AP Psychology Unit 9 & 10

Developmental Psychology

The study of physical, cognitive, and social changes throughout the lifespan, from conception to death.

Zygote

A fertilized egg that undergoes rapid cell division for about two weeks.

Embryo

The developing human organism from about 2 weeks to 9 weeks after fertilization.

Fetus

The developing human from 9 weeks after conception to birth.

Teratogens

Harmful substances that can cause birth defects or developmental issues.

Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS)

A condition resulting from heavy alcohol use during pregnancy, causing physical deformities and intellectual disabilities.

Habituation

Decreased responsiveness to repeated stimuli.

Maturation

Biological growth processes that enable orderly changes in behavior.

Cognition

All mental activities related to thinking, knowing, remembering, and communicating.

Schema

A mental framework that organizes and interprets information.

Assimilation

Interpreting new experiences using existing schemas.

Accommodation

Adjusting or creating new schemas to incorporate new information.

Sensorimotor Stage

Piaget's first stage in which infants experience the world through senses and actions.

Object Permanence

Awareness that objects continue to exist even when out of sight.

Preoperational Stage

Piaget's second stage where children represent things with words and images.

Conservation

The principle that quantity remains the same despite changes in shape.

Egocentrism

A child's difficulty in taking another's perspective.

Theory of Mind

The ability to infer others’ mental states (feelings, thoughts, intentions).

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)

A developmental disorder marked by challenges in social interaction and communication.

Concrete Operational Stage

Piaget’s third stage when children gain logical thinking about concrete events.

Formal Operational Stage

Piaget’s fourth stage where individuals develop the ability for abstract reasoning.

Stranger Anxiety

The fear of unfamiliar people that emerges around 8 months.

Attachment

A strong emotional bond between a child and caregiver.

Critical Period

A specific timeframe early in life crucial for normal development.

Imprinting

The process by which some animals form strong attachments early in life.

Temperament

A person’s characteristic emotional reactivity and intensity.

Basic Trust

Erikson’s idea that securely attached children develop a sense of predictability in the world.

Self-Concept

A person's understanding and evaluation of themselves.

Gender

The social and cultural traits typically associated with being male or female.

Aggression

Physical or verbal behavior intended to harm someone.

Gender Role

A set of cultural expectations about how men and women should behave.

Role

A set of expectations about social behavior in different contexts.

Gender Identity

A person’s sense of being male or female.

Social Learning Theory

The theory that we learn gender roles by observing others.

Gender Typing

The process by which a child adopts traditional male or female roles.

Transgender

Individuals whose gender identity differs from their birth-assigned sex.

Adolescence

The transitional stage from childhood to adulthood.

Identity

A person’s sense of self formed by integrating various roles.

Social Identity

The aspect of self that comes from group memberships.

Intimacy

The ability to form close, loving relationships in young adulthood.

Emerging Adulthood

A phase in Western cultures marked by gradual independence.

X Chromosome

The sex chromosome found in both men and women.

Y Chromosome

The sex chromosome found only in males.

Testosterone

The primary male sex hormone influencing male traits.

Puberty

The period of sexual maturation when a person becomes capable of reproduction.

Primary Sex Characteristics

Body structures directly involved in reproduction.

Secondary Sex Characteristics

Non-reproductive traits that develop during puberty.

Menarche

A girl’s first menstrual period.

AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome)

A disease caused by HIV that weakens the immune system.

Sexual Orientation

An enduring pattern of sexual attraction to males, females, or both.

Menopause

The biological transition in women when menstrual cycles end.

Cross-Sectional Study

A research method that compares people of different ages at one point in time.

Longitudinal Study

A research method that follows and retests the same people over a long period.

Social Clock

The culturally preferred timing for major life events.

Jean Piaget

Swiss psychologist known for his theory of cognitive development.

Lev Vygotsky

A Russian psychologist who emphasized social interaction in cognitive development.

Konrad Lorenz

Studied imprinting in animals.

Harry Harlow

Conducted monkey experiments on attachment.

Margaret Harlow

Assisted Harry Harlow in attachment research.

Mary Ainsworth

Developed the 'Strange Situation' experiment.

Diana Baumrind

Identified three parenting styles: authoritarian, permissive, authoritative.

Carol Gilligan

Criticized Kohlberg’s theory for overlooking female moral reasoning.

Albert Bandura

Proposed social learning theory and reciprocal determinism.

Lawrence Kohlberg

Created a three-stage theory of moral development.

Erik Erikson

Developed psychosocial stages of development.

Sigmund Freud

Founder of psychoanalysis and developed theories on the unconscious.

Personality

An individual's characteristic pattern of thinking, feeling, and acting.

Free Association

A technique in psychoanalysis to uncover unconscious thoughts.

Psychoanalysis

Freud’s theory attributing thoughts and actions to unconscious motives.

Unconscious

A reservoir of unacceptable thoughts, wishes, and memories.

Id

The primitive part of personality seeking immediate gratification.

Ego

The rational part of personality that mediates between id and reality.

Superego

The part of personality representing internalized ideals.

Psychosexual Stages

Freud’s stages of childhood development shaping personality.

Oedipus Complex

A boy's unconscious desire for his mother and jealousy towards his father.

Identification

Incorporating same-sex parent’s values into the developing superego.

Fixation

A lingering focus on a psychosexual stage due to unresolved conflicts.

Defense Mechanisms

Unconscious tactics used to reduce anxiety by distorting reality.

Repression

A defense mechanism that banishes anxiety-inducing thoughts.

Psychodynamic Theories

Modern theories emphasizing unconscious motives and childhood experiences.

Collective Unconscious

Carl Jung's theory that all humans share inherited memories.

Projective Test

A personality test designed to reveal the unconscious.

Thematic Apperception Test (TAT)

A projective test where people create stories about ambiguous pictures.

Rorschach Inkblot Test

A projective test where people describe what they see in inkblots.

False Consensus Effect

The tendency to overestimate how much others share our beliefs.

Terror-Management Theory

A theory suggesting that thinking about death triggers anxiety.

Humanistic Theories

Personality theories emphasizing personal growth and self-awareness.

Self-Actualization

Maslow’s highest psychological need to fulfill one’s potential.

Unconditional Positive Regard

Total acceptance fostering a positive self-concept.

Self-Concept

A person’s answer to the question 'Who am I?'.

Trait

A characteristic pattern of behavior.

Personality Inventory

A questionnaire designed to assess personality traits.

Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI)

The most widely used personality test.

Empirically Derived Test

A test created by selecting discriminating questions.

Social-Cognitive Perspective

The view that personality is a result of interactions.

Behavioral Approach

A perspective focusing on how environment shapes behavior.

Reciprocal Determinism

Bandura’s idea that behavior, cognition, and environment interact.

Positive Psychology

The scientific study of human strengths and thriving.

Self

The center of personality organizing thoughts, feelings, and actions.

Spotlight Effect

The tendency to overestimate how much others notice our behavior.