zygote - fertilized egg; enters a 2 week period of rapid cell division, travels down Fallopian tube, attaches to sides of uterus then develops into embryo
embryo - developing human organism from 2 weeks after fertilization then 2nd month, outer cells become placenta, inner cells become embryo (2 weeks to 9 weeks)
fetus - developing human organism 9 week after conception to birth
teratogens (“monster maker”) - agents, chemical viruses, that can reach the embryo or fetus during prenatal development
fetal alcohol syndrome - physical and cognitive abnormalities in children caused by a pregnant woman’s heavy drinking; signs include small, out of proportion head and abnormal facial features
habituation - decreasing responsiveness with repeated stimulation, as infants gain familiarity w/ repeated exposure to visual stimulus, their interest wanes and they look away sooner
piagets stage theories:
sensorimotor - born to age 2, lack of object permanence, knows the world thru sensory and motor, stranger anxiety
preoperational stage - 2-7, child learns to use language but doesn’t mentally comprehend, using intuition rather than logical thinking
concrete operational - 6-11, kids gain the mental operations that enable them to think logically,
theory of mind: idea about their own and others’ mental states
conservation and reversibility - concrete operational
symbolic thinking - can connect symbols to their meanings
egocentricism - piagets theory that a preoperational child has difficulty understanding others
maturation - biological growth processes that enable orderly changes in behavior, relatively uninfluenced by experience
infantile amnesia - inability of infants to remember experiences that occurred in years 0 to 3 of their life; from ages 4 to 8, infantile amnesia begins to wane, making the first average recollection from 3.5 years
cognition - mental activities associated with remembering, learning, communicating, etc
schema - concept or framework that organizes and interprets information
assimilation - interpretation and new experiences in terms of our existing schema
accommodation 0 adapting our current understanding (schemas) to interpret new information
object permanence - the awareness that things continue to exist even when not perceived
conservation - principle (which piaget believed to be a part of concrete operational reasoning) properties (mass/volume/number) remain same
zone of proximal development - distance between where a learner is at developmentally on their own and where a learner could be with the help of a more knowledgeable other
stranger anxiety - fear of strangers that infants commonly display, beginning by about 9 months of age
attachment - emotional tie with another person, shown in young children by their seeking closeness to the caregiver and showing distress upon separation
critical period - an optimal period early in the life of an organism when exposure to a certain stimuli or experience produces normal development
imprinting - the process by which certain animals form strong attachments during an early life critical period
self concept - all our thoughts and feelings about ourselves in answer to the question “who am i?”
harlows experiment in 1971 - contact comfort (contact with a caregiver or object with emotional significance) was more important than what provided food
secure attachment - in presence of an attached one, the baby is happy, comfortable, exploring environment without hesitation
insecure attachment - baby is less likely to explore environment, either too clingy to an attached one or avoidant, will not show clear distress at absence of attached one or will be immensely upset
eriksons theory of attachment - securely attached children approach life with basic trust while insecure children lack basic trust
gender - socially contructed roles and characteristics by which a culture defines male and female
gender role - a set of expected behaviors for males and females
gender identity - sense of being female or male
gender typing - acquisition of a traditional masculine or feminine role
aggression - any physical or verbal behavior intended to hurt or destroy
social learning theory - we learn social behavior by observing and imitating and by being rewarded or punished
transgender - an umbrella term describing people whose gender identity or expression differ from that associated with their given sex
adolescence - the transition period from childhood to adulthood, extending from puberty to independence
myelin growth promotion - enables better communication with other brain regions, brings omproved judgement, impulse control, and long term planning
kohlberg stages of development:
preconventional morality - <1, self interest, obey rules to avoid punishment or get rewards
conventional morality - early youth, uphold laws and rules to gain social approval or maintain social order
postconventional morality - adolescence and beyond, actions reflect beliefs in basic rights and self defined ethical principles
identity - our sense of self according to erikson, the adolescent’s taskis to solidify a sense of self by testing and integrating a variety of roles
social identity - the “we” aspect of our self concept, part of our answer to “who am i?” that comes from our group membership
intimacy - (erikson) ability to form close, loving relationships, primary development task in late adolescence and early adulthood, doesnt necessarily reference sexually intimate relationships
eriksons stages of psychosocial development:
infancy - <1, trust vs mistrust, if needs are dependably met, infants develop a sense of basic trust
toddlerhood - 1 to 3, autonomy vs shame and doubt, toddlers learn to exercise their will and do things for themselves or they doubt their abilities
preschool - 3 to 6, initiative vs guilt, preschoolers learn to initiate tasks and carry out plans or they feel guilty about their efforts to be independent
elementary - 6 to puberty, competence vs inferiority, children learn the pleasure of applying themselves to tasks or they feel inferior
adolescence - teen years to 20s, identity vs role confusion, teenagers work at refining a sense of self by testing roles and then integrating them to find a single identity or they become confused about who they are
young adulthood - 20 to 40s, intimacy vs isolation, young adults struggle to form close relationships and to gain the capacity for intimate love or they feel socially isolated
middle adulthood - 40s to 60s, generativity vs stagnation, in middle age, people discover a sense of contributing to the world usually thru family and work or they may feel a lack of purpose
late adulthood - 60s<, integrity vs despair, reflecting on their lives, older adults may feel a sense of satisfaction or failures
emerging adulthood - period from late teens to mid 20s, bridging gap between adolescent dependence and full independence or responsible adulthood'
x chromosome - sex chromosome found in both M and F, F have 2, M have 1, c from each parent produces a female child
y chromosome - sex chromosome found only in M, when paired with X from mother a male is produced
testosterone - most important male sex hormone, both M and F have it but additional testosterone in males stimulate the growth of male sex organs in fetus and development of male sex characteristics during puberty
puberty - period of sexual maturation during which a person becomes capable of reproducing
primary sex characteristics - body structures that male reproduction possible, ovaries, testes, external genitalia
secondary sex characteristics - non reproductive sexual traits, breasts and hips for women, male voice quality, body hair
menarche - first menstrual periuod
sexual orientation - enduring sexual attraction towards members of ones own sex, the opposite or both
intersex - individuals born with intermediate or unusual combinations of male and female physical features
changes in middle adulthood - gradual decline in fertility, physical decline gradually accelerate, menopause, memory worsens, verbal abilities decline, realized life will mostly be behind than ahead, “midlife transition,” divorce, midlife crisis
changes in late adulthood - strength and stamina, sensory abilities, health, aging brain, muscle strength, vision problems, smell diminishes, memory continues to worsen, ability to learn and remember things worsens, takes longer to produce words, income shrinks, taken away, body deteriorates, recall fades, fewer problems with social relationship and experience less intense anger or stress, retireme
assimilation - to assimilate, interpret new experiences in terms of existing schemas (kid knows horses, sees a deer and calls it a horse)
accommodation - adapting new experiences and changing our schemas to fit new experiences (kid understands that deer and horses are different)
authoritative parenting style - high warmth, high demand, rules, responsibilities, responsive, creates happy confident capable socially competent
authoritarian parenting style - low warmth, high demand, rules, responsibilities, inflexible, creates passively dependent angry low self esteem obedient
permissive parenting style - high warmth, low demand, rules not enforced, boundaries not set, responsive, creates lack of self discipline demanding self involved insecure
uninvolved parenting style - low warmth, low demand, rules not enforced, not responsive, creates anxious emotionally withdrawn untrusting unwilling to depend on others
pruning - the removal of synaptic connections
rooting reflex - The tendency for an infant to move its mouth toward any object that touches its cheek.