Psychology development

Piaget Stages

Jean Piaget’s theory of cognitive development that includes the Sensorimotor, Preoperational, Concrete Operational, and Formal Operational stages.

Kohlberg Stages

Lawrence Kohlberg’s theory of moral development consisting of three levels: Preconventional, Conventional, and Postconventional.

Erikson Stages

Erik Erikson’s psychosocial development theory encompassing eight stages with crises to resolve, such as trust vs. mistrust and identity vs. role confusion.

Attachment Theory

A theory developed by John Bowlby and expanded by Mary Ainsworth, explaining how early bonds with caregivers shape emotional and social development.

Zygote

The fertilized egg that rapidly divides before becoming an embryo.

Fetus

The developing human organism from nine weeks after conception to birth.

Teratogen

Any harmful substance that can cause birth defects during prenatal development.

Maturation

The biological growth process that enables orderly development, largely uninfluenced by experience.

Hippocampus

An underdeveloped region before age 4, crucial for memory formation, explaining infantile amnesia.

Object Permanence

The understanding that objects exist even when not visible, developed in the sensorimotor stage.

Parenting Styles

Diana Baumrind’s classification of parenting into Authoritative, Authoritarian, Permissive, and Neglectful styles.

Critical Period

A specific time in early development sensitive to environmental stimuli for learning skills like language.

Arnett’s Emerging Adulthood Stage

A phase (18-25 years) where individuals explore identity, relationships, and career paths.

Gender Identity

A person’s internal sense of being male, female, or another gender, not necessarily aligned with assigned sex.

Prospective Memory

The ability to remember to perform actions in the future.

Alzheimer’s Disease Symptoms

A neurodegenerative disorder characterized by memory loss, confusion, and cognitive decline.

Theory of Mind

The ability to understand that others have different thoughts and perspectives, typically developing around ages 4-5.

Stranger Anxiety

The fear of unfamiliar people that arises around 8 months of age.

Parallel Play

A form of play where children play alongside each other but do not interact directly.

Pretend Play

Imaginative play where children act out scenarios, important for cognitive and social development.

Social Learning

Learning behaviors through observation and modeling, as proposed by Albert Bandura.

Egocentrism

A preoperational child's difficulty in seeing things from others' perspectives.

Self-Concept

One’s understanding and evaluation of their identity and self-worth.

Harry Harlow Monkey Study

A study demonstrating infant monkeys' preference for a comfort-providing soft mother over a wire mother providing food.

Lev Vygotsky Theory

Vygotsky's emphasis on social interaction and cultural context in cognitive development, including the Zone of Proximal Development.

Empty Nest Syndrome

Feelings of sadness or loss parents experience when their children leave home.

Freud’s Stages of Development

Sigmund Freud’s psychosexual stages including Oral, Anal, Phallic, Latency, and Genital.

Nature vs. Nurture

The debate on whether genetics or environmental factors play a larger role in development.

Temperament

An individual’s innate personality traits including emotional reactivity.

Social Identity

The part of self-concept derived from group memberships like race or gender.

Social Tasks and Challenges of Adolescence

Developmental challenges teens face, such as identity formation and peer influence.

Emerging Adulthood

The transitional period characterized by exploration of identity and relationships.

6 Universal Characteristics of Language

Features of all human languages: semanticity, arbitrariness, displacement, productivity, cultural transmission, and duality.