PSY 205 Comprehensive Vocabulary Flashcards (Chapters 1-7)

Vocabulary practice flashcards generated from Units 1 and 2 (Chapters 1-7) study guide transcripts.

Human Development

The scientific study of how and why people change or remain the same over time.

Five Characteristics of Development

Development is multidirectional, multicontextual, multicultural, multidisciplinary, and plastic.

Five Steps of the Scientific Method

1. Ask a question, 2. Develop a hypothesis, 3. Test the hypothesis, 4. Draw conclusions, 5. Report results.

Nature

The biological, genetic, and hereditary influences on human development.

Nurture

The environmental influences and life experiences that shape human development.

Life-Span Perspective

The view that human development is a lifelong process continuing from conception throughout the entire life.

Continuity vs. Discontinuity

Continuity refers to gradual, cumulative developmental change; discontinuity refers to distinct stages or abrupt shifts in development.

Critical Period

A specific developmental timeframe when a particular growth or event must occur for typical development.

Sensitive Period

A time when a specific development is especially responsive to certain experiences, though it can still occur later.

Cohort

A group of people born around the same time who experience specific historical and social events together.

Ethnic Group

A group of people who share cultural characteristics such as ancestry, language, customs, or traditions.

Race

A socially created classification often based on perceived physical traits rather than clear biological distinctions.

Difference-Equals-Deficit Error

The mistaken belief that people who differ from a established norm are inherently inferior or deficient.

Plasticity

The capacity of human traits and brains to change and adapt throughout life in response to experiences.

Cross-Sectional Research Design

A research design comparing different age groups at one single point in time.

Longitudinal Research Design

A research design that follows and tests the same individual group over an extended period.

Cross-Sequential Research Design

A research design combining cross-sectional and longitudinal methods by tracking multiple age groups over time.

Developmental Theory

An organized set of ideas and principles used to explain and predict patterns of human development.

Psychodynamic Theory

A theoretical framework explaining development through internal drives, emotions, motives, early childhood experiences, and unconscious processes.

Freud's Psychoanalytic Theory

A psychodynamic theory emphasizing unconscious drives, psychosexual stages, and early childhood foundation.

Erikson's Psychosocial Theory

A developmental theory emphasizing social relationships and eight distinct psychosocial crises across the full lifespan.

Behaviorism

A developmental perspective focusing on observable, measurable behavior and how it is learned through environmental interactions.

Classical Conditioning

A learning process formed by associating neutral stimuli with meaningful stimuli, demonstrated by Pavlov and applied to humans by Watson.

Operant Conditioning

A learning process through consequences, where behaviors are modified by reinforcement or punishment as shown by B. F. Skinner.

Reinforcement and Punishment

Reinforcement increases the frequency of a behavior; punishment decreases it. Positive adds a stimulus; negative removes a stimulus.

Piaget's Four Stages of Cognitive Development

Sensorimotor (birth-2), Preoperational (2-7), Concrete Operational (7-11), and Formal Operational (12+).

Equilibrium (Piaget)

A state of balanced mental understanding where existing schemas align with environmental experiences.

Assimilation

Fitting new experiences or information into an existing cognitive schema.

Accommodation

Modifying an existing schema or creating a new one when new information does not fit existing understandings.

Information-Processing Theory

A perspective comparing human thinking to computer processing, focusing on attention, memory, strategies, retrieval, and executive functions.

DNA

The chemical molecule containing the genetic instructions for living organisms.

Chromosome

A structure composed of DNA containing many genes located within the cell nucleus.

Gene

A specific segment of DNA that contributes to a biological function or hereditary trait.

Genotype

An individual's complete inherited genetic makeup.

Phenotype

The observable physical and behavioral characteristics of an individual resulting from genotype-environment interactions.

Allele

A specific variation or version of a gene.

Homozygous

Having two identical alleles for a given gene.

Heterozygous

Having two different alleles for a given gene.

Stem Cells

Unspecialized cells capable of self-renewal and developing into specialized cell types.

Monozygotic (MZ) Twins

Identical twins formed from a single fertilized egg that splits into two separate embryos.

Dizygotic (DZ) Twins

Fraternal twins formed when two separate ova are fertilized by two distinct sperm.

Polygenic

Influenced by the combined effects of multiple genes.

Multifactorial

Trait or condition influenced by complex interactions between multiple genetic and environmental factors.

Epigenetics

The study of environmental changes in gene expression that occur without altering the underlying DNA sequence.

Dominant Allele

An allele whose phenotypic effect is expressed even when only one copy is present.

Recessive Allele

An allele whose phenotypic effect is usually masked unless two inherited copies are present.

Carrier

An individual possessing an unexpressed recessive allele for a condition that can be passed to offspring.

Down Syndrome

A genetic disorder caused by the presence of an extra copy of chromosome 21 (Trisomy 21).

Heritability

A population statistic estimating the proportion of trait variation attributable to genes, not applicable for individual predictions.

Germinal Period

The first prenatal stage from conception to approximately 2 weeks, characterized by rapid cell division and implantation.

Embryonic Period

The prenatal stage from weeks 3 through 8 after conception, during which major organ systems and structural foundations form.

Fetal Period

The prenatal stage from week 9 until birth, focused on rapid physical growth and functional organ maturation.

Cephalocaudal Trend

The pattern of growth and motor development that proceeds from the head downward.

Proximodistal Trend

The pattern of growth and motor development that proceeds from the center of the body outward.

Age of Viability

The gestational age (typically 22-24 weeks) at which a fetus may survive outside the womb with medical support.

APGAR Scale

A quick newborn assessment evaluating Appearance, Pulse, Grimace, Activity, and Respiration scored 0-2 at 1 and 5 minutes post-birth.

Teratogen

An environmental substance, agent, or condition that can cause damage or harm to prenatal development.

Threshold Effect

The point at which a teratogen transitions from having little to no effect to causing significant harm or risk once exposure reaches a critical level.

Low Birth Weight (LBW)

A birth weight under 2,500 grams (5 lbs 8 oz).

Very Low Birth Weight (VLBW)

A birth weight under 1,500 grams.

Extremely Low Birth Weight (ELBW)

A birth weight under 1,000 grams.

Preterm Birth

Birth occurring before 37 completed weeks of gestation.

Small for Gestational Age (SGA)

A birth weight significantly below normal for the specific gestational age.

Postpartum Depression

A depressive disorder following childbirth featuring persistent sadness, anxiety, exhaustion, and bonding difficulties.

Parent-Infant Bond

The developing emotional connection between caregiver and infant built over time through repeated nurturing interactions.

Percentile

A point on a ranking scale from 0 to 100 comparing an individual's measurement to a reference population.

Experience-Expectant Brain Growth

Brain development dependent on ordinary, expected environmental experiences required for normal human growth.

Experience-Dependent Brain Growth

Brain development resulting from specific, individual learning experiences unique to a person.

Shaken Baby Syndrome

Severe brain trauma resulting from violently shaking an infant.

Sensation

The detection of a stimulus by sensory receptors and transmission to the nervous system.

Perception

The brain's organization, interpretation, and processing of sensory information.

Gross Motor Skills

Physical movement abilities involving large body muscles, such as walking, running, and sitting unsupported.

Fine Motor Skills

Physical abilities requiring precise movement of small muscles, particularly in the hands and fingers.

Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS)

The sudden unexplained death of a healthy infant under 1 year old, typically occurring during sleep.

Entrainment

The process of becoming synchronized with the timing, rhythm, and interactive patterns of human speech.

Core Knowledge

The perspective that infants are born with innate basic systems for understanding key domains like objects, numbers, and people.

Implicit Memory

Nonconscious memory for habits, skills, and routines that affects behavior without explicit recall.

Explicit Memory

Conscious, intentional recall of specific facts, events, or experiences.

Sensorimotor Intelligence

Piaget's stage term describing infant cognitive processing operating through physical senses and motor actions.

Primary Circular Reactions

Action patterns centered directly on the infant's own body that are repeated because they are pleasurable.

Secondary Circular Reactions

Infant action patterns repeated to produce interesting responses or effects in the surrounding environment.

Tertiary Circular Reactions

Active experimentation where toddlers deliberately vary actions to discover novel outcomes.

Object Permanence

The understanding that an object continues to exist even when out of sight or undetected by senses.

Babbling

Repetitive speech sound vocalizations consisting of consonant-vowel combinations produced prior to true words.

Holophrase

A single spoken word used to express an entire complete thought or sentence.

Naming Explosion

A sudden, rapid acceleration in word learning and vocabulary acquisition during early toddlerhood.

Language Acquisition Device (LAD)

Chomsky's hypothesized mental structure providing humans with an innate biological readiness to learn language.

Grammar

The structural rules governing word order, sounds, and sentence organization within a language.

Fusiform Face Area (FFA)

A temporal/occipitotemporal brain cortex region dedicated to face processing and recognition.

Separation Anxiety

Distress expressed by infants or toddlers when separated from familiar primary caregivers.

Self-Awareness

The realization that one is a distinct individual whose body, mind, and actions are separate from others.

Rouge Test

A experimental self-recognition measure where a mark placed on a child's face is examined in a mirror.

Temperament

Biologically based individual differences in emotional reactivity, activity level, and self-regulation.

Attachment

An enduring, deep emotional bond formed between an infant and primary caregiver.

Strange Situation

A standardized laboratory procedure measuring infant-caregiver attachment quality through structured separations and reunions.

Insecure-Avoidant Attachment (Type A)

An attachment pattern marked by minimal distress during separation and ignoring or avoiding the caregiver upon reunion.

Secure Attachment (Type B)

An attachment pattern where the infant uses caregiver as a secure base, shows separation distress, and seeks/receives comfort upon reunion.

Insecure-Resistant/Ambivalent Attachment (Type C)

An attachment pattern marked by extreme separation distress and mixed, resistant behavior toward caregiver during reunion.

Disorganized Attachment (Type D)

An attachment classification characterized by erratic, confused, contradictory, or disoriented responses upon reunion.

Social Referencing

Observing another person's emotional reactions and expressions to judge how to act in an ambiguous situation.