AP Psych Unit 3 Vocab

Developmental Psychology

The scientific study that focuses on how individuals change and grow over the course of their lives, exploring physical, cognitive, and social changes that occur from infancy through old age.

Cross-sectional Study

An observational research method that compares different population groups at a single point in time, allowing researchers to analyze differences and similarities among age groups.

Discontinuous Development

The notion that development occurs in distinct stages, with each stage marked by qualitative differences from the previous one, leading to significant changes in behavior and capabilities.

Continuous Development

The perspective that development is a gradual, ongoing process characterized by continuous growth and improvement without clear stages, involving small, incremental changes.

Enduring Themes

Key recurring topics and debates in developmental psychology, including the nature versus nurture debate, and the contrasts between continuous and discontinuous development.

Longitudinal Study

A research approach that follows the same group of individuals over an extended period, allowing for the assessment of changes and developments in the same subjects over time.

Nature vs. Nurture

A longstanding debate in developmental psychology regarding the relative importance of genetic inheritance (nature) and environmental factors (nurture) in shaping human behavior and development.

Auditory Sensory Acuity

The ability to detect and interpret sounds, including frequency and tone, which plays a crucial role in communication and environmental awareness.

Genetic Mutation

A permanent alteration in the DNA sequence of a gene, potentially resulting in changes to physical traits and susceptibility to diseases.

Gross Motor Coordination

The capacity to control and coordinate large muscle groups for bodily movements, which includes skills such as running, jumping, and climbing.

Growth Spurt

A period of rapid physical growth and development, often occurring during childhood and adolescence, characterized by significant increases in height and body mass.

Imprinting

A rapid form of learning typically occurring during a short critical period after birth, where a young organism forms a strong attachment to a caregiver or parental figure.

Mature Illness

Health conditions generally associated with aging, which reflect a gradual decline in physical and cognitive functioning.

Mobility

The ability to move freely and easily across physical space, which is fundamental for independence and engagement with the environment.

Reaction Time

The interval between the presentation of a stimulus and the individual's response, serving as a measure of cognitive processing speed.

Reflex Action

An automatic, involuntary response to a specific stimulus designed to protect the body from harm.

Rooting Reflex

A reflex in infants allowing them to turn their heads toward a stimulus that touches their mouth, facilitating breastfeeding.

Sensitive Period

A specific timeframe during development when an individual is particularly receptive to acquiring certain skills or knowledge.

Visual Sensory Acuity

The clarity and sharpness of vision, enabling an individual to discern fine details and perceive the environment effectively.

Abstract Concept

Ideas or notions that cannot be physically touched or observed, often requiring complex reasoning skills to understand.

Animism

The belief typical of early childhood where children attribute lifelike qualities to inanimate objects and natural phenomena.

Dementia

A series of cognitive disorders leading to memory loss and decline in overall cognitive functioning, associated with aging.

Pretend Play

A type of imaginative play commonly seen in young children, allowing them to create and act out scenarios that foster creativity and social skills.

Reversibility

The cognitive ability to understand that certain processes or actions can be reversed, restoring items to their original state.

Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD)

The range of tasks that a learner can perform with the guidance of a knowledgeable partner but cannot yet accomplish independently.

Non-verbal Gestures

Forms of communication that rely on body language, facial expressions, and other physical cues rather than spoken words.

Syntax

The set of rules that governs the structure and arrangement of words in sentences, which determines the grammatical correctness of a statement.

Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs)

Experiences of childhood trauma or hardship that have been linked to negative outcomes later in life, affecting mental and physical health.

Anxious Attachment

A style of insecure attachment characterized by anxiety and uncertainty regarding a caregiver's availability and responsiveness to a child's needs.

4 Main Parenting Styles

The four distinct styles of parenting identified as Authoritative, Authoritarian, Permissive, and Neglectful, each impacting child development and behavior.

Chronosystem

The component of Bronfenbrenner's ecological systems theory that considers the influence of time, including life transitions and historical events, on development.

Exosystem

A layer of Bronfenbrenner’s theory that encompasses the external environmental settings indirectly impacting an individual’s life, such as parents' workplace.

Identity Diffusion

A state characterized by a lack of strong commitment to any particular identity, often resulting in confusion regarding life direction.

Identity Foreclosure

A state in which an individual makes commitments to an identity without having explored alternative options, often conforming to external expectations.

Identity Moratorium

A temporary phase during which an individual actively explores different identities and beliefs without committing to any one path.

Generativity

The concern and commitment to guiding and contributing to the development of future generations, often realized through parenting and mentorship.

Stagnation

A self-absorbed state resulting from failing to contribute meaningfully to society or to the development of others.

Imaginary Audience

A cognitive phenomenon in adolescence where an individual believes they are constantly observed and judged by others.

Industry vs. Inferiority

Erikson’s psychosocial stage occurring between ages 6-12, where children's ability to gain competence and skills is evaluated, leading to feelings of either pride or inferiority.

Macrosystem

The overarching system that includes cultural, social, and economic contexts that shape individual experiences and influence development.

Microsystem

The immediate environments such as family, school, and peers that directly influence an individual’s development.

Mesosystem

The connections and interactions between components of the microsystem, showing how these environments support or hinder development.

Parallel Play

A stage of play typical in early childhood where children play side by side without direct interaction, helping them develop independence.

Psychosocial Development

The study of individual emotional and social growth through various stages of life, as proposed by Erik Erikson.

Acquisition (Learning)

The process by which an organism learns a new behavior, typically through conditioning or experience.

Taste Aversion

A learned avoidance of a specific taste or food that results from a negative experience, such as illness after consumption.

Teratogens

Substances or factors that can cause malformations or developmental abnormalities in a fetus during pregnancy.

Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS)

A spectrum of disorders resulting from maternal alcohol consumption during pregnancy, leading to physical, behavioral, and cognitive issues in the child.

Critical Period

A specific timeframe in development where certain skills or behaviors are optimally learned, without which they may not develop correctly.

Adolescence

The transitional stage from childhood to adulthood, characterized by significant physical, psychological, and emotional changes.

Puberty

The biological phase during which an individual undergoes physical changes leading to sexual maturity and reproductive capability.

Menopause

The natural phase in a woman’s life marking the end of menstruation and reproductive years, typically occurring in middle age.

Sex

The biological classification of individuals as male or female based on physical and physiological traits.

Gender

The societal roles, behaviors, and expectations associated with being male, female, or non-binary, which can vary widely across cultures.

Intersex

A condition where an individual's physical anatomy or genetic makeup does not fit typical definitions of male or female.

X Chromosome

One of the two sex chromosomes that determine biological sex, larger than the Y chromosome and carrying more genes.

Y Chromosome

The smaller sex chromosome that typically determines male characteristics and carries fewer genetic traits compared to the X chromosome.

Testosterone

The primary male sex hormone responsible for the development of male physical traits and reproductive functions, including muscle mass and body hair.

Estrogens

A group of hormones primarily involved in the development of female sexual characteristics and the regulation of reproductive functions.

Primary Sex Characteristics

Anatomical structures directly involved in reproduction, such as ovaries in females and testes in males.

Secondary Sex Characteristics

Physical traits that emerge during puberty, distinguishing males from females, such as breast development in females and facial hair in males.

Spermarche

The first occurrence of ejaculation in males, indicating the onset of sexual maturity.

Menarche

The first occurrence of menstruation in females, signifying the beginning of reproductive capability.

Jean Piaget

A Swiss psychologist renowned for his theory of cognitive development, which outlines stages that children pass through as they actively construct their understanding of the world.

Cognition

The mental processes involved in acquiring knowledge and understanding, including thinking, reasoning, problem-solving, and decision-making.

Schema

A mental structure or framework that organizes and interprets information, guiding an individual’s understanding of the world.

Assimilation

The cognitive process of integrating new information into existing schemas without changing the schema.

Accommodation

The adjustment of existing schemas to incorporate new information, resulting in more complex understanding.

Sensorimotor Stage

Piaget’s first stage of cognitive development, occurring from birth to about age 2, where knowledge is acquired through sensory experiences and physical interactions with the environment.

Object Permanence

The understanding that objects continue to exist even when they cannot be observed; a milestone typically achieved during the sensorimotor stage.

Preoperational Stage

Piaget’s second stage (ages 2-7) characterized by the emergence of language and symbolic thought, though lacking logical reasoning.

Conservation

The principle that certain properties of objects, such as volume or mass, remain unchanged despite changes in shape or appearance.

Egocentrism

The inability of a child in the preoperational stage to understand perspectives other than their own, leading to a self-centered view of the world.

Concrete Operational Stage

Piaget’s third stage (ages 7-11) where logical thinking about concrete events develops, allowing children to perform operations and understand conservation.

Formal Operational Stage

Piaget’s final stage (ages 12 and up) marked by the development of logical reasoning about abstract concepts, enabling hypothetical thinking.

Lev Vygotsky

A psychologist who emphasized the role of social interactions and cultural context in cognitive development, particularly the concept of the Zone of Proximal Development.

Scaffolding

A teaching strategy that involves providing temporary support to help students master a new concept or skill, gradually removing assistance as competence increases.

Theory of Mind

The understanding that others have their own thoughts, beliefs, and perspectives that differ from one's own, emerging in early childhood.

Noam Chomsky

A linguist who proposed that humans have an innate capacity for language acquisition, suggesting a universal grammar underlying all languages.

Phoneme

The smallest unit of sound in a language that can distinguish meaning; for example, the difference between the sounds in 'bat' and 'pat.'

Morpheme

The smallest grammatical unit in a language that carries meaning, which can be a word or part of a word (like prefixes or suffixes).

Grammar

The structural rules governing the composition of phrases and sentences in a language, encompassing syntax and morphology.

Universal Grammar (UG)

A theoretical framework suggesting that the ability to acquire language is innate to humans and that all languages share common underlying principles.

Babbling Stage

An early stage of language development in infants characterized by repetitive consonant-vowel combinations, such as 'ba-ba' or 'da-da'.

One-Word Stage

A developmental phase in which children begin to use single words to communicate complex ideas or needs.

Two-Word Stage

A stage in early language development in which children start to combine two words to form simple phrases, like 'want cookie' or 'big truck'.

Telegraphic Speech

An early form of speech in children that consists of short, concise phrases that convey necessary meaning, resembling telegrams with essential words.

Generative Grammar

A theory suggesting that humans can generate an infinite number of sentences from a limited set of grammatical rules.

Semantics

The branch of linguistics that deals with the meanings of words, phrases, and sentences, and how they are interpreted.

Paul Broca

A physician who contributed to our understanding of language processing in the brain, particularly in relation to speech production.

Broca’s Area

A region in the frontal lobe of the brain responsible for speech production, critical for forming grammatically correct sentences.

Carl Wernicke

A neurologist who studied language and identified a brain area associated with the comprehension of language.

Wernicke’s Area

A region in the brain linked to understanding spoken and written language, crucial for language comprehension.

Ecological Systems Theory

Bronfenbrenner's framework that posits human development is influenced by various interconnected environmental systems, ranging from immediate settings to broader societal influences.

Stranger Anxiety

A developmental stage in infants, typically around 8 months old, characterized by fear or distress in response to unfamiliar people.

Social Anxiety Disorder

A psychological condition defined by intense fear of social situations, often leading to avoidance behavior.

Attachment

The lasting emotional bond that develops between a child and their primary caregiver, shaping the child's social and emotional development.

Harry Harlow

A psychologist famous for his research on attachment in rhesus monkeys, demonstrating the importance of comfort and nurturing in the attachment process.

Margaret Harlow

Collaborator with Harry Harlow, focusing on the effects of maternal influence and attachment in developmental studies.

Secure Attachment

A stable and positive attachment style characterized by comfort and trust in relationships, allowing for exploration and healthy emotional development.