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