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accomodation
the process through which we adjust and refine our schemas to incorporate new information
acculturation
the extent to which a member of one cultural group adopts the beliefs and behaviors of another group
activity theory of aging
suggests that elderly people are happiest when they stay active and involved in the community
adolescence
the period of transition from childhood to adulthood that usually occurs around age 10-12 and continues until age 18-21
adrenal androgen
the hormone that increases during puberty and plays an important role in the development of sexual interest
ageism
prejudice against people based upon their age
Alzheimer's disease
the most common form of dementia characterized by progressive and irreversible declines in memory, thinking, and language
amyloid plaques
the accumulation of protein fragments between nerve cells which is often found in people with Alzheimer's disease
andropause
gradual sexual changes that occur in aging males; includes decline in sperm count, testosterone level, and speed of erection and ejaculation
anxious-ambivalent/ resistant attachment
infants who are insecure and overly emotional in their relationship with their caregiver so that they are extremely distressed when their mothers leave the room and difficult to soothe, even when their mothers return
anxious-avoidant attachment
infants who do not seek contact with a caregiver when distressed so that they do not appear to be particularly distressed when their mothers leave the room and actively ignore their mothers upon their return
assimilation
the process through which we incorporate new experiences in terms of existing schemas
attachment
the emotional bond newborns share with their caregivers
authoritarian
a style of parenting in which parents exert high levels of control over their children, expect unquestioning obedience, and are very punitive
authoritative
a style of parenting in which parents are warm and affectionate but also sensitive and responsive to their children's behavior and needs
cephalocaudal rule
the tendency for motor skills and physical growth to emerge in sequence from top to bottom
chronological age
the amount of time someone has been alive
cliques
small, same-sex groups of three to nine members who share intimate secrets and see themselves as best friends
cognition
the mental activities associated with sensation and perception, thinking, knowing, remembering, and communicating, to find answers
cohorts
a group of people who share a common temporal life experience
concordance rate
the probability that one twin develops a condition if the other twin has it
continuous model
model of development suggesting that human development occurs as a gradual but consistent process over time
conventional morality
Kohlberg's second level of moral development in which morality is defined by convention—caring for others and conforming to social laws is right simply because they are the rules within society
cross-sectional studies
studies that observe different individuals of different ages at one point in time to track differences related to age
cross-sequential studies
a type of study which includes a combination of both cross-sectional and longitudinal designs by examining several different cohorts over time
crowds
larger, mixed-sex groups who tend to get together socially on weekends
dementia
a progressive loss of cognitive functioning in areas such as memory, reasoning, planning, decision making, and social functioning
developmental age
a measure of a child's development using age norms
developmental psychologiest
psychologists who study the physical, cognitive, and social changes that humans experience throughout the lifespans
difficult temperament
infants with irregular eating/sleeping patterns who are slow to adapt to change and respond negatively to frustration
discontinuous model
a model of developmental suggesting that development occurs in distinct steps or stages
disengagement theory of aging
theory that elderly people gradually and willingly withdraw themselves from the world around them in preparation for death
disorganized/disoriented attachment
infants who do not have a consistent response to their mother's absence or return, appearing to be confused or hesitant and display contradictory behaviors
dizygotic twins
fraternal twins that develop when two eggs are released and are both fertilized by two different sperm
easy temperment
infants with regular eating/sleeping patterns who adapt easily to change and can tolerate frustration
embryonic stage
stage of prenatal development that occurs after implantation into the female uterus around two weeks after conception and continues until eight weeks of gestation
emerging adulthood
a period of time between adolescence and adulthood in primarily Western cultures during which emotional ties with parents loosen, but dependence on parents for financial and emotional support remains
fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (fasd)
physical and cognitive abnormalities in children resulting from a pregnant mother's alcohol intake
fetal stage
stage of prenatal development that occurs from around eight weeks of gestation until birth
germinal stage
stage of development that the zygote enters after fertilization that lasts two weeks and culminates with the implantation into the female's uterus
gerontology
an interdisciplinary field that studies the process of aging and the aging population
heritability estimates
an estimation of how much variability in a trait is due to genetics
identity
our sense of self
longitudinal study
a type of study in which the same individuals are observed over a period of time to track changes over time
menarche
the onset of menstruation in girls
menopause
the end of the menstrual cycle and ability to bear children in women
monozygotic twins
identical twins that develop when one egg is fertilized by one sperm and then the egg splits into half and two fetuses develop with identical genetic makeup
motor development
the emergent ability to execute physical actions
nature
inherited characteristics that influence personality, physical growth, intellectual growth, and social interactions
neglectful/uninvolved
a style of parenting in which parents make few demands on their children and they are also unresponsive to their children's needs or behavior
neurofribrillary tangles
twisted strands of protein within neurons often seen in individuals with Alzheimer's disease
normative investigations
research studies performed with healthy ("normative") participants to establish normal behavior or average performance in a population
nurture
environmental influences such as parental styles, physical surroundings, and economic issues
ova
immature eggs contained in the ovaries
ovaries
the female reproductive organ where ova are produced and released
permissive
a style of parenting in which parents are warm and very involved in the lives of their children but they place very few limits on behavior
postconventional morality
Kohlberg's highest level of moral reasoning in which moral reasoning is based on abstract principles such as justice, liberty, and equality
preconventional morality
Kohlberg's lowest level of moral reasoning in which behavior that is rewarded is viewed as right, while behavior that is punished is viewed as wrong
primary sex characteristics
reproductive organs and external genitalia
prospective memory
remembering to perform a specific action such as calling someone back or bringing lunch to the office
proximodistal rule
the tendency for motor skills to emerge in sequence from inside to outside
puberty
period of physical development when the physical changes that lead to sexual maturation occur
reason
the ability to organize information and beliefs into a series of steps leading to a conclusion
reflexes
involuntary responses
scaffolding
the process of providing appropriate assistance to a learner which is removed gradually as the learner becomes more independent
schemas
concepts or frameworks around which we organize and interpret information
secondary sex characteristics
nonreproductive traits that develop during puberty such as breasts and hips in girls, facial hair and deeper voices in boys, and pubic and underarm hair for both boys and girls
secure attachment
children who are upset when their mother leaves but are soon comforted by parental contact upon their mother's return
slow-to-warm temperment
infants with generally regular eating/sleeping patterns who can adapt to change with repeated exposure and have mildly negative responses to frustration
social intuitionist
Haidt's theory that we have an instant gut reaction to moral situations, which precedes moral reasoning
socioemotional selectivity theory of aging
theory that suggests that as people grow older and realize that the time they have left is limited, they focus on enjoying the present rather than looking to the future
sperm
male sex cells
stability vs. change
the degree to which traits remain stable and unchanging versus malleable over years of growth and maturation
stranger anxiety
a fear of strangers that is a survival strategy that enables babies to perceive unfamiliar faces as potentially threatening
sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS)
the unexplained death of a seemingly healthy infant
synaptic pruning
a process in which excess synapses are gradually reduced during childhood
temperment
aspects of personality considered innate and not learned
teratogens
agents that can negatively impact the development of an embryo or fetus
testes
male gonads
zone of proximal development
a key component of Vygotsky's theory of cognitive development that highlights the difference between what a child can do alone versus what a child can do together with a more competent person
zygote
a single fertilized cell
