AP Psychology Unit 3: Developmental Psychology

developmental psychology

the study of how we change biologically, cognitively, and socially as we age

cross-sectional studies

research that compares different age groups at the same time

longitudinal studies

research that studies the same group of people over their lifetimes

Fetal Alcohol Syndrome

A serious condition caused by alcohol consumption during pregnancy, resulting in a range of physical, behavioral, and cognitive impairments in the affected child.

Habituation

when an organism becomes less responsive to a repeated stimulus over time, allowing it to focus on novel stimuli.

Maturation

the orderly sequence of biological growth

Critical or Sensitive Periods

specific windows of time during development when certain experiences must occur for normal development to take place.

Fine Motor Skills

the abilities involving the use of small muscles in hands and fingers to perform precise movements, such as writing or buttoning a shirt.

Gross Motor Skills

the abilities involving the use of large muscles for movements such as running, jumping, and climbing.

Synaptic Pruning

The process by which extra neurons and synaptic connections are eliminated to increase the efficiency of neuronal transmissions. This occurs primarily during childhood and adolescence as the brain matures.

Lifespan Perspective

A multidisciplinary approach that examines human development across the entire lifespan, emphasizing the importance of studying development from birth to old age.

Adolescence

The years spent morphing from child to adult

”storm and stress”

A term coined by G. Stanley Hall to describe the emotional turmoil and conflict that often characterizes the adolescent period, marked by diminishing parental control, craving social acceptance, feeling socially disconnected.

Puberty

the period of sexual maturation, during which a person usually becomes capable of reproducing

Menopause

the time in a woman's life when menstrual periods permanently cease, typically occurring in middle age.

death-defferal

phenomenon where individuals postpone death until after significant life events, often influenced by social and psychological factors.

biological sex

the physical and physiological characteristics that define humans as female, male, or intersex

gender

the attitudes, feelings, and behaviors that a given culture associates with a person’s biological sex.

Agression

any physical or emotional behavior that is meant to harm someone

relational aggression

an act of physical or emotional aggression intending to affect someone’s social standing or relationship

Male answer syndrome

the tendency for males to feel compelled to answer a question than say they don’t know

tend and befriend

theory suggests that women, when faced with stress or threat, are more likely to respond by nurturing and protecting their offspring ("tending") and seeking social support from others ("befriending")

testosterone

most important male sex hormone. Males and females have it, but in males:

• stimulates the growth of the male sex organs during the fetal period

• develops male sex characteristics during puberty.

Estrogens

sex hormones, such as estradiol, that contribute to female sex characteristics and are secreted in greater amounts by females than by males.

Androgens

group of male sex hormones that maintains and develops male reproductive and secondary sexual characteristics

Primary sex characteristics

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

Secondary Sex characteristics

nonreproductive sexual traits, such as female breasts and hips, male voice quality, and body hair

Spermarche

males’ first ejaculation, marking the beginning of puberty

Klinefelter syndrome

a genetic condition where a male is born with an extra X chromosome, resulting in a chromosomal makeup of XXY instead of the typical XY.

Causes physical characteristics like:

• reduced muscle mass

• less facial hair

• breast development

• infertility due to low testosterone production

Turner Syndrome

When a genetic female is born with only one X chromosome, she may not have menstrual periods or develop breasts.

role

a set of expectations about how someone should behave

gender roles

cultural traits that are expected for men and women. A set of expected behaviors, attitudes, and traits for men and for women.

sexual aggression or sexual harassment

unwanted verbal or physical behavior of a sexual nature meant to harm someone.

Gender Identity

our personal sense of being male, female, neither, or a combination regardless of our sex assigned at birth

nonbinary

those who feel neither male nor female or combo of the two

social learning theory

we learn our gender roles by imitating others’ gender-linked behavior and being punished or rewarded

gender typing

taking on traditional male or female roles

androgyny

displaying both tradition masculine and feminine psychological traits

transgender

people’s whose gender identity is different than what was assigned to them at birth

sexuality

our thoughts, feelings, actions related to our physical attraction to another

social script

a culturally modeled guide for how to act in various situations

sexual orientation

who we are physically or emotionally attracted to

cognition

the mental activities that lead to thinking, remembering, communication, and knowledge

schema

a mental framework a child has about the world

Sensorimotor Stage Ages

birth - 2 years

Preoperational Stage Ages

2 years - 7 years

Concrete Operational Stage Ages

7 years - 11 years

Formal Operation Ages

12 years - adulthood

continuous

seeing development as a gradual and ongoing process

discontinuous

development occurring in distinct stages

sensorimotor stage key milestones

• object permanence

• stranger anxiety

Preoperational Stage Key Milestones

• Pretend Play

• Egocentrism

Concrete Operational Stage Key Milestones

• Mathematical functions

• Conservation

Formal Operational

• Abstract logic

• Mature moral reasoning

scaffold

Vygotsky theory that parents or teachers provide children with temporary guidance to help them achieve a task they haven’t been able to achieve

zone of proximal development

the zone of things that are too complicated for a child to learn but that can be learned with the guidance of a teacher. Encourages individuals to reach higher mastery through social interaction and collaborative efforts.

theory of mind

the cognitive ability to realize that others have thoughts and feelings that are different to our own. Happens about ages 4-5. This is essential for effective social interactions as it enables empathy, communication, and the ability to navigate complex social situations

dementia

a cognitive disorder that impairs memory, cognition, and decision-making

prospective memory

remembering to do future behaviors

babbling stage

developed around 4 months, infant utters sounds not specific to the household language

one-word stage

phoneme

the smallest unit of distinctive sound

• cat has 2: “ca - t”

morpheme

the smallest unit that contains meaning

• incoming has three: “in - come - ing”

grammar

a set of rules in a language

Universal Grammar (UG)

humans’ innate perception to understand language

Babbling Stage

• 4 months: babies experiment by making all the sounds they can. their babbling is not specific to a language. At this stage their babbling does not resemble any language

• 10 month: Babbling resembles the household language

One-word Stage

from ages 1-2 baby begins by speaking only one word

two-word stage