Chapter 9

developmental psychology

developmental psychology

a branch of psychology that studies physical, cognitive, and social change throughout the life span. (pp. 14, 462)

Part of psychology that covers changes throughout life.

Developmental psychology covers the changes in the brain from birth throughout death.

zygote

the fertilized egg; it enters a 2-week period of rapid cell division and develops into an embryo. (p. 466)

The period between fertilization and 2 weeks.

The zygote is the first stage of development

embryo

the developing human organism from about 2 weeks after fertilization through the second month. (p. 466)

2 weeks to 2 months

The human starts to develop arms and legs and looks human in the embryo stage.

fetus

the developing human organism from 9 weeks after conception to birth. (p. 466)

9 weeks to birth

Most of the development happens while in the fetus stage

teratogens

(literally, "monster makers") agents, such as chemicals and viruses, that can reach the embryo or fetus during prenatal development and cause harm. (p. 467)

the few viruses that get to the baby during pregnancy

teratogens can cause disability after birth.

fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS)

physical and cognitive abnormalities in children caused by a pregnant woman's heavy drinking. In severe cases, signs include a small, out-of-proportion head and abnormal facial features. (p. 467)

Problems in kids caused when the mother drinks alcohol.

Many women don't drink during pregnancy to avoid fetal alcohol syndrome.

habituation

decreasing responsiveness with repeated stimulation. As infants gain familiarity with repeated exposure to a visual stimulus, their interest wanes and they look away sooner. (pp. 264, 468)

Less interest or response with more stimulation.

If a baby looks at a stuffed animal repeatedly, he will not be as interested as he was the first time.

maturation

biological growth processes that enable orderly changes in behavior, relatively uninfluenced by experience. (p. 471)

Growth unaltered by experience.

I will grow taller no matter what I learn in school.

cognition

all the mental activities associated with thinking, knowing, remembering, and communicating. (pp. 356, 476)

Thinking, all process of the mind.

Without cognition I would not be able to function at all.

schema

a concept or framework that organizes and interprets information. (p. 477)

a folder or frame of reference that we sort everything into.

Babies have 3 schema at birth, looking, grasping, and sucking.

assimilation

interpreting our new experiences in terms of our existing schemas. (p. 477)

Putting into an existing schema and forming it to fit.

Putting a nice cheerleader into our schema of "snotty cheerleaders" by saying she was only nice that one time.

accommodation

(1) in sensation and perception, the process by which the eye's lens changes shape to focus near or far objects on the retina. (p. 172) (2) in developmental psychology, adapting our current understandings (schemas) to incorporate new information. (p. 477)

creating a new schema or adjusting it to fit a new idea.

Making a new schema for the nice cheerleader, or changing it so that cheerleaders can be nice sometimes.

sensorimotor stage

in Piaget's theory, the stage (from birth to about 2 years of age) during which infants know the world mostly in terms of their sensory impressions and motor activities. (p. 478)

infants use looking, hearing, touching, mouthing, and grasping to experience the world around them.

infants always put things in their mouths to help them understand the object.

object permanence

the awareness that things continue to exist even when not perceived. (p. 478)

Out of sight, out of mind.

If the infant is not looking at the toy, they will not think about it.

preoperational stage

in Piaget's theory, the stage (from about 2 to about 6 or 7 years of age) during which a child learns to use language but does not yet comprehend the mental operations of concrete logic. (p. 479)

Stage where the child is too young for mental operations.

They struggle with conservation, but ease into symbolic thinking at around age 3.

conservation

the principle (which Piaget believed to be a part of concrete operational reasoning) that properties such as mass, volume, and number remain the same despite changes in the forms of objects. (p. 479)

Shape doesn't affect mass.

A child thinks milk in a tall narrow glass is more that a wide glass.

egocentrism

in Piaget's theory, the preoperational child's difficulty taking another's point of view. (p. 479)

The inability to see another's point of view.

The child thinks he is invisible to others if he covers his eyes. He can't see mom, so mom can't see him.

theory of mind

people's ideas about their own and others' mental states—about their feelings, perceptions, and thoughts, and the behaviors these might predict. (p. 480)

People's perceptions of other's mental states.

I can tell why my mom got mad at me.

autism spectrum disorder (ASD)

a disorder that appears in childhood and is marked by significant deficiencies in communication and social interaction, and by rigidly fixated interests and repetitive behaviors. (p. 481)

disorder where communication and social skills are lacking.

Garrison, who is autistic, started a conversation with me, and his parents were very happy because it is unusual.

concrete operational stage

in Piaget's theory, the stage of cognitive development (from about 6 or 7 to 11 years of age) during which children gain the mental operations that enable them to think logically about concrete events. (p. 483)

Children are able to grasp conservation and do simple math.

Kids know there is no difference in size if you cut a pizza into 6 or 8 pieces.

formal operational stage

in Piaget's theory, the stage of cognitive development (normally beginning about age 12) during which people begin to think logically about abstract concepts. (p. 483)

Stage where full logic and reasoning is shown.

Children can solve logic puzzles and think more like scientists.

stranger anxiety

the fear of strangers that infants commonly display, beginning by about 8 months of age. (p. 488)

The fear of unknown people that some babies have.

Emmet had stranger anxiety because unless his mom was holding him, he would scream and cry.

attachment

an emotional tie with another person; shown in young children by their seeking closeness to the caregiver and showing distress on separation. (p. 488)

When children freak out and become clingy upon separation of their caregiver.

Emmet was also attached to him mom because he would cling to her.

critical period

an optimal period early in the life of an organism when exposure to certain stimuli or experiences produces normal development. (p. 489)

A critical or necessary time where development happens.

Ducklings's critical period is the first hours after hatching.

imprinting

the process by which certain animals form strong attachments during an early life critical period. (p. 489)

animals become connected to the first moving thing that they see.

Jacob imprints on Renesmee in Twilight, but normally people do not imprint, they only become attached.

temperament

a person's characteristic emotional reactivity and intensity. (p. 490)

The emotional make up of a person.

An aggressive three year old will most likely still be aggressive as an adult.

basic trust

according to Erik Erikson, a sense that the world is predictable and trustworthy; said to be formed during infancy by appropriate experiences with responsive caregivers. (p. 492)

Depending on the care given to an infant decides whether they are trusting or fearful.

Children in abusive homes are less trusting and more fearful and guarded.

self-concept

all our thoughts and feelings about ourselves, in answer to the question, "Who am I?" (pp. 492, 572)

When someone knows who they are.

I know that I am a loving caring person.

gender

the socially constructed roles and characteristics by which a culture defines male and female. (p. 500)

The way society defines male and female.

Dolls are for girls and cars are for boys.

aggression

any physical or verbal behavior intended to hurt or destroy. (pp. 501, 789)

Men have a greater tendency to be aggressive and to hurt or destroy.

The crime rate men to women in the USA is 9 to 1

gender role

a set of expected behaviors for males or for females. (p. 503)

Expected behavior for men and women.

Men are expected to ask for dates and to pay for them.

role

a set of expectations (norms) about a social position, defining how those in the position ought to behave. (pp. 503, 758)

Set expectations for any position.

A firefighter must fight fires.

gender identity

our sense of being male or female. (p. 504)

The sense of being male or female.

I know that I'm a girl and I feel like a girl.

social learning theory

the theory that we learn social behavior by observing and imitating and by being rewarded or punished. (p. 504)

We learn behavior by watching others or by being rewarded.

I learned how to care for a baby by watching my mother care for my younger siblings.

gender typing

the acquisition of a traditional masculine or feminine role. (p. 504)

Identifying something as being masculine or feminine.

Playing with dolls is feminine.

transgender

an umbrella term describing people whose gender identity or expression differs from that associated with their birth sex. (p. 505)

People who feel connected to the opposite sex.

A transgender man may feel connected more to women while still being attracted to women.

adolescence

the transition period from childhood to adulthood, extending from puberty to independence. (p. 513)

The time period between puberty to independence.

I am in the adolescence stage

identity

our sense of self; according to Erikson, the adolescent's task is to solidify a sense of self by testing and integrating various roles. (p. 519)

The sense of self

My identity is how I view myself.

social identity

the "we" aspect of our self-concept; the part of our answer to "Who am I?" that comes from our group memberships. (p. 519)

The identity that comes from other people.

My social identity is I am a swimmer. That's how people view me.

intimacy

in Erikson's theory, the ability to form close, loving relationships; a primary developmental task in late adolescence and early adulthood. (p. 521)

Ability to form close relationships.

My parents have intimacy.

emerging adulthood

for some people in modern cultures, a period from the late teens to mid-twenties, bridging the gap between adolescent dependence and full independence and responsible adulthood. (p. 523)

The time between dependence and full independence.

Jacob is in emerging adulthood.

X chromosome

the sex chromosome found in both men and women. Females have two X chromosomes; males have one. An X chromosome from each parent produces a female child. (p. 526)

Sex chromosome in both male and female.

I have two X chromosomes.

Y chromosome

the sex chromosome found only in males. When paired with an X chromosome from the mother, it produces a male child. (p. 526)

Sex chromosome in males.

Boys have one X and one Y chromosome.

testosterone

the most important of the male sex hormones. Both males and females have it, but the additional testosterone in males stimulates the growth of the male sex organs in the fetus and the development of the male sex characteristics during puberty. (pp. 408, 526)

Additional levels of testosterone promote male growth.

Men have more testosterone than women.

puberty

the period of sexual maturation, during which a person becomes capable of reproducing. (p. 527)

The time of sexual maturation.

Girls hit puberty around age 12-14 and are then capable of reproducing.

primary sex characteristics

the body structures (ovaries, testes, and external genitalia) that make sexual reproduction possible. (p. 527)

Reproductive body structures.

The primary sex characteristics actually reproduce and create the baby.

secondary sex characteristics

nonreproductive sexual traits, such as female breasts and hips, male voice quality, and body hair. (p. 527)

Nonreproductive trait.

Things as hips and voice quality and beards for example.

menarche

First menstrual period

The first time a girl gets her period.

Most girls have menarche around age 12-14

AIDS (acquired immune deficiency syndrome)

a life-threatening, sexually transmitted infection caused by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). AIDS depletes the immune system, leaving the person vulnerable to infections. (p. 529)

STI that kills the immune system.

Many people in Africa die from AIDS.

sexual orientation

an enduring sexual attraction toward members of either one's own sex (homosexual orientation), the other sex (heterosexual orientation), or both sexes (bisexual orientation). (p. 531)

The sexual attraction towards a certain sex.

Gays are homosexual.

menopause

the time of natural cessation of menstruation; also refers to the biological changes a woman experiences as her ability to reproduce declines. (p. 540)

When a woman's period stops.

Older women are the ones who experience menopause.

cross-sectional study

a study in which people of different ages are compared with one another. (p. 543)

Study of different aged people.

Some children are in cross-sectional studies with adolescence.

longitudinal study

research in which the same people are restudied and retested over a long period. (p. 543)

Research over a long period of time.

Some children are in a longitudinal study for over 20 years.

social clock

the culturally preferred timing of social events such as marriage, parenthood, and retirement. (p. 544)

The timing of milestone events.

The social clock says one should marry while in their 20s.