AP Psych Chapter 5

developmental psychologists

a branch of psychology that studies physical. cognitive and social change throughout one’s 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 woman’s 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, “use it or lose it,”pruning process throws it away

Jean Piaget

developmental psychologist who discovered children’s 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 Piaget’s 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 Piaget’s 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 Piaget’s theory, the preoperational child’s difficulty taking another’s POV

curse of knowledge

overestimating the extent to which others share our opinions and perspectives

theory of mind

people’s ideas about their own and other’s mental states- about their feelings, perceptions and thoughts, and the behaviors these may predict

concrete operational stage

in Piaget’s 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 Piaget’s 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 “strange situation” experiment in which attachment was observed

temperament

a person’s 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, “Who Am I?”

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 “we” aspect of our self-concept; the part of our answer to “Who Am I?” 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 Erikson’s 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 Alzheimer’s disease, brain injury, disease or substance abuse. in older adults, neurocognitive disorders were formerly called dementia.

Alzheimer’s 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