ap psych unit 6

Developmental Psychology

the branch of psychology that studies the social and mental development of children, a branch of psychology that studies physical, cognitive, and social change throughout the life span.

Zygote

the fertilized egg; single cell

Embryo

the developing human organism from about 2 weeks after fertilization through the second month: Week 2-8 (3rd month of pregnancy)amniocentesis can be performed

Fetus

the developing human organism from 9 weeks after conception to birth.

Fetal Alcohol Syndrome

physical and cognitive abnormalities in children caused by a pregnant woman's heavy drinking. In severe cases, symptoms include noticeable facial misproportions

Teratogens

agents, such as chemicals and viruses, that can reach the embryo or fetus during prenatal development and cause harm

Rooting Reflex

a baby's tendency, when touched on the cheek, to turn toward the touch, open the mouth, and search for the nipple

Maturation

biological growth processes that enable orderly changes in behavior, relatively uninfluenced by experience

Schema

a concept or framework that organizes and interprets information

Assimilation

interpreting one's new experience in terms of one's existing schemas

Accommodation

adapting one's current understandings (schemas) to incorporate new information

Cognition

all the mental activities associated with thinking, knowing, remembering, and communicating

Sensorimotor Stage

1st 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

Object Permanence

The awareness that things continue to exist even when not perceived, developed at 2 years of age

Stranger Anxiety

The fear of strangers that infants commonly display, beginning by about 8 months of age.

Attachment

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

Critical Period

an optimal period shortly after birth when an organism's exposure to certain stimuli or experiences produces proper development, develops familiarity and contactF

Imprinting

The process by which certain animals form attachments during a critical period very early in life.

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

Self-Concept

a sense of one's identity and personal worth.

Preoperational Stage

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

Conservation

the principle that properties such as mass, volume, and number remain the same despite changes in the forms of objects

Egocentrism

in Piaget's theory, the preoperational child's difficulty taking another's point of view

Theory of Mind

developed in stage 2, people's ideas about their own and others' mental states \-- about their feelings, perceptions, and thoughts and the behavior these might predict
- Kissing up to dad because you think he might be mad

Concrete Operational Stage

3rd 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, conservation is developed

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

Formal Operational Stage

4th stage in Piaget's theory, the stage of cognitive development (normally beginning about age 12-end of life) during which people begin to think logically about abstract concepts

Autism

a disorder that appears in childhood and is marked by deficient communication, social interaction, and understanding of others' states of mind

Adolescence

teenage years, the time period between the beginning of puberty and adulthood

Puberty

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

Primary Sex Characteristics

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

Secondary Sex Characteristics

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

Identity

one's sense of self; according to Erikson, the adolescent's task is to solidify a sense of self by testing and integrating various roles

Menopause

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

Alzheimer's Disease

an irreversible, progressive brain disorder, characterized by the deterioration of memory, language, and eventually, physical functioning

Cross-sectional study

a study in which people of different ages are tested or observed at the same point in time.

Longitudinal Study

research in which the same people are restudied and retested over a long time period.

Crystallized Intelligence

one's accumulated knowledge and verbal skills; tends to increase with age

Fluid Intelligence

one's ability to reason speedily and abstractly; tends to decrease during late adulthood

social clock

the culturally preferred timing of social events such as marriage, parenthood, and retirement

Social Identity

the "we" aspect of our self-concept; the part of our answer to "who am I?" that comes from our group memberships

amniocentesis

Test of prenatal fluids for chromosomal abnormalities, optional

germinal stage

2 week period beginning at conception, rapid cell division, develops into embryo

ovum

Women's egg

sperm

Male sex cell that fertilizes and enters ovum

Babinski Reflex

When bottom of the foot is stroked toes fan outwards

Moro Reflex

When baby feels sensation falling they stick arms and legs out

walking reflex

Babies try to walk when stood up

dementia

Decline in mental processes

neurological development

Most rapid brain development occurs during first five years

cognitive development

Developed by Jean Piaget, stages of development and early childhood psychology

adolescent cognitive development

-reasoning power
-frontal lobe is developing
-conservation is developed
-egocentrism is no longer an issue

Permissive Parenting

makes few demands and uses little if any punishment, overemphasizes short term instead of long term happiness, child often becomes spoiled

Hands Off Parenting

very uninvolved, doesn't care, Parent allows child to learn through experience

Authoritarian

strict parents who impose rules and expect obedience without any reason

Authoritative

Most effective parenting style, demanding and responsive parenting. Exert control by setting rules and enforcing them but explain reasoning

secure attachment

Indicative of authoritative parenting style, 70% of infants, distressed when mom leaves happy when she comes back

Ambivalent attachment

Indicative of authoritarian parenting style,distressed when separated from the caregiver but does not feel reassured when the caregiver returns, 15%

avoidant attachment

Indicative of hands off parenting style, doesn't care about mom and is equally comfortable with a stranger, 15%

harry harlow

Performed surrogate monkey experiment

surrogate monkey experiment

found that the baby monkeys preferred to cling to the terry cloth surrogate even when food was provided by the wire surrogate, comfort and stability over food

Lawrence Kohlberg's Moral Development

3 levels of morality: Pre conventional morality, conventional morality, postconventional morality

pre conventional morality

Before age 9, children act out of self interest (not wanting to get in trouble)

conventional morality

Begins in early adolescence; children cares for others and upholds laws and social rules simply because they are the laws and rules (social approval)

post conventional morality

Follows own set of ethical principles, only select few reach this level of morality (MLK, Ghandi, Hitler)