psych nature v nurture and development

nature

our behaviors are due to biology

nurture

our behaviors are due to environmental influences

environment

every non-genetic influence on our thought, feelings and actions from pre-natal nutrition, to the people and things around us

genes

biochemical unit of heredity that make up chromosomes, section of DNA that has same arrangement of chemical elements, capable of synthesizing proteins

genotype

genetic makeup of a person

phenotype

inherited physical characteristics, combo of gene and environment influence

twin studies

studies done on identical/fraternal twins to reveal genetic/environmental influences

identical twins

genetically identical, developed from single fertilized egg that splits in 2

fraternal twins

not genetically closer than a normal brother/sister, developed from 2 diff eggs

temperament

persons emotional reactivity and intensity

heritability

proportion of variation among individuals that is attributed to genes

rooting reflex

natural response of head where head turns toward the side of face that is stimulated by stroking/touching

sucking reflex

causes child to instinctively suck on anything that touches the roof of their mouth

startle reflex

rapid, generalized motor response to a sudden, surprise stiumuls

grasping reflex

baby up to 6 months instinctively grasp at stimulus or when hand has stimulus

evolutionary psychology

study of evolution of behavior and mind, use natural selection, what makes us similar

behavior genetics

the study of the relative power and limits of genetic and environmental influences on behavior

epigenetics

study of environmental influences on gene expression that occur without DNA change, experiences lay down mark on DNA and ex)tells cell to ignore any gene in that DNA so genes are turned off

natural selection

the inherited traits that contribute to reproduction and survival the best will most likely be passed on

mutation

random error in gene replication that leads to a change

culture

enduring behaviors, ideas, attitudes, values and traditions shared by a group of people and passed on

individualistic

give priority to ones own goals over group goals and define ones identify in terms of personal attributes

collectivist

giving priority to groups goals and define ones identity with group

sex

physical characteristics of the male, female, and intersex bodies, nature

gender

socially constructed expectations of men, women, girls and boys within a culture, nurture

gender role

expected behaviors for male/female behavior within a culture

gender identity

our person sense of where one exists on the gender spectrum

gender schema

our own thoughts on what is expected of male/female behavior

gender type

accepting and taking on the role of being male/female that has been laid out by our culture

testosterone

most important male sex hormone, both male/female have it but additional T in males stimuli growth of male sex organs in fetal period and develop male sex characteristics in puberty

aggression

any physical/verbal behavior intended to harm someone physically/emotionally

social learning theory

people learn from each other though observation, imitation, and modeling

authoritarian parenting

coercive, impose rules and expect obedience, kids has less social skills and low self esteem

permissive pareneting

unrest raining, make few demands and use little punishment, kids are aggressive and immature

authoritative parenting

confrontative, demanding and responsive, exert control but allow expectations, kids have high self-esteem, self-reliance, and social compentence

neglectful parenting

don’t respond to kids needs beyond the basic ones, kids have bad social skills, low self-esteem, bad academically

zygote

fertilized egg, enters 2-week period of rapid cell division and develop into embryo

embryo

the developing human organism from about 2 weeks after fertilization to 2 months

teratogen

agents, like chemicals/viruses, that reach ambryo/fetus and cause harm, monster maker

fetal alcohol syndrome

physical/cognitive abnormalities in kids caused by pregnant mom drinking, out of portion head/facial features

habituation

dec responsiveness with repeated stimulation

maturation

biological growth process that enable orderly changes in behavior, uninfluenced by experience

schema

a concept or framework that organizes and interprets information, organized by topic and connected to other schemas, ex: dog

assimilation

interpreting our new experiences in terms of existing schemas, easier, neurons add on to existing connections, ex: all 4 leg animals are dogs

accommodation

adapting our current schemas to incorporate new info, harder, ex: dogs are dogs, cats are cats

sensorimotor

birth to 2 years, infants know world in terms of sensory impressions and motor activities, piagets theory, obejct permanence and sep anxiety

object permanence

the awareness that things continue to exist even when not perceived, starts around 8 months

animism

objects have life like qualities making it seem like they have human emotions/thoughts/feelings

preoperational

2-6 years, use language but doesn’t comprehend mental operations of concrete logic, animism and egocentrism

egocentrism

kids difficulty of taking anothers POV

theory of mind

peoples ideas about their own and others mental states

concrete operational

6-12 years, can think logically about concrete events, conservation, math transformations, reversibility

conservation

properties like mass, volume, and number remain same despite changes in the forms of object

reversibility

child learns that some things that have been changed can go back to original state

formal operational

12+, abstract logic, mature moral reasoning, imagined realities and symbols, if this then that

abstract thought

ability to understand concepts that are real, like freedom/vulnerability, but are not directly related to concrete things

zone of proximal development

target circle, middle is can do unaided, 2nd ring is the zone where can do with guidance, outside is can’t do

erikons stages of social development

each stage of life has its own psychological task

seperation anxiety

excessive worry and fear about being apart from family members to who a child is most attached

attachment

emotional tie with another person, shown in young kids by their seeking closeness to caregiver and show distress when separated, familiarity and body contact are important

attachment styles

secure and trusting, insecure and anxious, avoidant of attachment

critical period

an optimal period early in life of an organism when exposure to certain stimuli/experiences produces normal development

imprinting

process where certain animals form strong attachments early in life, follow first moving creature they observe, kids don’t imprint but become attached to what they know

basic trust

a sense that the world is predictable and trustworthy, formed during infancy by appropriate experiences with responsive caregivers

contact comfort

sense of ease that an infant experiences when in physical contact with parental figure

self-concept

all of our thoughts and feelings about ourselves, in answer to question who am i?

self-esteem

how we value and perceive ourselves

adolescence

transition period from childhood to adult hood, extend from puberty to independence

the spotlight effect

people tend to believe they are being noticed more than they really are

identity

our sense of self, primary task for adolescence

intimacy

ability to form close, loving relationships, primary developmental task in young adulthood

emerging adulthood

a period from 18 to mid 20s where many in western culture are no longer adolescents but havent yet achieved independence as adults, pushed back more and more

moral development stages

preconventional, conventional, postconventional

preconventional

based on reward and punishment, goals: self-interest, avoid punishment, get person needs met/gain rewards

conventional

based on perception of others, goals: follow rules, gain approval/avoid disapproval, maintain social order

postconventional

based on core principles and values, goals: agreement to follow universal ethical and moral principles, individual rights and justice

cross-sectional study

people of diff ages are compared

longitudinal study

same people are studied over long period of time

grief cycle

denial, anger, bargaining, depression, acceptance

dementia

loss of cognitive functioning, thinking, remembering, reasoning, to such an extent that it interferes with persons daily life

evolutionary theory

survival, behaviors preformed in chance of survival

behavioral theory

learning, behaviors learned from others through reward/punishment, thought process don’t play roll, behavior result from good/bad feeling

operational definitions

carefully worded statement of exact steps, clear, specific, what and how measuring, allow for replication

generalization

tendency to respond in the same way to diff stimuli

overconfidence

tend to be more confident than right

hindsight bias

i knew it all along

cognitive dissonance

when your actions and attitudes don’t line up, causes dissonance aka tension, where then we try to rationalize actions to reduce tension

grouthink

when decisions that are made are not critically evaluated, priority is to not upset others, not decide what’s right

informational social influence

influence resulting from ones willingness to accept others opinions about reality, don’t know what to do so do what others do

normative social influence

influence resulting from a persons desire to gain approval/avoid disapproval

frontal lobe

speaking, muscle movement, make plans/judgements

cerebellum

posture, voluntary movement, balance, process sensory input, coordinate movement output, mini brain

dopamine

voluntary movement, pleasure, emotion, need stimulus to be release, too much: schizophrenic, no control, aggression, too little: parkinson’s, no motivation

prefrontal cortex

regulates thoughts, actions, and emotions

GABA

prevent flight/fight, relax, calm, too much: sleep, too little: anxiety, depression

sympathetic nervous system

arouses body, mobilizes its energy, apart of autonomic NS

difference threshold

min difference between 2 stimuli required for detection 50% of the time, webers law

olfactory bulb

receives neural input about odors detected by cells in nasal cavity, where smell is processed

selective attention

focus on one stimulus while ignoring others

feature detectors

nerve cells in brain that respond to specific feature of stimulus(shape, angle, edge, line movement)