developmental psychologists
a branch of psychology that studies physical. cognitive and social change throughout oneās lifespan
nature and nurture
how does our genetic inheritance (nature) interact with our experiences (nurture) to influence our development?
continuity and stages
What parts of development are gradual and continuous, like riding an escalator? What parts change abruptly in separate stages, like climbing rungs on a ladder?
stability change
Which of our traits persist through life? How do we change as we age?
zygote
a fertilized egg; it enters a 2-week period of rapid cell division and develops in to an embryo.
embryo
the developing human organism from about 2 weeks after fertilization through the second month
fetus
the developing human organism from 9 weeks after conception until birth
teratogens
agents, such as chemicals and viruses, that can reach the embryo or fetus during prenatal development and cause harm
FAS (fetal alcohol syndrome)
physical and cognitive abnormalities in children caused by a pregnant womanās heavy drinking
epigenetic effect
leaves chemical marks in DNA that switch genes on or off abnormally
William James
thought babies were born with confusion; later proven wrong.
habituation
decreasing responsiveness with repeated stimulation. As infants gain familiarity with repeated exposure to a stimulus, their interest wanes and they look away sooner.
maturation
biological growth processes that enable orderly changes in behavior, relatively uninfluenced in experience.
association areas
linked to thinking, memory and language; last cortical areas to develop. Supported by fibrial pathways, āuse it or lose it,āpruning process throws it away
Jean Piaget
developmental psychologist who discovered childrenās brains are not mini-adult brains. They are reasoned differently and development is in stages.
cognition
all the mental activities associated with thinking, knowing, remembering and communication
schema
a concept or framework that organizes and interprets information.
assimilation
interpreting our new experiences in terms of our existing schemas.
cognitive development stages
sensorimotor, preoperational, concrete operational and formal operational.
sensorimotor stages
in Piagetās theory, the stage from birth to 2 years during which infants know the world mostly in terms of their sensory impressions and motor activities.
object permanence
the awareness that things continue to exist even when not perceived; infants lack this.
baby physics
infants looking at unfamiliar or unexpected things - seeming like magic.
preoperational stage
in Piagetās theory, the stage from about 2 to 6-7 years old during which a child learns to use language but does not yet comprehend the mental operations of concrete logic
conservation
the principle, which Piaget believed to be a part of concrete operational reasoning, that properties such as mass, volume and number remains the same despite changes in the form of objects
egocentrism
in Piagetās theory, the preoperational childās difficulty taking anotherās POV
curse of knowledge
overestimating the extent to which others share our opinions and perspectives
theory of mind
peopleās ideas about their own and otherās mental states- about their feelings, perceptions and thoughts, and the behaviors these may predict
concrete operational stage
in Piagetās theory, the stage of cognition development from 7-11 years old during which kids gain the mental operations that enable them to think logically about concrete events
formal operational stage
in Piagetās theory, the stage of cognitive development, beginning around age 2, during which people think logically about abstract concepts
Lev Vygotsky
studied how children learned - by age 7, they increasingly think in words and use words to solve problems, mainly by internal or speech out loud; emphasize social interactions w/ environment
autism spectrum disorder (ASD)
a disorder that appears in childhood and is marked by significant deficiencies in communication and social interaction, and by rigidly fixated interests and repetitive behaviors
impaired theory of mind
trouble sympathizing/empathizing or reading social cues, trouble understanding others
stranger anxiety
the fear of strangers that commonly display, beginning around 8 months of age
attachment
an emotional tie with another person; shown in young children by their seeking closeness to the caregiver and showing distress on separation
secure base
a retreat to something/someone when anxious
critical period
an optimal period early in the life of an organism when exposure to a certain stimuli or experiences produces normal development
imprinting
the process by which certain animals form strong attachments during early life
secure attachment
an attachment in which one feels safe to explore the environment around - does not feel the need to cling to a mom 24/7
insecure attachment
an attachment in which one feels they cannot explore or be without someone they have attached to
Mary Ainsworth
designer of the āstrange situationā experiment in which attachment was observed
temperament
a personās characteristic emotional reactivity and intensity
Erik + Joan Erikson
believed that securely attached children approach life with a sense of basic trust based on love
basic trust
a sense that the world is predictable and reliable, depends on how kids are raised
resilient
able to withstand traumatic events that could negatively impact their life and become normal adults
self-concepts
all our thoughts and feelings about ourselves, in answer to the question, āWho Am I?ā
authoritarian
coercive; impose rules and expect obedience
permissive
unrestraining; making few demands and use little punishment. may be indifferent, unresponsive or unwilling to set limits
authoritative
confrontive; demanding and responsive. exert control like setting rules but encourage open discussions and allow exceptions
adolescence
the transition period from childhood to adulthood, extending from puberty to independence
puberty
the period of sexual maturation, during which a person becomes capable of reproducing
formal operations
applied new abstract reasoning to the world around them
moral reasoning
the thinking that occurs as we consider right or wrong (preconventional, conventional, post conventional)
moral intuition
quick gut feelings that help determine if something is morally correct
preconventional morality
self interest; obeys rules to avoid punishments or gain concrete rewards; before age 9
conventional morality
early adolescence; uphold laws and rules to gain social approval or maintain social order
postconventional morality
actions reflect belief in basic rights and self-defined ethical principles; adolescence and beyond
identity
our sense of self; according to Erikson, the adolescents task is to solidify a sense of self by testing and integrating various roles
social identity
the āweā aspect of our self-concept; the part of our answer to āWho Am I?ā that comes from our group memberships
trust vs mistrust
0-1 yrs old. if needs are dependably met, infants develop basic trust
autonomy vs shame/doubt
1-3 yrs old. toddlers exercise will do things for themselves or they doubt their abilities
initiative vs guilt
1-3 yrs. learn to initiate tasks or feel guilty about independence
competence vs inferiority
6 yrs-puberty. learn pleasure o fapplying selves to tasks or they feel inferior.
identity vs role confusion
teens-20s. work at refining sense of self by testing roles, then making identity or confused about who they are
intimacy vs isolation
20s-early 40s. struggle to form close relationships and to gain capacity for intimate love or they feel socially isolated.
generavity vs stagnation
40s-60s. discovering sense of contributi5ng to the world, or feeling a lack of purpose
integrity vs despair
late 60s+. reflecting on life, an older adult may feel a sense of satisfaction or failure.
intimacy
in Eriksonās theory, the ability to form close, loving relationships; a primary development in young adulthood
emerging adulthood
a period from about age 20 to mid-20s, when many in Western cultures are no longer adolescents but have not yet achieved full independence as adults
early adulthood
20s-30s
middle adulthood
to age 65
late adulthood
age 65+
menopause
the time of natural cessation of mensuration; also refers to the biological changes a woman experiences as her ability to reproduce declines
cross-sectional study
a study in which people of different ages are compared with one another
longitudinal study
research in which the same people are restudied and retested over a long period
neurocognitive disorders (NCDs)
acquired (not lifelong) disorders marked by cognitive deficits; often related to Alzheimerās disease, brain injury, disease or substance abuse. in older adults, neurocognitive disorders were formerly called dementia.
Alzheimerās Disease
a neurocognitive disorder marked by neural plaques, often with an onset after age 80 and entailing a progressive decline in memory and other cognitive abilities
terminal decline
in the last 3-4 years of life, cognitive decline accelerates and negative feelings increase
social clock
the culturally preferred timing of social events such as marriage, parenthood and retirement
generativity
being productive and supporting future generations - 1/2 of adult dominating aspects
biological influences to successful aging
no early genetic predisposition to early, appropriate nutrition
social-cultural influences to successful aging
support from family/friends, cultural respect for aging, safe living conditions
biological influences to successful aging
optimistic outlook, physically and mentally active lifestyle