Studied by 4 people
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
Note 
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