ap psychology unit 6 review

Zygote

A fertilized egg that undergoes rapid cell division and attaches to the uterus to develop into an embryo.

Embryo

A developing human organism from 2 weeks after fertilization until the end of the 2nd month, with outer cells becoming the placenta and inner cells becoming the embryo.

Fetus

A developing human organism from 9 weeks after conception until birth.

Teratogens

Agents, such as chemicals or viruses, that can reach the embryo or fetus during prenatal development and cause abnormalities.

Fetal Alcohol Syndrome

Physical and cognitive abnormalities in children caused by heavy drinking during pregnancy, characterized by small head size and abnormal facial features.

Habituation

Decreasing responsiveness to repeated stimulation, as infants become familiar with a visual stimulus and lose interest.

Sensorimotor Stage

Birth to age 2, characterized by lack of object permanence and understanding the world through sensory and motor experiences.

Preoperational Stage

Ages 2-7, when children learn to use language but still lack logical thinking and rely on intuition.

Concrete Operational Stage

Ages 6-11, when children gain the ability to think logically and understand conservation and reversibility.

Theory of Mind

The understanding that people have their own thoughts, beliefs, and mental states.

Maturation

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

Infantile Amnesia

The inability of infants to remember experiences that occurred in the first few years of life.

Cognition

Mental activities associated with learning, remembering, and communicating.

Schema

A concept or framework that organizes and interprets information.

Assimilation

Interpreting new experiences in terms of existing schemas.

Accommodation

Adapting current understanding (schemas) to incorporate new information.

Object Permanence

The understanding that objects continue to exist even when they are not perceived.

Conservation

The principle that properties such as mass, volume, and number remain the same despite changes in appearance.

Zone of Proximal Development

The difference between what a learner can do independently and what they can do with the help of a more knowledgeable other.

Stranger Anxiety

The fear of strangers commonly displayed by infants, typically beginning around 9 months of age.

Attachment

The emotional bond between a child and their caregiver, characterized by seeking closeness and distress upon separation.

Critical Period

An optimal period early in life when exposure to certain stimuli or experiences is necessary for normal development.

Imprinting

The process by which certain animals form strong attachments during an early critical period.

Self-Concept

All our thoughts and feelings about ourselves, answering the question "Who am I?"

Harlow's Experiment in 1971

Demonstrated that contact comfort (emotional significance of contact with a caregiver or object) is more important than food in attachment.

Secure Attachment

When a baby is happy, comfortable, and explores the environment in the presence of an attached caregiver.

Insecure Attachment

When a baby is less likely to explore the environment, either being too clingy or avoidant, and shows little distress upon separation.

Erikson's Theory of Attachment

Securely attached children approach life with basic trust, while insecurely attached children lack basic trust.

Gender

Socially constructed roles and characteristics that define male and female.

Gender Role

A set of expected behaviors for males or females.

Gender Identity

One's sense of being male or female.

Gender Typing

The acquisition of traditional masculine or feminine roles.

Aggression

Any physical or verbal behavior intended to hurt or destroy.

Social Learning Theory

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

Transgender

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

Adolescence

The transition period from childhood to adulthood, typically from puberty to independence.

Myelin Growth

Enables better communication between brain regions and leads to improved judgment, impulse control, and long-term planning.

Preconventional Morality

Self-interest and obedience to avoid punishment or gain rewards.

Conventional Morality

Upholding laws and rules to gain social approval or maintain social order.

Postconventional Morality

adolescence and beyong, actions reflect beliefs in basic rights and self-defined ethical principles.

Identity

Our sense of self, which is solidified during adolescence through testing and integrating various roles.

Social Identity

The "we" aspect of our self-concept that comes from our group

symbolic thinking

can connect symbols to their meanings

egocentricism

piagets theory that a preoperational child has difficulty understanding others

intimacy

erikson, ability to form close, loving relationships, primary development task in late adolescence and early adulthood, doesnt necessarily reference sexually intimate relationships

infancy

<1, trust vs mistrust, if needs are dependably met, infants develop a sense of basic trust

toddlerhood

1-3, autonomy vs shame and doubt, toddlers learn to exercise their will and do things for themselves or they doubt their abilities

preschool

3-6