unit 9 and 10 psych

Developmental Psychology

Branch of psychology studying physical, cognitive, and social change throughout the life span

Zygote

Fertilized egg entering a 2-week period of rapid cell division and developing into an embryo

Embryo

Developing human organism from about 2 weeks after fertilization through the 2nd month

Fetus

Developing human organism from 9 weeks after conception to birth

Teratogens

Chemicals and viruses reaching the embryo/fetus during prenatal development, causing harm

Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS)

Physical and cognitive abnormalities in children caused by a pregnant woman's heavy drinking

Habituation

Decreasing responsiveness to repeated stimulation

Maturation

Biological growth processes enabling orderly changes in behavior, relatively uninfluenced by experience

Cognition

All mental activities associated with thinking, knowing, remembering, and communicating

Schema

Concept/framework organizing and interpreting information

Assimilation

Interpreting new experiences in terms of existing schemas

Accommodation

Adapting current understandings (schemas) to incorporate new information

Sensorimotor Stage

Stage (from birth - 2 yrs) during which infants know the world mostly in terms of sensory impressions and motor activities

Object Permanence

Awareness that things continue to exist even when not perceived

Preoperational Stage

Stage (2 - 6 or 1 yrs) during which a child learns to use language but doesn't yet comprehend the mental operations of concrete logic

Conservation

Principle that properties such as mass, volume, and number remain the same despite changes in forms of objects

Egocentrism

Preoperational child's difficulty taking another's point of view

Theory of Mind

People's ideas about their own and others' mental states and behaviors these might predict

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)

Disorder appearing in childhood, marked by significant deficiencies in communication and social interaction

Concrete Operational Stage

Stage of cognitive development (6-12 years of age) enabling logical thinking about concrete events

Formal Operational Stage

Stage of cognitive development (begins age 12) enabling logical thinking about abstract concepts

Stranger Anxiety

Fear of strangers commonly displayed by infants (begin 2-8 months)

Attachment

Emotional tie with another person, closeness to caregiver, distress on separation for children

Critical Period

Optimal period early in life when exposure to certain stimuli produces normal development

Imprinting

Process by which certain animals form strong attachments during an early life critical period

Temperament

Person's characteristic emotional reactivity and intensity

Basic Trust

Erik Erikson's concept of world predictability and trustworthiness formed during infancy by appropriate experiences and responsive caregivers

Self-Concept

All thoughts and feelings about oneself, as in answer to the question 'Who am I'

Gender

Socially constructed roles and characteristics defining male and female

Aggression

Physical/verbal behavior with intent to hurt/destroy

Gender Role

Set of expected behaviors for men and women

Gender Identity

Sense of being male or female

Social Learning Theory

Theory that we learn social behavior by observing, imitating, and being rewarded/punished

Gender Typing

Acquisition of a traditional masculine or feminine role

Transgender

Umbrella term describing people whose gender identity differs from that associated with their birth sex

Adolescence

Transition period from childhood to adulthood, extending from puberty to independence

Identity

Sense of self; adolescent's task is to solidify a sense of self by testing and integrating various roles

Social Identity

'We' aspect of our self-concept; part of the answer to 'Who am I'

Intimacy

Ability to form close, loving relationships; primary developmental task in late adolescence and early adulthood

Emerging Adulthood

Period from late teens to mid-twenties, bridging gap between adolescent dependence and full independence

X Chromosome

Sex chromosome in male and female, female: 2, male: 1

Y Chromosome

Sex chromosome in only males; X + Y Chromosome → male child

Testosterone

Most important of male sex hormones, stimulating growth of male sex organs in fetus and development of male sex characteristics during puberty

Puberty

Period of sexual maturation, during which a person becomes capable of reproducing

Primary Sex Characteristics

Body structures (ovaries, testes, and external genitalia) that make sexual reproduction possible

Secondary Sex Characteristics

Nonreproductive sexual traits, such as female breasts and hips, male voice quality, and body hair

Menarche

The first menstrual period

AIDS

Life-threatening, sexually transmitted infection caused by HIV, depleting the immune system

Sexual Orientation

Enduring sexual attraction toward members of one's own sex, the opposite, or both sexes

Menopause

Natural cessation of menstruation, also referring to the biological changes as reproductive ability declines

Cross-Sectional Study

Study in which people of different ages are compared with one another

Longitudinal Study

Research in which the same people are restudied and retested over a long period

Social Clock

Culturally preferred timing of social events such as marriage, parenthood, and retirement

Personality

Individual's characteristic pattern of thinking, feeling, and acting

Free Association

In psychoanalysis, method of exploring the unconscious by saying whatever comes to mind, no matter how embarrassing

Psychoanalysis

Freud's theory of personality attributing thoughts and actions to unconscious motives and conflicts

Unconscious

Deep hidden reservoir holding desires and fears

ID

Exists in unconscious, pleasure principle, avoiding pain, seeking instant gratification

Ego

Negotiates between ID and environment, in conscience and unconscious, what everyone sees as our personality

Superego

Conscience, developing last at about age 5

Psychosexual Stages

Childhood stages of development during which the id's pleasure seeking energies focus on distinct erogenous zones

Oedipus Complex

A boy's sexual desires toward his mother and feelings of jealousy and hatred towards the rival father

Identification

Process by which children incorporate their parents' values into their developing superegos

Fixation

Lingering focus of pleasure-seeking energies at an earlier psychosexual stage, in which conflicts were unresolved

Defense Mechanisms

Ego's protective methods of reducing anxiety by unconsciously distorting reality

Repression

Pushing memories deep into the brain to the point where we aren't aware of them, especially because it has a negative emotional effect

Psychodynamic Theories

Modern-day approaches that view personality with a focus on the unconscious and the importance of childhood experiences

Collective Unconscious

Jung's concept of a shared, inherited reservoir of memory traces from our species' history

Projective Test

Personality test providing ambiguous stimuli designed to trigger projection of one's inner dynamics

Thematic Apperception Test

Projective test in which people express their inner feelings and interests through the stories they make up about ambiguous scenes

Rorschach Inkblot Test

Most widely used projective test, seeking to identify people's inner feelings by analyzing their interpretations of inkblots

False Consensus Effect

Tendency to overestimate the extent to which others share our beliefs and behaviors

Terror Management Theory

Theory of death-related anxiety, exploring people's emotional and behavioral responses to reminders of their impending death

Humanistic Theories

Viewing personality with a focus on the potential for healthy personal growth

Self-Actualization

One of the ultimate psychological needs that arises after basic physical and psychological needs are met and self-esteem is achieved; the motivation to fulfill one's potential

Unconditional Positive Regard

Attitude of total acceptance toward another person

Trait

Characteristic pattern of behavior or disposition to feel and act, as assessed by self-report inventories and peer reports

Personality Inventory

Questionnaire on which people respond to items designed to gauge a wide range of feelings and behaviors, used to assess selected personality traits

Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI)

Most widely researched and clinically used of all personality tests, developed to identify emotional disorders and other screening purposes

Empirically Derived Test

Test developed by testing a pool of items, then selecting those that discriminate between groups

Social-Cognitive Perspective

Views behavior as influenced by the interaction between people's traits and their social context

Behavioral Approach

Perspective focusing on the effects of learning on personality development

Reciprocal Determinism

Interacting influences of behavior and internal cognition

Positive Psychology

Scientific study of optimal human functioning, aiming to discover and promote strengths and virtues that enable individuals and communities to thrive

Spotlight Effect

Overestimating others' noticing and evaluating our appearance, performance, and blunders

Self-esteem

Feelings of high or low self-worth

Self-efficacy

Sense of competence and effectiveness

Self-Serving Bias

Readiness to perceive oneself favorably

Narcissism

Excessive self-love and self-absorption

Individualism

Giving priority to one's own goals over group goals and defining one's identity in terms of personal attributes

Collectivism

Giving priority to the goals of one's group and defining one's identity accordingly