AP Psych Unit 3 Vocab

Human development

The scientific study of the changes that occur in people as they age from conception until death

discontinuous development

stages that are marked by age-specific periods of time; more theoretical than real— staircase; as children develop, they may exhibit some aspects of one stage while also exhibiting aspects of the next stage

continuous development

relatively even process without distinct stages; development is more like riding an escalator than climbing stairs, with gradual changes over time

longitudinal design

research design in which one participant or group of participants is studied over a long period of time; followed and assessed at different times as the group ages; advantage: looking at real age-related changes as those changes occur in the same individuals; disadvantages: time, money, and effort involved in following participants over the years as well as the loss of participants

cross sectional design

research design in which several different participant age groups are studied at one particular point in time, comparing the different groups based on variables like age, socioeconomic status, and gender; advantages: quick, relatively inexpensive, and easier than longitudinal; disadvantages: no longer compares an individual to that same individual as they age, comparing to a completely different person

cohort effort

the impact on development occurring when a group of people share a common time period or common life experiences, ex: born in same period bonds a group; must be careful when making causal claims—> confounding variables

germinal stage

weeks 1-2; first two weeks after fertilization, during which the zygote moves down the fallopian tubes to the uterus and begins to implant in the lining of the uterus; formation of placenta and umbilical cord, cells begin to differentiate from stem cells

embryonic stage

week 3-8; the period from 3 to 8 weeks during which the major organs and structures of the organism develop

critical period (both definitions)

Times during which certain environmental influences can have an impact on the development of the infant; embryo becomes vulnerable to toxins from the mother as it begins to receive nourishment from the mother through the placenta

teratogen

any harmful factor that can cause a birth defect (physical or functional); drug, chemical, virus, infections, can cause fetal alcohol syndrome

fetal stage

9 weeks until the brith of the baby; now called a fetus, length increases 20x, weight from 1oz at 2 months to over 7 lbs at birth, organs keep developing, gain functionality; teratogens affect physical functioning at this point rather than structural; develop fat in last few months, most likely to miscarriage in first 3 months

reflex

An involuntary physical response (without conscious control) to a stimulus; usually instantaneous and established or fixed at birth

gross motor coordination

The voluntary movement and coordination of the large muscles of the body to perform full body movements such as sitting, crawling, and walking

visual cliff

a table with one half of the top opaque and appearing solid and the other half made of clear plexiglass

imprint

attach themselves to a motherlike figure

sensitive period

a time in development when a person is particularly receptive to certain types of stimuli or experiences, but the development can still occur outside of that period, albeit with more difficulty

adolescence

the period of life from about age 13 to early twenties, during which a young person is no longer physically a child but is not yet an independent, self-supporting adult

puberty

a period of time during which teenagers and some preteens reach physical maturity and acquire the ability to reproduce

menarche

female’s first menstrual period

spermarche

Males first ejaculatory experience

growth spurt

rapid period of physical growth and development, triggered by hormones

menopause

the cessation of menstruation and the end of a woman’s natural fertility

cognitive development

process of intellectual growth a child goes through to develop information- processing abilities, perceptual skills, language, memory, learning, understanding of concepts, and problem solving abilities

assimilation

make sense of new situations by relating them to prior experiences

schemas

a mental concept or framework that guides organization and interpretation of information which forms and evolves through experience with objects and events

accommodation

modification of schemas to include the new information

sensorimotor stage

Infant uses its senses and motor abilities to interact with objects in the environment

object permanence

knowledge that objects exist even when it is not in sight

preoperational stage

the preschool child learns to use language, symbolic thought, and pretend play as a means of exploring the world

Animism

belief that inanimate objects have feelings and human-like qualities

egocentrism

seeing the world through only their own perspective

theory of mind

children understand that other people may see the world from a different perspective than they do

conservation

the principle that changing the shape or appearance of an object does not necessarily change the object’s mass

concrete operational stage

the school-age child becomes capable of logical thought processes but is not yet capable of abstract thinking

reversibility

the idea that actions can be reversed, returning to their original state

formal operational stage

the adolescent becomes capable of abstract thinking

sociocultural perspective

the social and cultural environment allows children to progress through development stages either more quickly or more slowly, depending on the stimuli in that environment

zone of proximal development

difference between what a learner can do without help and what a learner can do with help

scaffolding

process in which a more skilled learner gives help to a less skilled learner, reducing the amount of help as the less skilled learner becomes more capable

fluid intelligence

the ability to solve problems, see relationships, and think abstractly

crystallized intelligence

an individual’s accumulated intelligence over time and the ability to use skills, knowledge, and experience

vocabulary

the words in any language represent agreed-upon labels for objects, actions, and concepts

grammar

the rules for combining words into phrases and sentences are based on a shared understanding within the language community

syntax

a set of rules, principles, and processes that govern the structures of a sentence

semantics

the meaning of words and sentences

phoneme

smallest distinctive unit in a language

morpheme

The smallest unit that carries some meaning (semantic interpretation)

cooing stage

one of the earliest phases in language development, emerging around the age of 2 months and lasting until about 4 months, where infants begin to vocalize and experiment with their vocal cords by producing soft, vowel-like sounds

babbling stage

begins about 4 months where the infant spontaneously vocalizes various sounds, at first unrelated to the language spoken at home

one word stage

takes place between 1 and 2, during which a child speaks mostly in single words

telegraphic speech

child’s speech is like a telegram, composed of mostly nouns and verbs

overgeneralization

the application of grammar rules in instances to which they do not apply

microsystem

the immediate environment in which an individual lives and interacts daily

mesosystem

encompasses the relationships and interactions between the various groups in the microsystem

Exosystem

made up of external environments that indirectly influence the individual’s development, even though the individual may not be actively involved in them

macrosystem

The broader cultural, societal, and institutional contexts that shape individual’s lives

chronosystem

the individual’s current stage of life and how changes and transitions that occur over the course of an individual’s life, as well as the historical events and societal changes that shape different generations

authoritarian parenting

style of parenting in which parent is rigid and overly strict, showing little warmth to the child

permissive parenting

style of parenting in which parent makes few, if any, demands on a child’s behavior

permissive indulgent

permissive parenting in which parent is so involved that children are allowed to behave without set limits

authoritative parenting

style of parenting in which parent combines warmth and affection with firm limits on a child’s behavior

temperament

The behavioral characteristics that are fairly well established at birth, such as “easy,” “difficult,” and “slow to warm up”; the enduring characteristics with which each person is born

attachment

the emotional bond between an infant and the primary care giver

parallel play

typically occurs in early childhood, children play alongside each other without direct interaction or shared goals

adolescent egocentrism

teens who often believe that their experiences are unique and that their parents or others could not possibly understand what they are going through

personal fables

Teens create stories of their lives that are idealized and special and make them feel invincible

emerging adulthood

a time from late adolescence through the twenties referring to those who are childless, do not live in their own home, and are not earning enough money to be independent, mainly found in developed countries

psychosocial conflicts

internal struggles faced by individuals at various stages of their life, stemming from the interaction between their psychological needs and the social demands or expectations placed upon them

adverse childhood experiences

encompasses a range of traumatic events or stressors that occur during childhood, including abuse, neglect, household dysfunction, and other adverse circumstances

possible selves

the various identities an individual can envision for themselves in the future, considering their hopes, fears, and the range of life paths available to them