Chapter 4 Flashcards
zygote
the fertilized egg developing into an embryo
developmental psychology
a branch of psychology that studies physical, cognitive, and social change throughout the life span
embryo
the developing human organism from about 2 weeks after fertilization through the 2nd month
fetus
the developing human organism from 9 weeks after conception to birth
teratogens
dangerous things that can reach the embryo or fetus during prenatal development and cause harm
fas
physical and cognitive abnormalities in children caused by a pregnant woman’s heavy drinking
habituation
decreasing responsiveness with repeated stimulation
maturation
biological growth processes that enable orderly changes in behavior
critical period
an optimal period early in the life of an organism when exposure to certain stimuli or experiences procedures normal development
cognition
all the mental activities associated with thinking, knowing, remembering, and communicating
schema
a concept or framework that organizes and interprets information
assimilation
interpreting our new experiences in terms of our existing schemas
accommadation
adapting our current understandings to incorporate new information
sensorimotor stage
the stage during which infants know the world mostly in terms of their sensory impressions and motor activities( from birth to about 2)
object permanence
the awareness that things continue to exist even when not perceived
preoperational stage
the stage during which a child learns to use language but does not yet comprehend the mental operations of concrete logic(2-6 or 7)
conversation
the principle that properties such as mass, volume, and number remain the same despite changes in the forms of objects
egocentrism
the preoperational childs difficulty taking anothers point of view
theory of mind
peoples ideas about their own and others mental states
concrete operational stage
the stage of cognitive development during which children gain the mental operations that enable them to think logically about concrete events(6 or 7-11)
formal operational stage
the stage of cognitive development during which people begin to think logically about abstract concepts(12)
autism
a disorder
stranger anxiety
the fear of strangers
attachment
the emotional tie with another person
imprinting
the process by which animals form attachments
temperament
a persons characteristic emotional reactivity and intensity
basic trust
a sense that the world is predictable and tustworthy
adolescence
the transition period from childhood to adulthood
puberty
the period of sexual maturation
intimacy
the ability to form close loving relationships
emerging adulthood
bridging the gap between adolescent dependence and full independence and responsible adulthood
menopause
The time of natural cessation of menstruation
cross-sectional study
a study in which people of different ages are compared with one another
longitudinal study
research in which the same people are restudied and retested over a long period
social clock
the culturally preferred timing of social events such as marriage, parenthood, and retirement
Oxytocin
a hormone released that causes increased contraction of the uterus and stimulates the ejection of milk of the breasts.
