Chapter 9 Discovering Psychology Vocabulary

Question 1

The branch of psychology that studies how people change over the lifespan.

Answer 1

Developmental Psychology

Question 2

Research strategy in which a variable or group of variables are studied in the same group of participants over time.

Answer 2

Longitudinal Design

Question 3

Research strategy in which individuals of different ages or developmental stages are directly compared.

Answer 3

Cross-Sectional Design

Question 4

The single cell formed at conception from the union of the egg cell and the sperm cell.

Answer 4

Zygote

Question 5

A long, thread-like structure composed of twisted parallel stands of DNA; found in the cell nucleus.

Answer 5

Chromosome

Question 6

The double-stranded molecule that encodes genetic instructions; the chemical basis of heredity.

Answer 6

Deoxyribonucleic Acid (DNA)

Question 7

A unit of DNA on a chromosome that encodes instructions for making a particular protein molecule; the basic unit of heredity.

Answer 7

Gene

Question 8

The genetic makeup of an individual organism.

Answer 8

Genotype

Question 9

Chromosomes designated as X or Y, that determine biological sex; the 23rd pair of chromosomes in humans.

Answer 9

Sex Chromosomes

Question 10

The observable traits or characteristics of an organism as determined by the interaction of genetics and environmental factors.

Answer 10

Phenotype

Question 11

The study of the cellular mechanisms that control gene expression and of the ways that gene expression impacts health and behavior.

Answer 11

Epigenetics

Question 12

The stage of development before birth; divided into the germinal, embryonic, and fetal periods.

Answer 12

Prenatal Stage

Question 13

The first two weeks of prenatal development.

Answer 13

Germinal Period

Question 14

The second period of prenatal development, extending from the third week through the eighth week.

Answer 14

Embryonic Period

Question 15

Harmful agents or substances that can cause malformations or defects in the embryo or fetus.

Answer 15

Teratogens

Question 16

Undifferentiated cells that can divide and give rise to cells that can develop into any one of the body’s different cell types.

Answer 16

Stem cells

Question 17

The third and longest period of prenatal development, extending from the ninth week until birth.

Answer 17

Fetal Period

Question 18

Inborn predispositions to consistently behave and react in a certain way.

Answer 18

Temperament

Question 19

The emotional bond that forms between an infant and caregiver(s), especially his or her parents.

Answer 19

Attachment

Question 20

The words that are understood by an infant or child.

Answer 20

Comprehension Vocabulary

Question 21

The words that an infant or child understands and can speak.

Answer 21

Production Vocabulary

Question 22

The cultural, social, and psychological meanings that are associated with masculinity or femininity.

Answer 22

Gender

Question 23

The behaviors, attitudes, and personality traits that are designated as either masculine or feminine in a given culture.

Answer 23

Gender Roles

Question 24

A person’s psychological sense of being male or female.

Answer 24

Gender Identity

Question 25

The theory that gender roles are acquired through the basic processes of learning, including reinforcement, punishment, and modeling.

Answer 25

Social Learning Theory of Gender-Role Development

Question 26

The theory that gender-role development is influenced by the formation of schemas, or mental representations of masculinity and femininity.

Answer 26

Gender Schema Theory

Question 27

Condition in which a person's psychological gender identity conflicts with his or her biological sex.

Answer 27

Transgender

Question 28

In Piaget's theory, the first stage of cognitive development, from birth to about age 2; the period during which the infant explores the environment and acquires knowledge through sensing and manipulating objects.

Answer 28

Sensorimotor Stage

Question 29

The understanding that an object continues to exist even when it can no longer be seen.

Answer 29

Object Permanence

Question 30

In Piaget's theory, the second stage fo cognitive development, which lasts from about age 2 to age 7; characterized by increasing use of symbols and prelogical thought processes.

Answer 30

Preoperational Stage

Question 31

The ability to use words, images, and symbols to represent the world.

Answer 31

Symbolic Thought

Question 32

In Piaget's theory, the inability to take another person's perspective or point of view.

Answer 32

Egocentrism

Question 33

In Piaget's theory, the inability to mentally reverse a sequence of events or logical operations.

Answer 33

Irreversibility

Question 34

In Piaget's theory, the tendency to focus, or center, on only one aspect of a situation and ignore other important aspects of the situation.

Answer 34

Centration

Question 35

In Piaget's theory, the understanding that two equal quantities remain equal even though the form or appearance of rearranged, as long as nothing is added or subtracted.

Answer 35

Conservation

Question 36

In Piaget's theory, the third stage of cognitive development, which lasts from about age 7 to adolescense; characterized by the ability to think logically about concrete objects and situations.

Answer 36

Concrete Operational Stage

Question 37

In Piaget's theory, the fourth stage pf cognitive development, which lasts from adolescence through adulthood; characterized by the ability to think logically about abstract principals and hypothetical situations.

Answer 37

Formal Operational Stage

Question 38

In Vygotsky's theory of cognitive development, the difference between what children can accomplish on their own and what they can accomplish with the help of others who are more competent.

Answer 38

Zone of Proximal Development

Question 39

The model that views cognitive development as a process that is continuous over the lifespan and that studies the development of basic mental processes such as attention, memory, and problem solving.

Answer 39

Information-Processing Model of Cognitive Development

Question 40

The transitional stage between late childhood and the beginning of adulthood, during which sexual maturity is reached.

Answer 40

Adolescence

Question 41

The stage of adolescence in which an individual reaches sexual maturity and becomes psysiologically capable of sexual reproduction.

Answer 41

Puberty

Question 42

Sexual organs that are directly involved in reproduction, such as the uterus, ovaries, penis, and testicles.

Answer 42

Primary Sex Characteristics

Question 43

Sexual characteristics that develop during puberty and are not directly involved in reproduction but differentiate between the sexes, such as male facial hair and female breast development.

Answer 43

Secondary Sex Characteristics

Question 44

That period of accelerated growth during puberty, involving rapid increases in height and weight.

Answer 44

Adolescent Growth Spurt

Question 45

A female's first menstrual period, which occurs during puberty.

Answer 45

Menarche

Question 46

A person's sense of self, including his or her memories, experiences, and the values and beliefs that guide his or her behavior.

Answer 46

Identity

Question 47

The aspect of cognitive development that has to do with how an individual reasons about moral decisions.

Answer 47

Moral Reasoning

Question 48

In industrialized countries, the stage of lifespan from approximately the late teens to the mid-to-late-20's, which is characterized by exploration, instability, and flexibility in social roles, vocational choices, and relationships.

Answer 48

Emerging Adulthood

Question 49

The natural cessation of menstruation and the end of reproductive capacity in women.

Answer 49

Menopause

Question 50

The psychosocial theory that life satisfaction in late adulthood is highest when people maintain the level of activity they displayed earlier in life.

Answer 50

Activity Theory of Aging

Question 51

Parenting style in which parents are demanding and unresponsive toward their children's needs or wishes.

Answer 51

Authoritarian Parenting Style

Question 52

Parenting style in which parents are extremely tolerant and not demanding; permissive-indulgent parents are responsive to their children, while permissive-indifferent parents are unresponsive.

Answer 52

Permissive Parenting Style

Question 53

Parenting style in which parents can set clear standards for their children's behavior but are also responsive to their children's needs and wishes.

Answer 53

Authoritative Parenting Style

Question 54

A discipline technique that combines parental control with explaining why a behavior is prohibited.

Answer 54

Induction