development

developmental psychology

study of how people change physically mentally and socially across the lifespan

teratogens

harmful substances (like drugs or viruses) that can damage a fetus during development

fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS)

condition caused by alcohol during pregnancy leading to brain damage and physical abnormalities

maturation

natural biological growth that happens in a specific order regardless of experiences

schema

mental framework used to organize and understand information

assimilation

using an existing schema to understand new information

accommodation

changing a schema to fit new information

sensorimotor stage

(birth–2) learning through senses and actions; no object permanence at first

object permanence

understanding that things still exist even when you can’t see them

preoperational stage

(2–7) uses language but lacks logic; shows egocentrism and no conservation

conservation

understanding that quantity stays the same even if appearance changes

reversibility

ability to mentally undo an action

animism

belief that objects have feelings or intentions

egocentrism

inability to see things from another person’s perspective

concrete operational stage

(7–11) logical thinking about real/concrete things; understands conservation

formal operational stage

(12+) ability to think abstractly and hypothetically

autism

developmental disorder affecting communication

stranger anxiety

fear of unfamiliar people (starts around 8 months)

separation anxiety

distress when separated from a caregiver

attachment

emotional bond between infant and caregiver

secure attachment

child feels safe because caregiver is responsive and consistent

insecure attachment

child feels anxious or avoidant due to inconsistent/unresponsive caregiver

authoritarian parenting

strict parenting with rules and little warmth (“because I said so”)

authoritative parenting

balanced parenting with rules

permissive parenting

lenient parenting with few rules and little discipline

X chromosome

female sex chromosome; females have XX

Y chromosome

male sex chromosome; presence makes a person male (XY)

imprinting

early attachment in animals during a critical period right after birth

testosterone

main male sex hormone responsible for male traits

temperament

a person’s natural emotional reactions and intensity

basic trust

belief that the world is safe and reliable (developed in infancy)

gender role

expected behaviors for males and females in a culture

zone of proximal development

gap between what you can do alone and what you can do with help

adverse childhood experiences (ACEs)

traumatic events in childhood that affect development

adolescence

transition period from childhood to adulthood

puberty

time when the body becomes capable of reproduction

primary sex characteristics

body parts directly involved in reproduction (ovaries

secondary sex characteristics

physical traits not directly related to reproduction (voice

menarche

first menstrual period

spermarche

first ejaculation

identity

sense of who you are

intimacy

ability to form close emotional relationships

emerging adulthood

transition stage between adolescence and full adulthood

dementia

general decline in memory and thinking that affects daily life

Alzheimer’s Disease

brain disease that causes memory loss and neuron damage

ecological systems theory

theory that development is influenced by different environmental systems

microsystem

immediate environment (family

mesosystem

interactions between parts of the microsystem (ex: parents and teachers)

exosystem

indirect influences (ex: parent’s job

macrosystem

culture

chronosystem

time and life changes that affect development