind

studied her theory of parenting styles (permissive, authoratative, & authoritarian) and the effect it had on children.

carol gilligan

claimed that kolhberg's work was wrong as it was developed by only observing boys and overlooked potential differences between the morals of boys and girls.

\
ex) girls focus more on relationships than laws and principles.

albert bandura

pioneer in observational learning (AKA social learning), stated that people profit from the mistakes/successes of others; Studies: Bobo Dolls-adults demonstrated 'appropriate' play with dolls, children mimicked play.

lawrence kohlberg

studied moral development; presented BOYS moral dilemmas and studied their responses and reasoning processes in making moral decisions, ex) the heinz dilemma.

pre conventional morality

kohlberg's first level of moral development in which the child's behavior is governed by the consequences of the behavior.

conventional morality

kohlberg's second level of moral development in which the child's behavior is governed by conforming to the society's norms of behavior.

post conventional morality

kohlberg's (last and) highest stage of morality- occurs late in life and is a personal morality, developed by the adult and which supersedes society's rules, laws, and restrictions.

maladaptive habit

behaviors that stop you from adapting to new or difficult circumstances.