AP Psych Unit 6 Flashcards
stranger anxiety
the fear of strangers that infants commonly display, beginning by about 8 months of age
critical period
an optimal period shortly after birth when an organism’s exposure to certain stimuli or experiences produces proper development
temperament
a person’s characteristic emotional reactivity and intensity
Mary Ainsworth
developmental psychology; compared effects of maternal separation, devised patterns of attachment; “The Strange Situation”: observation of parent/child attachment
Erik Erikson
neo-Freudian, humanistic; 8 psychosocial stages of development: theory shows how people evolve through the life span. Each stage is marked by a psychological crisis that involves confronting “Who am I?”
fetal alcohol syndrome
physical and cognitive abnormalities in children caused by a pregnant woman’s heavy drinking
Imprinting
the process by which certain animals form attachments during a critical period very early in life
Teratogens
agents, such as chemicals and viruses, that can reach the embryo or fetus during prenatal development and cause harm
Konrad Lorenz
researcher who focused on critical attachment periods in baby birds, a concept he called imprinting
Schema
a concept or framework that organizes and interprets information
Lawrence Kohlberg
moral development; presented boys moral dilemmas and studied their responses and reasoning processes in making moral decisions. Most famous moral dilemma is “Heinz” who has an ill wife and cannot afford the medication. Should he steal the medication and why?
maturation
biological growth processes that enable orderly changes in behavior, relatively uninfluenced by experience
Harry Harlow
Studied attachment in monkeys with artificial mothers
Carol Gilligan
moral development studies to follow up Kohlberg. She studied girls and women and found that they did not score as high on his six stage scale because they focused more on relationships rather than laws and principles
John Piaget
developer of the cognitive development stage theory
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
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
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
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
preconventional morality
first level of Kohlberg’s stages of moral development in which the child’s behavior is governed by the consequences of the behavior
conventional morality
second level of Kohlberg’s stages of moral development in which the child’s behavior is governed by conforming to the society’s norms of behavior
post conventional morality
Kohlberg’s highest stage of morality- occurs late in life and is a personal morality, developed by the adult and which supersedes society’s rules, laws. And restrictions
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.
accommodation
When existing schemas might be altered or new schemas might be formed as a person learns new information and has new experiences.
Assimilation
interpreting our new experiences in terms of our existing schemas
authoritarian parenting
style of parenting in which parent is rigid and overly strict, showing little warmth to the child
authoritative parenting
parenting style characterized by emotional warmth, high standards for behavior, explanation and consistent enforcement of rules, and inclusion of children in decision making
permissive parenting
Permissive parents tend to be warm, nurturing and usually have minimal or no expectations.
gender identity
one’s sense of being male or female
gender roles
sets of behavioral norms assumed to accompany one’s status as male or female
adolescence
the transition period from childhood to adulthood, extending from puberty to independence
emerging adulthood
for some people in modern cultures, a period from the late teens to mid-twenties, bridging the gap between adolescent dependence and full independence and responsible adulthood
social learning theory
the theory that we learn social behavior by observing and imitating and by being rewarded or punished
Developmental Psychology
A branch of psychology that studies physical, cognitive, and social change throughout the lifespan.
Zygote, Embryo, Fetus
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.
Sensorimotor Stage
In Piaget’s theory, the first stage (birth to 2 years) 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.
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.
Conservation
The principle that properties such as mass, volume, and number remain the same despite changes in the forms of objects.
Attachment
An emotional tie with another person shown in young children by seeking closeness to caregivers and showing distress on separation. Includes secure attachment, ambivalent-insecure attachment, and avoidant-insecure attachment.
Psychological Development Stages
Infancy-Basic Trust vs mistrust
Toddler-Autonomy vs shame and doubt
Preschool-initiative vs guilt
School-Industry vs inferiority
Adolescence-identity vs role confusion
Young adulthood-intimacy vs isolation
Middle age-generativity vs stagnation
Older age- integrity vs despair
Self-Concept
How we perceived our behaviors, abilities, and unique characteristics
Social Identity
The “we” aspect of our self concept; the part of our answer to “Who am I?” that comes from our group memberships.
X Chromosome
The sex Chromosome found in both men and women. Females have two x chromosomes; males have one. An x chromosome from each parent produces a female child.
Y Chromosome
The sex chromosome found only in males. When paired with an x chromosomes from the mother, it produces a male child.
Testosterone
Most important of the male sex hormones, both males and females have it, but the additional testosterone s in males stimulates the growth of the male sex organs and development of male sex characteristics during puberty.
Puberty
The period of sexual maturation, during which a person becomes capable of reproducing.
Primary sex characteristics
The body structures (ovaries, testes, and external genitalia) that make sexual reproduction possible.
Secondary sex characteristics
Nonreproductive sexual characteristics (breasts, hips, voice quality, body hair)
Menopause
The time of natural cessation of menstruation; also refers to the biological changes a women experiences as her ability to reproduce declines.
Social Clock
The culturally preferred timing of social events such as marriage, parenthood, and retirement.
Albert Bandura
Researcher famous for work in observational or social learning including the famous Bobo doll experiment.
Lev Vygotsky
Investigated how culture & interpersonal communication guide development; zone of proximal development play research.
