Chapter 10 Flashcards
Developmental psychology
Study of how behavior changes over the lifespan
Gene environment interaction
Situation in which the effects of genes depend on the environment in which they are exposed
Nature via nurture
Tendency of individuals with certain genetic predispositions to seek out and create environments that permit the expression of those predispositions
Gene expression
Activation or deactivation of genes by environmental experiences throughout development
Cross-sectional design
Research design that examines people of different ages at a single point in time
Cohort effects
Effects observed in a sample of participants that results from individuals and the sample growing up at the same time
Longitudinal design
Research design that examines development in the same group of people on multiple occasions over time
Post hoc fallacy
False assumption that because one event occurred before another event it must have caused that event
Prenatal
Prior to birth
Zygote
Fertilized egg
Blastocyst
Ball of identical cells early in pregnancy that haven’t yet begun to take it on any specific function in a body part
Embryo
Second to eighth week of prenatal development, during which limbs, facial features, and major organs of the body take form
Fetus
Period of prenatal development from the 9th week until birth after all major organs are established and physical maturation is the primary change
Teratogen
An environmental factor that can exert a negative impact on prenatal development
Fetal alcohol syndrome
Condition resulting from high levels of prenatal alcohol exposure, causing learning disabilities, physical growth retardation, facial malformations, and behavioral disorders
Motor behavior
Bodily motion that occurs as a result of self-initiated force that moves the bones and muscles
Adolescence
The transition between childhood and adulthood commonly associated with the teenage years
Puberty
The achievement of sexual maturation resulting in the potential to reproduce
Primary sex characteristic
A physical feature such as the reproductive organs and genitals that distinguish the sexes
Secondary sex characteristic
A sex differentiating characteristic that doesn’t relate directly to reproduction, such as breast enlargement and woman, and deepening voices in men
Menarche
Start of menstruation
spermarche
Boys first ejaculation
Menopause
The termination of menstruation, marking the end of a woman’s reproductive potential
Cognitive development
Study of how children acquire the ability to learn, think, reason, communicate, and remember
Assimilation
Piagetian process of absorbing new experience into current knowledge structures
Accommodation
Piagetian process of altering a belief to make it more compatible with experience
Scaffolding
Vygotskian learning mechanism in which parents provide initial assistance in children’s learning but gradually remove structure as children become more competent
Zone of proximal development
Phase of learning during which children can benefit from instruction
Theory of mind
Ability to reason about what other people know or believe
Stranger anxiety
A fear of strangers developing at 8 or 9 months of age
Temperament
Basic emotional style that appears early in development and is largely genetic in origin
Attachment
The strong emotional connection we share with those whom we feel closest
Average expectable environment
Environment that provides children with basic needs for affection and discipline
Self control
Ability to inhibit an impulse to act
Gender identity
Individual sense of being male or female
Gender role
A set of behaviors that tend to be associated with being male or female
Identity
Our sense of who we are, as well as our life goals and priorities
Psychosocial crisis
Dilemma concerning an individual’s relations to other people
Emerging adulthood
Period of life between the ages of 18 and 25 when many aspects of emotional development, identity, and personality become solidified
Midlife crisis
Supposed phase of adulthood characterized by emotional distress about the aging process and an attempt to regain youth
Empty nest syndrome
Alleged period of depression and mothers following the departure of their grown children from home
