AP Psych Unit 9

developmental psychology

branch of psychology that studies physical, cognitive; and social change throughout the lifespan

zygote

fertilized eggs; enters a 2-week period of rapid cell division and develops into an embryo

embryo

developing human organism from about 2 weeks after fertilization through the second month

fetus

developing human organism from 9 weeks after conception to birth

teratogens

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

fetal alcohol syndrome

physical and cognitive abnormalities in children caused by a pregnant woman’s heavy drinking

habituation

decreasing responsiveness with repeated stimulation. As infants gain familiarity with repeated exposure to a stimulus, their interest wanes and they look away sooner.

maturation

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

cognition

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

schema

concept or framework that organizes and interprets information

assimilation

interpreting our new experiences in terms of our existing schemas

accommodation

adapting our current understandings to incorporate new information

sensorimotor stage

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

awareness that things continue to exist even when not perceived

preoperational stage

stage (from about 2 to 7 or 7 years of age) where a child learns to use language but doesn’t yet comprehend the mental operations of concrete logic

conservation

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

egocentrism

preoperational child’s difficulty taking another’s point of view

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

concrete operational stage

stage of cognitive development (from about 7 to 11 years of age) where children gain the mental operations that enable them to think logically about concrete events

formal operational stage

stage of cognitive development (begins at about age 12) where people begin to think logically about abstract concepts

scaffold

framework that offers children temporary support as they develop higher levels of thinking

autism spectrum disorder

disorder that appears in childhood and is marked by significant deficiencies in communication and social interaction, and by rigidly fixated interests and repetitive behaviors

stranger anxiety

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

attachment

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

critical period

optimal period early in the life of an organism when exposure to certain stimuli or experiences produces normal development

imprinting

process by which certain animals form strong attachments during early life

strange situation

procedure for studying child-caregiver attachment; child is placed in an unfamiliar environment while their caregiver leaves and then returns, and the child’s reactions are observed

secure attachment

demonstrated by infants who comfortably explore environments in the presence of their caregiver, show only temporary distress when the caregiver leaves, and find comfort in the caregiver’s return

insecure attachment

demonstrated by infants who display either a clinging, anxious attachment or an avoidant attachment that resists closeness.

temperament

person’s characteristic emotional reactivity and intensity

basic trust

sense that the world is predictable and trustworthy; said to be formed during infancy by appropriate experiences with responsive caregivers

self-concept

all our thoughts and feelings about ourselves in answer to the question, “Who am I?”

sex

biologically influenced characteristics by which people define male and female

gender

socially influenced characteristics by which people define boy, girl, man, and woman

aggression

any physical or verbal behavior intended to harm someone physically or emotionally

relational aggression

an act of aggression (physical or verbal) intended to harm a person’s relationship or social standing

gender identity

our sense of being male, female, or some combination of the two

social learning theory

theory that we learn social behavior by observing and imitating and by being rewarded or punished

gender typing

acquisition of a traditional masculine or feminine role

role

set of expectations about a social position, defining how those in the position ought to behave

gender role

set of expected behaviors, attitudes, and traits for males or for females

androgyny

displaying both traditional masculine and feminine psychological characteristics

transgender

umbrella term describing people whose gender identity or expression differs from that associated with their birth-designated sex

adolescence

transition period from childhood to adulthood, extending from puberty to independence

puberty

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

identity

our sense of self; the adolescent’s task is to solidify a sense of self by testing and integrating various roles

social identity

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

intimacy

the ability to form close, loving relationships; a primary developmental task in young adulthood

emerging adulthood

period from about age 18 to the mid-twenties, when many in Western cultures are no longer adolescents but have not yet achieved full independence as adults

X chromosome

sex chromosome found in both males and females

Y chromosome

sex chromosome typically found only in males

testosterone

most important male sex hormone. Both male and females have it, but the additional testosterone in males stimulates male sex organ growth and sex characteristics during puberty

primary sex characteristics

body structures that make sexual reproduction possible

secondary sex characteristics

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

spermarche

the first ejaculation

menarche

the first menstrual period

intersex

condition present at birth due to unusual combinations of male and female chromosomes, hormones, and anatomy; possessing biological sexual characteristics of both sexes

AIDS

life threatening, sexually transmitted infection caused by HIV; depletes the immune system, leaving the person vulnerable to infections

sexual orientation

our enduring sexual attraction, usually toward members of our own sex or the other sex; variations include attraction toward both sexes

menopause

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

cross-sectional study

research that compares people of different ages at the same point in time

longitudinal study

research that follows and retests the same people over time

social clock

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

neurocognitive disorders

acquired (note lifelong) disorders marked by cognitive deficits; often related to Alzheimer’s disease, brain injury or disease, or substance abuse. In older adults, NCDs were formerly called dementia.

Alzheimer’s disease

neurocognitive disorder marked by neural plaques, often with onset after age 80, and entailing a progressive decline in memory and other cognitive abilities

Sigmund Freud

psychoanalytic theory childhood sexuality and unconscious motivations influence personality

Jean Piaget

developmental psychology- studied children’s cognition, child’s mind grows through interaction with the physical environment

Lev Vygotsky

developmental psychology, child’s mind grows through interaction with the social environment

Harry and Margaret Harlow

bred monkeys to study, as infants the monkeys were separated from their mothers and raised in individual cages with a cheesecloth baby blanket. Monkeys were distressed when blankets were taken away.

Konrad Lorenz

explored imprinting, had ducklings follow him when he was the 1st moving creature they saw

Mary Ainsworth

strange situation experiment, secure attachment in their mother’s presence they play comfortably

Erik Erikson

securely attached children approach life with a sense of basic trust. Attributed basic trust to early parenting. Sensitive, loving caregivers = trust not fear

Diana Baumrind

clinical and developmental psychologist who did research on 4 parenting styles

Carol Gilligan

females tend to differ from males both in being less concerned with viewing themselves as separate individuals and in being more concerned with making connections

Albert Bandura

Bobo doll experiment - children can learn by observing others including aggressive behavior

Lawrence Kohlberg

developmental of moral reasoning, posed moral dilemmas to children and adults to see if action was right or wrong