Pyschology 3.3-3.6

These flashcards cover key concepts and vocabulary related to child development as presented in the lecture notes.

Continuous Development

Growth that happens gradually, like vocabulary expanding a little each year.

Discontinuous Development

Growth that occurs in clear, separate stages, such as Piaget’s age-based stages.

Assimilation

Fitting new information into what you already know.

Accommodation

Changing or creating a mental scheme when something doesn’t fit.

Piaget’s Stages

Four major age-based periods of cognitive growth.

Sensorimotor Stage

(0-2 years) Learning through senses and actions; develops object permanence.

Preoperational Stage

(2-7 years) Symbolic play, egocentrism, animism, and early attempts at conservation.

Concrete Operational Stage

(7-11 years) Logical reasoning about concrete facts; can reverse actions and understand conservation.

Formal Operational Stage

(12 years-adulthood) Abstract, hypothetical, and systematic reasoning.

Object Permanence

Knowing that something still exists even when you can’t see it.

Reflexive Actions

Automatic newborn responses like sucking or grasping.

Primary Circular Reactions

Repeating a pleasant action on the body.

Secondary Circular Reactions

Repeating actions that affect the environment.

Coordination of Secondary Schemas

Goal-directed behavior, solving simple problems.

Tertiary Circular Reactions

Experimenting with new actions to see different outcomes.

Mental Representation

Forming internal images or symbols for objects that are not present.

Egocentrism

Trouble seeing things from another person’s perspective.

Animism

Believing inanimate objects have feelings or intentions.

Centration

Focusing on one feature of a problem and ignoring others.

Irreversibility

Inability to mentally reverse a process.

Conservation

Understanding that quantity stays the same despite changes in shape.

Decentration

Considering multiple aspects of a situation at once.

Reversibility

Knowing an action can be undone.

Abstract Thinking

Reasoning about ideas that aren’t tied to concrete objects.

Hypothetical-Deductive Reasoning

Formulating and testing hypotheses systematically.

Problem-Solving (Formal Operational)

Using multiple strategies and logical steps to find solutions.

Propositional Thought

Evaluating logical relationships between statements independent of real-world context.

Vygotsky’s Sociocultural Theory

Development shaped by social interaction and cultural tools.

Social Interaction

Learning that occurs through dialogue with more knowledgeable others.

Cultural Tools

Language, symbols, and technology that mediate thinking.

Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD)

The gap between what a child can do alone and what they can achieve with help.

Scaffolding

Temporary support that’s gradually removed as competence grows.

More Knowledgeable Other (MKO)

The person who provides the expertise or guidance.

Internalization

Turning external social activity into internal mental processes.

Crystallized Intelligence

Knowledge and skills accumulated over time.

Fluid Intelligence

Ability to solve new problems and recognize patterns without relying on prior knowledge.

Dementia

A group of conditions causing lasting decline in memory, reasoning, and functioning.

Alzheimer’s Disease

The most common form of dementia.

Language

A shared system of symbols that people use to express ideas.

Communication

Any way we exchange information.

Phoneme

The tiniest sound that can change a word’s meaning.

Morpheme

The smallest piece of a word that carries meaning.

Free morpheme

A whole word that can stand alone.

Bound morpheme

A prefix or suffix that must attach to another morpheme.

Grammar

The rulebook for how words fit together into correct sentences.

Syntax

The specific order and structure of words in a sentence.

Cooing

The first vocal stage where infants make vowel-like sounds.

Babbling

The next stage of repetitive consonant-vowel combos.

One-Word Stage

When toddlers use single words to label objects or needs.

Telegraphic Speech

Short phrases that leave out small words.

Overgeneralization

Applying regular grammar rules to irregular words.

Non-verbal Manual Gestures

Hand or arm movements that convey meaning without speech.

Ecological Systems Theory

A model showing how layers of a child’s environment interact.

Microsystem

The child’s immediate settings where direct interactions happen.

Mesosystem

Links between the child’s microsystems.

Exosystem

Indirect influences that affect the child’s life.

Macrosystem

Broad cultural values, laws, and societal norms.

Chronosystem

The time dimension affecting development.

Parenting Styles

Consistent patterns of parent behavior that shape children’s outcomes.

Authoritative

High warmth and high control.

Authoritarian

Low warmth, high control.

Permissive

High warmth, low control.

Uninvolved (Neglectful)

Low warmth and low control.

Attachment Theory

The idea that early caregiver bonds set the stage for later relationships.

Secure Attachment

Caregiver is consistently responsive.

Anxious-Ambivalent

Caregiver is unpredictable.

Avoidant

Caregiver is emotionally unavailable.

Disorganized/Disoriented

Caregiver is frightening or abusive.

Temperament

Innate personality traits visible in infancy.

Separation Anxiety

Distress a baby feels when separated from a primary caregiver.

Harlow’s Monkey Study

Experiment showing the importance of emotional security.

Peer Relationships

Interactions with same-age children that evolve over time.

Social Clock

Culturally expected timing for major life events.

Erikson’s Psychosocial Stages

Eight age-linked challenges that build a virtue.

Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs)

Potentially traumatic events before age 18.