AP Psych Unit 3

Auditory sensory acuity

The ability to hear and distinguish sounds.

Genetic mutation

An error in the replication of DNA that leads to change.

Gross motor coordination

Movements we make with large muscles, like those in your legs, arms, and torso.

Growth spurt

A period of growth that occurs in a short period of time.

Imprinting

Early stages of development can attach oneself to something, like why newborns prefer their parents over strangers.

Mature illness

An illness associated with aging.

Mobility

The ability to move.

Reaction time

A timeframe in which one can react to a stimulus.

Reflex

Automatic and involuntary responses to stimuli that help protect our bodies from harm or maintain balance.

Rooting reflex

The reflex that starts when the corner of the baby's mouth is stroked or touched.

Sensitive period

Specific timeframes when children are more receptive to learning and acquiring skills.

Visual sensory acuity

Refers to the sharpness and clarity of vision, specifically the ability to see fine details.

Abstract concept

Ideas or thoughts that are not concrete or physical in nature.

Animism

Belief that inanimate objects have feelings and mental qualities of living things.

Dementia

A generalized deterioration of memory and at least one other cognitive function due to various causes.

Pretend play

A type of play where children imagine scenarios and act out different roles.

Reversibility

The ability of a process or change to be reversed or undone.

Zone of proximity development

The gap between what a learner can do without help and what they can do with guidance.

Non-verbal gestures

Forms of communication through body movements and facial expressions.

Syntax

The set of rules that govern the structure of sentences in a language.

Adverse childhood experiences

Potentially traumatic events in childhood that can impact development.

Anxious attachment

A type of insecure attachment characterized by fear of abandonment.

Four main parenting styles

Authoritative, Authoritarian, Permissive, and Neglectful.

Chronosystem

The dimension of time in Bronfenbrenner's ecological systems theory.

Exosystem

External environments indirectly affecting the individual.

Identity diffusion

A lack of direction or commitment in forming an identity.

Identity foreclosure

Committing to an identity without exploring alternatives.

Identity moratorium

A period of active exploration without commitment to a specific identity.

Generativity

A concern for establishing and guiding the next generation, often through parenting or contributions to society.

Stagnation

A sense of self-absorption and lack of growth or productivity, often resulting from failure to contribute meaningfully to others.

Imaginary audience

The belief in adolescence that others are constantly watching and judging one's actions.

Industry and inferiority

Erikson's stage (ages 6-12) where children develop a sense of competence through learning and accomplishment or feel inferior if they fail.

Macrosystem

The overarching cultural and societal influences in Bronfenbrenner's ecological theory.

Microsystem

The immediate environments and relationships that directly impact an individual, such as family and peers.

Mesosystem

The interactions between components of the microsystem.

Parallel play

A developmental stage where children play alongside each other without direct interaction.

Psychosocial

Relating to Erikson's theory, it refers to the interaction between psychological development and social environment across different stages of life.

Acquisition

When a behavior, such as a conditioned response, has been learned.

Taste aversion

A tendency to avoid a certain food after a single negative experience.

Teratogens

Substances that damage fetal development.

Fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS)

A condition in a child due to alcohol exposure during pregnancy.

Critical period

A specific time frame during which certain skills or abilities are most easily acquired.

Adolescence

The transitional period from childhood to adulthood.

Puberty

A period of sexual maturation enabling reproduction.

Menopause

The point in a woman's life when menstrual periods stop permanently.

Sex

The biological characteristics that define male or female.

Gender

The social and cultural differences between male and female.

Intersex

Describes individuals with sex characteristics that are not typically male or female.

X chromosome

One of two sex chromosomes, larger and carrying more genetic information than the Y chromosome.

Y chromosome

One of two sex chromosomes, smaller than the X chromosome.

Testosterone

The main male sex hormone.

Estrogens

Hormones primarily responsible for female sexual development.

Primary sex characteristics

Organs directly related to sexual reproduction.

Secondary sex characteristics

Physical traits distinguishing sexes that are not directly involved in reproduction.

Spermarche

The first ejaculation in males.

Menarche

The first menstruation or period in females.

Jean Piaget

A psychologist known for his theory of cognitive development in children.

Cognition

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

Schema

A framework that organizes and interprets information.

Assimilation

Incorporating new information into existing knowledge without changing it.

Accommodation

Adapting current understandings to incorporate new information.

Sensorimotor stage

The stage from birth to nearly 2 years where infants learn through sensory impressions and motor activities.

Object permanence

The understanding that objects continue to exist even when not visible.

Preoperational stage

The stage from about 2 to 6 where children begin to use language but lack concrete logic.

Conservation

The principle that properties remain the same despite changes in object forms.

Egocentrism

The difficulty in taking another’s point of view typical in preoperational children.

Concrete operational stage

The stage from 7 to 11 where children gain logical thinking about concrete events.

Formal operational stage

The stage beginning around age 12 where abstract thinking develops.

Lev Vygotsky

A theorist focused on how a child's mind grows through social interaction.

Scaffold

Temporary support to help children develop higher levels of thinking.

Theory of mind

Understanding one's own and others' mental states.

Noam Chomsky

Linguist who proposed that all human languages share universal grammar.

Phoneme

The smallest distinctive sound unit in a language.

Morpheme

The smallest unit in a language that carries meaning.

Grammar

The set of rules in a language that enables communication.

Universal grammar (UG)

The basic building blocks of language.

Babbling stage

The stage beginning around 4 months when infants produce sounds not related to their language.

One-word stage

The stage around age 1 when children speak mostly single words.

Two-word stage

The stage around age 2 when children form two-word statements.

Telegraphic speech

Early speech stage using mostly nouns and verbs.

Generative grammar

Chomsky's theory that humans are predisposed to develop grammar.

Semantics

The aspect of language concerned with meaning.

Neuroscience of language

The study of brain regions associated with language.

Paul Broca

Neurologist who discovered specific brain damage affects speech production.

Broca's area

A brain region involved in speech production.

Carl Wernicke

Neurologist who identified a brain region involved in language comprehension.

Wernicke's area

A region responsible for language comprehension.

Developmental psychology

The study of human development across the lifespan.

Ecological systems theory

Bronfenbrenner's theory that development is influenced by environmental systems.

Stranger anxiety

A fear of unfamiliar people that develops around 8 months.

Social anxiety

The intense fear of social situations.

Attachment

An emotional bond between an infant and caregiver.

Harry Harlow

Psychologist known for research showing the importance of comfort in attachments.

Margaret Harlow

Collaborator in attachment studies with rhesus monkeys.

Imprinting

A strong bond formed during a critical period in certain animals.

Secure attachment

A type of attachment where infants feel safe exploring their environment.

Insecure attachment

Attachment characterized by anxiety or avoidance due to inconsistent caregiving.

Disorganized attachment

Attachment seen in children who show confused behaviors towards caregivers.

Temperament

A person's characteristic emotional reactivity and intensity.

Erik Erikson

Psychologist known for his theory of psychosocial development.