psych unit 6.1

Accommodation

is the adjustment of an existing schema in order to incorporate new information which generally occurs when one learns a new word or has a new experience.

Animism

is the belief that inanimate objects have feelings and emotions which according to Piaget is generally present during the preoperational stage (4-7 years old).

Assimilation

relates to the inclusion of new and different information into preexisting schemas because the individual does not yet have a category for the term they are trying to express of for the situation they are experiencing.

Attachment

refers to the tendency for young infants and animals to become emotionally connected to their caregivers.

Authoritarian Parenting Style

is one in which the caregiver demonstrates power over their children and demands obedience to rules. The parent is seen as an authority figure and expects obedience without question from their children.

Autonomy vs. Shame and Doubt

represents Erik Erikson's second stage of psychosocial development in which toddlers either develop a sense of self-reliance or doubt their ability to complete activities independent of their parents.

Concrete Operational Stage

is the third stage of Jean Piaget's theory of cognitive development (ages 7-11) in which a child has mastered conservation tasks, and think in two-dimensions.

Conservation

refers to the ability to understand that objects do not change in size just because their shape changes. According to Jean Piaget, this cognitive ability develops during the concrete operational stage (age 8).

Contact Comfort

is a concept developed by Harry Harlow which refers to the physical connection (rather than the satisfaction of a biological need such as hunger) that leads to attachment between a caregiver and an infant.

Conventional Level of Moral Reasoning

is the second level of Kohlberg's theory. It involves making moral decisions based on how others will view one's behavior and what a set of laws determines is right or wrong.

Critical Period

is a range of time in which certain behaviors or attachments must be learned/made, if not, they will be difficult or impossible to learn later in life (caregiver/infant bond, language).

Discontinuity

refers to the concept that human development is a process that occurs gradually over time rather than in separate and distinct stages.

Dizygotic Twins

are fraternal twins who develop from two different fertilized eggs and who are no more genetically similar to one another than siblings (50% of genes are shared).

Egocentrism

according to Jean Piaget occurs most prominently in the preoperational stage of cognitive development (ages 2-7) and involves a child's tendency to view experiences from only their own perspective assuming that others share this same perspective.

Embryonic Stage

is the second period of prenatal development from the second to eighth week during which the nervous system and major organs develop.

Fetal Stage

is the third and longest period of prenatal development lasting from approximately the ninth week until birth during which organs and tissues become developed and differentiated.

Formal Operational Stage

of cognitive development is the fourth and last stage according to Jean Piaget. During this stage, a person can think abstractly and conceptualize hypothetical objects and situations.

Generativity vs. Stagnation

refers to Erik Erikson's seventh stage of psychosocial development in which individuals in middle adulthood reflect on their contributions to the next generation or feel that they are not making significant contributions to society.

Germinal Stage (Zygotic)

is the first stage of prenatal development that occurs from conception until two weeks during which the fertilized egg is implanted in the uterus.

Identity vs. Role Confusion

is Erik Erikson's fifth stage of psychosocial personality development in which adolescents either develop a strong sense of self or question who there are and what makes them unique.

Imprinting

occurs during a critical period when young animals/infants develop an attachment to a mother like figure by forming a bond with the first moving object to which they are exposed.

Industry vs. Inferiority

is Erik Erikson's fourth stage of psychosocial development in which elementary age children either learn to be productive at completing specific tasks or feel inferior and incompetent.

Initiative vs. Guilt

is Erik Erikson's third stage of psychosocial personality development in which preschool age children either develop the ability to begin activities in which they are interested or experience feelings of inadequacy because they are criticized for their efforts.