05. Developing Through the Life Span

Question 1

developmental psychology

Answer 1

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

Question 2

cross-sectional study

Answer 2

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

Question 3

longitudinal study

Answer 3

research that follows and retests the same people over time

Question 4

what three issues do developmental psychologists study?

Answer 4

nature and nurture; continuity and stages; stability and change

Question 5

zygote

Answer 5

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

Question 6

embryo

Answer 6

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

Question 7

fetus

Answer 7

the developing human organism from 9 weeks after conception to birth

Question 8

teratogens

Answer 8

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

Question 9

fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS)

Answer 9

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.)

Question 10

habituation

Answer 10

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

Question 11

maturation

Answer 11

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

Question 12

cognition

Answer 12

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

Question 13

schema

Answer 13

a concept or framework that organizes and interprets information

Question 14

assimilate

Answer 14

interpreting our new experiences in terms of our existing schemas

Question 15

accomodation

Answer 15

adapting our current schemas to incorporate new information

Question 16

what are the four stages of cognitive development (Piaget)?

Answer 16

sensorimotor, preoperational, concrete operational, formal operational

Question 17

sensorimotor

Answer 17

the stage (from birth to nearly 2 years) at which infants know the world mostly in terms of their sensory impressions and motor activities.

Question 18

object permanence

Answer 18

the awareness that things continue to exist even when not percieved

Question 19

preoperational stage

Answer 19

the stage (from about 2-6/7 years) at which a child learns to use language but does not yet comprehend the mental operations of concrete logic

Question 20

conservation

Answer 20

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

Question 21

egocentrism

Answer 21

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

Question 22

concrete operational stage

Answer 22

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

Question 23

formal operational stage

Answer 23

the stage of cognitive development (about 12-adulthood) at which people begin to think logically about abstract concepts

Question 24

Vygotsky’s scaffold

Answer 24

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

Question 25

theory of mind

Answer 25

people’s ideas about their own and others mental states- about their feelings, perceptions, and thoughts, and the behaviours these might predict

Question 26

stranger anxiety

Answer 26

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

Question 27

attachment

Answer 27

an emotional tie with others; shown in young children by their seeking closeness to caregivers and showing distress on separation

Question 28

critical period

Answer 28

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

Question 29

imprinting

Answer 29

the process by which certain animals form strong attachments during early life

Question 30

basic trust

Answer 30

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

Question 31

self-concept

Answer 31

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

Question 32

What are the four parenting styles?

Answer 32

Authoritarian, Permissive, Neglectful, Authoritative

Question 33

adolescence

Answer 33

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

Question 34

puberty

Answer 34

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

Question 35

preconventional morality

Answer 35

self-interest; obey rules to avoid punishment or gain concrete rewards

Question 36

conventional morality

Answer 36

uphold laws and rules to gains social approval or maintain social order

Question 37

postconventional morality

Answer 37

actions reflect belief in basic rights and self-defined ethical principles

Question 38

what does it mean to be a moral person?

Answer 38

to think morally and act accordingly

Question 39

identity

Answer 39

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

Question 40

social identity

Answer 40

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

Question 41

intimacy

Answer 41

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

Question 42

emerging adulthood

Answer 42

a 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

Question 43

menopause

Answer 43

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

Question 44

neurogenesis

Answer 44

the development of new brain cells

Question 45

neurocognitive disorder (NCD) or dementia

Answer 45

acquired (not lifelong) disorders marked by cognitive deficits; often related to Alzheimer’s disease, brain injury or disease, or substance abuse

Question 46

Alzheimer’s disease

Answer 46

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

Question 47

does memory or reasoning deteriorate first in Alzheimer’s?

Answer 47

memore first, then reasoning

Question 48

social clock

Answer 48

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

Question 49

generativity

Answer 49

being productive and supporting future generations