CHAPTER 10 Vocab G-Z Flashcards
A gradual reduction in the strength of a response when a stimulus event is presented repeatedly
Habituation
Careful systematic observation of one’s own conscious experience
Introspection
The inability to envision reversing an action
Irreversibility
A densely connected network of structures roughly located along the border between the cerebral cortex and deeper subcortical areas
Limbic system
A research design in which investigators observe one group of subjects repeatedly over a period of time
Longitudinal design
Development that reflects the gradual unfolding of one’s genetic blueprint
Maturation
The first occurrence of menstruation
Menarche
Subnormal general mental ability accompanied by deficiencies in everyday living skills originating prior to age 18
Mental retardation
Combining the statistical results of many studies of the same question, yielding an estimate of the size and consistency of a variable’s effects
Meta-analysis
A difficult, turbulent period of doubts and reappraisal of one’s life
Mid-life crisis
A person whose behavior is observed another
Model
The progression of muscular coordination required for physical activities
Motor development
Drugs derived from opium that are capable of relieving pain
Narcotics (opiates)
Recognizing that objects continue to exist even when they are no longer visible
Object permanence
A general tendency to expect good outcomes
Optimism
The release of sexual tension that occurs when arousal reaches its peak intensity and is discharged in a series of muscular contractions that pulsate through the pelvic area
Orgasm
A durable disposition to behave in a particular way in a variety of situations
Personality trait
The “master gland” of the endocrine system
Pituitary gland
A structure that allows oxygen and nutrients to pass into the fetus from the other’s bloodstream and bodily wastes to pass out to the mother
Placenta
The period from conception to birth, usually encompassing nine months of pregnancy
Prenatal period
The sexual structures necessary for reproduction
Primary sex characteristics
Active efforts to discover what must be done to achieve a goal that is not readily available
Problem solving
The repository of memories for actions, skills, and operations
Procedural memory system
The center - outward direction of motor development
Proximodistal trend
The period of early adolescence marked by rapid physical growth and the development of sexual maturity
Puberty
The two-year span preceding puberty during which the changes leading to physical and sexual maturity take place
Pubescence
The process of repetitively verbalizing or thinking about information to be stored in memory
Rehearsal
Physical features that are associated with gender but that are not directly involved in reproduction
Secondary sex characteristics
Sleep-inducing drugs that tend to decrease central nervous system activation and behavioral activity
Sedatives
General knowledge that is not tied to the time when the information was learned
Semantic memory stem
Emotional distress seen in many infants when they are separated from people with whom they have formed an attachment
Separation anxiety
The biologically based categories of male and female
Sex
The acquisition of the norms, roles, and behaviors expected of people in a particular society
Socialization
A developmental period during which characteristic patterns of behavior are exhibited and certain capacities become established
Stage
An individual’s characteristic mood, activity level, and emotional reactivity
Temperament
A one-celled organism formed by the union of a sperm and an egg
Zygote
