PSYC 1100 FINAL (weeks 9-13)

Psychosexual theory (Sigmund Freud)

Proposes that that personality develops through libido (pleasure-seeking energy), which centers on specific body erogenous zones

Which theorist promoted the idea that development is fundamentally affected by one’s culture as well as their interactions with their environment? (sociocultural theory)

Lev Vygotsky

Discontinuous development

The view that development takes place in specific, unique stages, that happen at specific ages or times

Health care proxy

A legal document which appoints. a person to make medical decisions for a certain patient if that patient cannot speak for themselves

Schema(ta)

Mental frameworks that help an individual organize and interpret information

Temperament

Innate traits that influence how one acts, thinks, and behaves with their environment. E.g. being “shy” and choosing to not speak in class

Critical (sensitive) period

The time during fetal growth in which certain organs or parts develop

Psychosocial theory (Erik Erikson)

Proposes that personality evolves through eight stages over the lifespan, such as trust vs mistrust and identity vs confusion

Cognitive theory (Piaget)

Proposes that children develop schemata (specific concepts to categorize and interpret information) to help them learn the world

Assimilation (cognitive theory)

Incorporates information into existing schemata

Accommodation (cognitive theory)

Change schemata based on new information

Piaget’s stages of cognitive development (in order)

Sensorimotor → Preoperational → Concrete operational → formal operational

Sensorimotor stage of cognitive development

World experienced through senses and actions, 0-2yrs

Preoperational stage of cognitive development

Uses words and iamges to represent things, but lacks logical reasoning. 2-6yrs

Concrete operational stage of cognitive development

Understand concrete events and analogies logically, can perform math operations. 7-11yrs

Formal operational stage of cognitive development

Formal operations and usage of abstract reasoning. 12+yrs

Stages of moral development (Lawrence Kohlberg)

Preconventional stage (childhood) → Conventional stage (adolescence) → Postconventional stage (adults)

Preconventional stage (childhood)

Focus on the consequences for the actor. E.g. he should not steal medicine because he could go to jail

Conventional stage (adolescence)

Focus on conforming to societal norms. E.g. steal the drug to be a hero

Postconventional stage (adults)

Focus on conforming to social rules. E.g. steal because the benefits would overweigh the negatives

Germinal stage

Weeks 1-2 of prenatal development where the sperm fertilizes an egg and forms a zygote

Embryonic stage

Weeks 3-8 of prenatal development where the zygote implants itself in the lining of the uterus, and becomes an embryo

Fetal stage

Weeks 9-40 of prenatal development, where the baby’s brain and body develops

Teratogen

Environmental agents that cause damage to the developing embryo or fetus. E.g. alcohol, smoking, drugs

Fetal alcohol syndrome

Birth defect associated with heavy alcohol consumption during pregnancy

Rooting reflex

Baby turns its head towards something that touches its cheek

Sucking reflex

Reflexively sucking on objects placed by the mouth

Grasping reflex

Reflexively grasping on objects placed by the mouth

Moro reflex

Baby spreads arms and pulls them back in when they feel like falling or are startled

Blooming period (nervous system)

Period during infancy and toddlerhood where neural pathways rapidly form

Pruning period (nervous system)

Reduction in neural connections during childhood and adolescence to allow the brain to function more efficiently

Fine motor skills

Motor skills associated with the muscles in fingers, toes, and eyes which enable coordination of small actions

Gross motor skills

Motor skills associated with large muscle groups and large movements

About when do toddlers understand object permanence?

At around 8 months

Mary Ainsworth

Believed that emotional bonds between caregivers and infants, defined by caregiver sensitivity, are critical for developmental security

Authoritative parenting style

Parenting where children are given reasonable demands, and experience love and affection. Children who undergo this style are often the most successful

Uninvolved parenting style

Pareting where parents and indifferent and uninvolved

Authoritarian parenting style

Parenting where parents highly value conformity and obedience, and express little warmth to the child

Permissive parenting style

Parenting where parents rarely use punishment and make few demands

Adrenarche (puberty)

Maturing of adrenal glands

Gonadarche (puberty)

Maturing of the sex glands, and development of secondary sexual cahracteristics

Menarche (puberty)

Beginning of menstrual periods, around 12-13 years old

Spermarche (puberty)

First ejaculation, around 13-14 years old

What are the four styles of attachment? (Mary Ainsworth)

1. Secure

2. Avoidant

3. Resistant

4. Disorganized

“Secure” style of attachment

Child uses the parent as a secure base from which to explore. Common when caregivers are responsive to needs

“Avoidant” style of attachment

Child does not care much or respond to parent. Common when caregivers are inattentive to needs

“Resistant” style of attachment

Child is clingy, but rejects mother’s attempts to interact with them. Common when caregiver is incosistent with level of response

“Disorganized” style of attachment

Child behaves oddly when around caregiver. Common when child is abused

When in life do physical abilities peak?

They peak in early adulthood, from the 20s-40s

Crystalized intelligence

The accumulation of knowledge and skills throughout life via education and experience

Fluid intelligence

The ability to reason quickly and think abstractly independently of acquired knowledge or experience

Socioemotional selectivity theory

States that as people age, they tend to prioritize emotionally meaningful relationships over broad social networks

Advance directive

A legal document that details particular interventions a person wants. E.g. DO NOT resuscitate me if I stop breathing

Trust vs mistrust (psychosocial stage of development)

Trust or mistrust that basic needs, like food and affection, will be met. 0-1 years old

Autonomy vs shame/doubt (psychosocial stage of development)

Stage where one develops a sense of independence and autonomy in tasks. 1-3 years old

Initiative vs guilt (psychosocial stage of development)

Stage where one may take initiative in some activities, but can develop guilt when unsuccessful. 3-6 years old

Industry vs inferiority (psychosocial stage of development)

Stage where one develops self-competence in tasks when competent, or inferiority when not. 7-11 years old

Identity vs confusion (psychosocial stage of development)

Stage where one experiments with and develops identity and roles. 12-18 years old

Intimacy vs isolation (psychosocial stage of development)

Stage where one establishes intimacy and relationships with others. 19-29 years old

Generativity vs stagnation(psychosocial stage of development)

Stage where one contributes to society and is part of a family. 30-64 years old

Integrity vs despair (psychosocial stage of development)

Stage where one assesses their life and the meaning of their contributions. 65+ years old

4 laws of human behavioral genetics

1. All behavioral traits are heritable

2. Effect of being raised is smaller than the effect of genes

3. Most variation in behavior is not accounted by effect of genes or families

4. A behavioral trait is associated with many genetic variants

Pleiotropic gene

A single gene that accounts for multiple phenotypic traits. They are rare. E.g. Huntington’s disease

Polygenic gene

A characteristic that is controlled by many genes. They are most common. E.g. height

Can life circumstances turn on/off genes?

Yes, they can turn on/off genes.

Epigenetics

Activation or deactivation of genes

Can epigenetic changes be inherited in humans?

It’s unknown whether they can be inherited

Homozygous allele

Two same genes on the same spot in a pair of chromosomes

Heterozygous allele

Two different genes on the same spot in a pair of chromosomes

Proximate explanations of behavior

Describes the immediate, mechanistic causes of an action. Within a lifetime

Distal (Ultimate) explanations of behavior

Describes the evolutionary, functional, and historical reasons as to why a behavior exists. In the long-term

Vestigial trait

A trait that is leftover from prior function, serving little function. E.g. tail bone but no tail

Cooperation vs altruism

Cooperation is working together to accomplish a shared goal, while altruism is helping others at a cost to self. Both may have evolutionary value

Genetic progressivist

A person who believes that genes may account for success, such as wealth or high status

Polygenic score

Numerical estimate of an individual’s likelihood of developing a disease

Naturalistic fallacy

Fallacy where it is believed that “what is natural is what is right”

Deterministic fallacy

Fallacy where it is believed that genes control behavior in ways that cannot be controlled

What is learning?

A relatively permanent change in behavior or knowledge resulting from experience

Latent learning

Learning that does occur, but may not be evident until there is a reason to demonstrate it. E.g. Knowing the correct roads while driving home because you ride a bus on those roads

Law of effect

States that satisfying behaviors will be repeated, while behaviors with unpleasant consequences will not be repeated

Primary reinforcer

A reinforcer that has innate reinforcing qualities (necessary → food, water, shelter)

Radical behaviorism

Staunch form of behaviorism formed by Skinner suggesting that higher mental functions like human speech are just stimulus-outcome association

Secondary reinforcer

A reinforcer that has no inherent value, and only has reinforcing qualities when linked with something else. E.g. money

Cognitive map

A mental picture of the layout of the environment

Associative learning

When an organism connects stimuli or events that occur together in the environment. E.g. linking a hot stove with pain

Reflexes

A motor'/neural reaction to a specific stimulus. E.g. baby sucking reflex

Instinct

An innate, fixed pattern of behavior in response to certain stimuli. E.g. bear hibernation

Unconditioned stimulus

Stimulus that triggers an unconditioned response without any prior training or conditioning

Unconditioned response

Automatic, natural response that occurs from an unconditioned stimulus

Conditioned stimulus

Stimulus that elicits a response after training

Conditioned response

A trained response to a conditioned stimulus

Classical conditioning

Process in which a stimulus is trained to be associated with certain events

Neutral stimulus

A stimulus that does not naturally elicit a response. E.g. bell does not produce salivation until a dog associates it with food

Higher-order conditioning

Classical conditioning process where an established conditioned stimulus is used to train a new neutral stimulus. E.g. mingming salivates at sound of cabinet opening (where tuna is)

Acquisition

Initial period of learning where an organism connects a neutral stimulus and an unconditioned stimulus

Spontaneous recovery (in conditioning)

The quicker return of a previously extinguished CS, following a rest period

When the CS is no longer paired with the UCS, what happens to the conditioned response?

Extinction occurs, and the conditioned response weakens, because the CS is no longer predicting the UCS

Stimulus discrimination

The learned ability to response differently to various stimuli that are similar

Stimulus generalization

When an organism has the same conditioned response to stimuli that are similar to to the conditioned stimulus

Habituation

Learning to not respond to a repeated stimulus. E.g. chimpanzees becoming used to Jane Goodall