development

developmental psychology

developmental psychology

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

zygote

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

embryo

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

fetus

the developing human organism from 9 weeks after conception to birth

teratogens

(literally, "monster maker") agents, such as chemicals and viruses, that can reach the embryo or fetus during prenatal development and cause harm

fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS)

physical and cognitive abnormalities in children caused by a pregnant woman's heavy drinking. In severe cases, signs include a small, out-of-proportion head and abnormal facial features

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

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 our new experiences in terms of our existing schemas

accommodation

adapting our current understandings (schemas) to incorporate new information

sensorimotor 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

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

conservation

the principle (which Piaget believed to be a part of concrete operational reasoning) 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

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

in Piaget's theory, the stage of cognitive development (from about 7 to 11 years of age) during which children gain the mental operations that enable them to think logically about concrete events

formal operational stage

in Piaget's theory, the stage of cognitive development during which people begin to think logically about abstract concepts

autism spectrum disorder

a 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

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

imprinting

the process by which certain animals form strong attachments during an early-life critical period

strange situation

a procedure for studying child-caregiver attachment; a 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

a person's characteristic emotional reactivity and intensity

Mary Ainsworth's strange situation

an experimental method designed to measure the nature of attachment between mothers and babies

insecure-avoidant attachment

a pattern of attachment in which an infant avoids connection with the caregiver, as when the infant seems not to care about the caregiver's presence, departure, or return

insecure anxious attachment

clingy to caregiver

Harry Harlow's attachment research

-developmental psychologist Harry Harlow studied infant attachment using monkeys

-found that preventing attachment with a real mother had long term effects on monkeys' behavior

-used wire frame and cloth-covered "mothers" to study the impact of nurturing touch, warmth, and food on infant monkey attachment

authoritarian parenting

style of parenting in which parent is rigid and overly strict, showing little warmth to the child

authoritative parenting

parents set limits and enforce rules but are flexible and listen to their children

permissive parenting

A parenting style characterized by the placement of few limits on the child's behavior.

Gender

the socially constructed roles and characteristics by which a culture defines male and female

men

gender that admits to more aggression

physical women

gender that is more likely to verbal aggression

men

gender more likely to have social power

men

directive/democratic social power

women

submissive/nurturing social power

gender roles

the social expectations that guide men's and women's behavior

gender identity

a person's sense of being male or female

gender typing

the way some children seem more attuned than others to traditional male/female roles

social learning theory

assumes that children acquire their identity by observing and imitating others behaviors and consequences

transgender

an individual's gender identity/expression that differs from that typical of their birth sex

experiences fill in the details by making neural connections and preparing our brain for later

How do experiences modify our brain?

how people are raised and who they hang out with can lead later life problems

In what ways do parents and peers shape children's development?

children adopt accents, eat food others do, and smoke if friends do

Peer influence on shaping children's development?

adolescence

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

puberty

the period of sexual maturation when a person becomes capable of reproduction

formal operational

stage where you use brain cells or lose them because the brain stops automatically adding new connections and starts pruning away the neurons that aren't being used

formal operational

the frontal lobes are still forming, and the adolescent brain is at its peak of learning ability, yet not fully able to inhibit impulses during what cognitive stage?

Lawrence Kohlberg

developed the three moral levels

he used only boys that were the same age

the problem with kohlberg's levels

age

Kohlberg's levels are the only levels where what does not matter?

pre-conventional

level where you avoid punishment, gain rewards for self interest (Kohlberg)

conventional

level where you desire social order and social approval (Kohlberg)

post-conventional

level where you affirm the basic rights of all people and their principles, where morality plays a major factor (Kohlberg)

Moral intuition

we learn through our conscience

moral action

the older you get, the less pre-conventional

Carol Gilligan

criticized Kohlberg because he only asked boys in the Heinz dilemma

-believed girl/boy responses differ for many reasons

Erik Erikson

psychosocial development (8 stages)

trust vs. mistrust

the first issue of psychosocial development where if needs are dependably met, infants develop a sense of basic trust

autonomy vs. shame/doubt

the second issue of psychosocial development where toddlers exercise their will and independence

initiative vs. guilt

the third issue of psychosocial development where preschoolers learn to initiate tasks and carry out plans

competence vs. inferiority

the fourth issue of psychosocial development where children learn the pleasure of applying themselves

identity vs. role confusion

the fifth issue of psychosocial development where teenagers find themselves

intimacy vs. isolation

the sixth issue of psychosocial development where young adults struggle to form close relationships

generativity vs. stagnation

the seventh issue of psychosocial development where people discover a sense of contributing to the world, usually through family and work

integrity vs. despair

the eighth issue of psychosocial development where people reflect on life to feel a sense of satisfaction or failure

infancy (1 year)

name for trust vs. mistrust and age

toddlerhood (1-3 yrs)

name for autonomy vs. shame/doubt and age

preschool (3-6 yrs)

name for initiative vs. guilt and age

elementary school (6-puberty)

name for competence vs. inferiority and age

adolescence (teen-20s)

name for identity vs. role confusion and age

young adulthood (20s-early 40s)

name for intimacy vs. isolation and age

middle adulthood (40-60)

name for generativity vs. stagnation and age

late adulthood (60s and up)

name for integrity vs. despair and age

prospective memory

“remember to remember” ex: remembering to return a phone call

dementia

decline in cognitive function, affecting everyday life

alzheimer’s

progressive and irreversible brain disease, affects cognitive and physical function. if you have alzheimers you have dementia.

social clock

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

dabda

denial, anger, bargaining, depression, acceptance