Chapter 5: Developing Life Span Flashcards
developmental psychology
studies physical, cognitive, and social change throughout the lifespan
zygote
embryo
fetus
- fertilized egg; two week period of rapid cell division
- developing human organism; 2 weeks through to second month
- developing human organism; 9 weeks through to birth
teratogens
(monster maker) agents that can reach the embryo and cause harm
fetal alcohol syndrome
FAS, physical/cognitive abnormalities caused by heavy drinking during pregnancy
habituation
decreasing responsiveness with repeated stimulation, new thing isn’t as interesting anymore
3 issues to engage developmental psychologists
nature and nurture; continuity and stages; stability and change
continuity vs. stages
continuity: gradual development –> growing taller
stages: sudden changes in development –> caterpillar to butterfly
nature vs nurture
nature: genetic inheritance
nurture: experiences/upbringing
stability vs change
stability: traits that persist through life
change: change as we age
course of prenatal development and teratogens
zygote, embryo, fetus. teratogens cause harm to the fetus
newborns abilities? how do researchers explore infants’ mental abilities?
rooting, breathing, sucking, crying, preference for mothers smell
habituation, senses
maturation
biological growth processes that enable orderly changes in behaviour, relatively uninfluenced by experiences
cognition
mental activities associated with thinking, knowing, remembering, and communicating
schema
concept of framework that organizes and interprets new information
assimilation
interpreting new experiences in terms of our existing schemas
accomadation
adapting out current understandings (schemas) to incorporate new information
sensorimotor stage
piaget’s theory, the stage (birth-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 they are not percieved
preoperational stage
piaget’s theory, the stage (2-6/7years) during which a child learns to use language but does not yet comprehend the mental operations of concrete logic
conservation
the principle that properties such as mass, volume, and number remain the same despite changes in the form of the objects (flipping a triangle shaped container of water)
egocentrism
piaget’s theory, the preoperational child’s difficulty taking another’s point of view (jim is my brother but jim doesn’t have a brother)
theory of mind
people’s ideas about their own and others’ mental states - about their feeling, perceptions, and thoughts, and the behaviours these might predict
concrete operational stage
piaget’s theory, the stage of cognitive development (7-11 years) during which children gain the mental operations that enable them to think logically about concrete events
formal operational stage
piaget’s theory, the stage of cognitive development (12+) during which people begin to think logically about abstract concepts
stranger anxiety
the fear of strangers that infants commonly display, beginning by about 8 months of age
attachment
an emotional tie with another person; shown in young children by their seeking closeness to the caregiver and showing distress on separation
critical period
an optimal period early in the life of an organism when exposure to certain stimuli or experiences produces normal development
imprinting
the process by which certain animals form strong attachments during early life
basic trust
erik erikson, a sense that the world is predictable and trustworthy; said to be formed during infancy by appropriate experiences with responsible caregivers
self concept
all out thoughts and feelings about ourselves. in answer to the question, “who am i?”
puberty
the period of sexual maturation, during which a person becomes capable of reproducing
identity
our sense of self; according to erikson, the adolescent’s task is to solidify a sense of self by testing and integrating various roles
social identity
the ‘we’ aspect of our self-concept; the part of our answer to the “who am I?” that comes from our group memberships
intimacy
erikson, the ability to form close, loving relationships; a primary developmental task in young adulthood
emerging adulthood
a period from about age 18 to the mid-twenties, when many in Western cultures are no longer adolescents but have not yet achieved full independence as adults
menopause
the time of natural cessation of menstruation; also refers to the biological changes a woman experiences as her ability to reproduce declines
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 of time
neurocognitive disorders
(NCDs) acquired (not lifelong) disorders marked by cognitive deficits; often related to Alzheimer’s disease, brain injury or disease, or substance abuse. In older adults neurocognitve disorders were formerly called dementia
Alzheimer’s disease
an NCD marked by neural plaques, often with an onset after age 80, and entailing a progressive decline in memory and other cognitive abilities
social clock
the culturally preferred timing of social events such as marriage, parenthood, and retirement
