developemmt vocab quiz 1

development psychology

• Study of humans from womb to tomb.

• a branch of psychology that studies physical, cognitive, and social changes throughout the lifespan

continuity and stages

What parts of development are gradual and continuous and what parts change abruptly in separate stages

stability and change

Which of our traits persist through life? How do we change as we age?

germinal stage

The first stage of prenatal development, lasting about two weeks after conception, when the zygote forms and begins cell division and implantation in the uterus.

embryonic stage

The second stage of prenatal development, from about week 2 to week 8, when major organs and body systems begin to form.

fetal period

By 9 weeks after conception, an embryo becomes  a fetus,  when the fetal period begins, facial features, hands and feet have formed.

teratogens

Harmful substances or factors (like drugs, alcohol, or infections) that can cause birth defects or developmental problems during pregnancy.

habituation

A learning process where a baby stops responding to a repeated stimulus after getting used to it.

maturation

biological growth processes that enable orderly changes in behavior, relatively uninfluenced by experience

piagets stages of cognitive development

the driving force behind cognitive development is our biological development (maturation) and interaction with the physical environment

conservation

The understanding that quantity (like volume, number, or mass) stays the same even when its appearance changes; a concept developed in Piaget’s concrete operational stage.

theory of mind

The cognitive ability to recognize that other people have their own thoughts, beliefs, desires, and emotions, which may be different from one’s own.

vygotskys zone of proximal development

emphasized how the child’s mind grows through interaction with the social environment.

scaffold

a framework that offers children temporary support as they develop higher levels of thinking

phoneme

in a language, the smallest distinctive sound unit

To say bat, English speakers utter the phonemes 

b, a, and t.

3 phonemes

morpheme

in a language, the smallest unit that carries meaning; may be a word or a part of a word (such as a prefix)

word “readers,” for example, contains three (3) morphemes: 

“read,” (1)

“er” (2) 

(signaling that we

mean “one who reads”), 

and “s” (3) 

(signaling that we mean not one, but multiple readers).

semantics

about selecting the correct word to convey the meaning you intend.

syntax

 about putting the words into the correct order according to grammatical standards of your language

critical period

A time during development when influences have major effect (like with language development, vision, hearing, etc.)

linguistic influence

Refers to the impact of language on the development of thought, perception, and behavior.