Chap 1 notes

Question 1

lifespan development

Answer 1

the field of study that examines pattern of growth, change, and stability in behavior that occur through the entire lifespan.

Question 2

physical development

Answer 2

development involving the body’s physical makeup, including the brain, nervous system, muscles, ans senses, and the need for food, drink, and sleep.

Question 3

cognitive development

Answer 3

development involving the ways that growth and change in intellectual capabilities influence a person’s behavior.

Question 4

personality development

Answer 4

development involving the ways that the enduring characteristics that differentiate one person from another change over the lifespan.

Question 5

social development

Answer 5

the way in which individuals’ interactions with others and their social relationships grow, change, and remain stable over the course of life.

Question 6

cohort

Answer 6

a group of people born at around the same time in the same place.

Question 7

continuous change

Answer 7

gradual development in which achievements at one level build on those of previous levels.

Question 8

discontinuous change

Answer 8

development that occurs in distinct steps or stages, with each stage bringing about behavior that is assumed to be qualitatively different from behavior at earlier stages.

Question 9

critical period

Answer 9

a specific time during development when a particular event has its greatest consequences and the presence of certain kinds of environmental stimuli is necessary for development to proceed normally.

Question 10

sensitive period

Answer 10

a point in development when organisms are particularly susceptible to certain kinds of stimuli in the environments, but the absences of those stimuli does not always produce irreversible consequences.

Question 11

maturation

Answer 11

the predetermined unfolding of genetic information.

Question 12

theories

Answer 12

explanations and predictions concerning phenomena of interest, providing a framework for understand the relationships among an organized set of facts or principles.

Question 13

psychodynamic perspective

Answer 13

the approach stating that behavior is motivated by inner forces, memories, and conflicts that are generally beyond people’s awareness and control.

Question 14

psychoanalytic theory

Answer 14

the theory proposed by Freud that suggests that unconscious forces act to determine personality and behavior.

Question 15

fixation

Answer 15

is behavior reflecting an earlier stage of development due to an unresolved conflict. According to Freud, if children are unable to gratify themselves sufficiently during a particular stage, or conversely, if they receive too much gratification.

Question 16

psycho-sexual development Freud

Answer 16

according to Freud, a series of stages that children pass through in which pleasure, or gratification, focuses on a particular biological function and body part.

Question 17

psycho-social development Erickson

Answer 17

the approach that encompasses changes in our interactions wit hand understandings of one another, as well as in our knowledge and understand of ourselves as members of society. In Erikson’s view, both society and culture challenge and shape us. 8 distinct stages emerge in a fixed pattern and are similar for all people. Each stage presents a crisis or conflict that the individual must resolve. Although no crisis is ever fully resolved, making life increasingly complicated the individual must at least address the crisis of each stage sufficiently to deal with demands made during the next stage of development.

Question 18

ego

Answer 18

part of personality that is rational and reasonable. The ego acts as a buffer between the real world outside of us and the primitive id.

Question 19

id

Answer 19

raw, unorganized, inborn part of personality that is present at birth. It represents primitive drives related to hunger, sex, aggressions, and irrational impulses. The id operates according to the pleasure principle.

Question 20

pleasure principle Freud

Answer 20

the goal is to maximize satisfaction and reduce tension.

Question 21

reality principle

Answer 21

instinctual energy is restrained in order to maintain the safety of the individual and help integrate the person into society.

Question 22

superego

Answer 22

represents a person’s conscience, incorporating distinctions between right and wrong. begins to develop around age 5 or 6 and is learned from an individual’s parents, teachers, and other significant figures.