AP Pysch - Unit 6 Vocab

Discrimination

Discrimination

in classical conditioning, the learned ability to distinguish between a conditioned stimulus and stimuli that do not signal an unconditioned stimulus

Biofeedback

the use of instrumentation to mirror psychological processes of which the individual is not normally aware and which may be brought under voluntary control

developmental psychology

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

zygote

a fertilized egg with 100 cells that becomes increasingly diverse

embryo

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

Teratogens

chemicals or viruses that can enter the placenta and harm the developing fetus (drugs, alcohol, viruses)

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.

maturation

the process of becoming mature overall, both psychological and behaviorally; the emergence of individual and behavioral characteristics through growth processes over time.

cognition

all forms of knowing and awareness, such as perceiving, conceiving, remembering, reasoning, judging, imagining, and problem solving

schema

a concept or framework that organizes and interprets information

assimilation

incorporating new experiences into our current understanding (schema)

accommodation

adapting our current understandings to incorporate new information; the process of adjusting a schema and modifying it

sensory motor stage

first stage of Piaget's cognitive development - birth to 2 years; main activities involve sucking and grasping; must achieve object permanence and mental representations

preoperational stage

in Piaget's theory, the stage (from about 2 to 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

egocentrism

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

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; experience conservation problems, but are able to think mathematically

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

critical period

an optimal period shortly after birth when an organism's exposure to certain stimuli or experiences produces proper development

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

an understanding and assessment of who you are

aggression

a range of behaviors that can result in both physical and psychological harm to yourself, others, or objects in the environment

gender roles

sets of behavioral norms assumed to accompany one's status as male or female

gender typing

The process of developing the behaviors, thoughts, and emotions associated with a particular gender; seeing things as masculine or feminine

X chromosome

the sex chromosome found in both men and women; females have two X chromosomes; males have one

Y chromosome

the sex chromosome found only in males; when paired with an X chromosome from the mother, it produces a male child